International Law, the International Court of Justice and Nuclear Weapons

The legality of nuclear weapons has been strongly questioned in recent years, particularly by the developing countries and non-governmental organisations. Their concern found expression in the requests by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations General Assembly to the International Court of Justice to pronounce on the legality of their use. On 8 July 1996, the Court handed down two Advisory Opinions; these are the first authoritative international judicial opinions since the development of nuclear weapons in the 1940s. This book offers a comprehensive study of the opinions. More than thirty internationally respected experts contribute their analyses of the status of nuclear weapons in international law across all its sectors: use of force, humanitarian law, environment and human rights. The contributions also assess the implications of the opinions for international organisations and the international judicial function. Contributors include lawyers, academics, diplomats and advisors to international bodies.