Terrorism, War and International Law: The Legality of the Use of Force Against Afghanistan in 2001

This book analyses the legality of the use of force by the US, the UK and their NATO allies against Afghanistan in 2001. As such, it examines the documents submitted to the Security Council on 7 October 2001 which set forth the justifications for resorting to force, as well as the response within the Security Council, the General Assembly and the wider international community. The work challenges the main ground for resorting to force, namely, self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations' Charter, on a number of issues. It also examines the wider context, including comparable Security Council resolutions in historic situations as well as modern instances were force has been used, such as against Iraq in 2003 and against Lebanon in 2006. Aside from making the case against the legality of the use of force, the book addresses wider questions such as the meaning of "terrorism" in international law, the changing nature of conflict in the twenty-first century, the evolution of limitations on the resort to force from antiquity through to 2001, as well as the implications for the use of force in the future.

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