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... the book's appearance at this critical moment for the law regulating the use of force is most welcome, especially for students ... a helpful reference. The American Journal of International Law ... contains a wealth of evidence. The American Journal of International Law
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The American Journal of International Law
"... contains a wealth of evidence."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this book for a course and can only recommend it. It is a great introduction into the field and covers a wide range of long-standing and more recent debates since the end of World War II. Furthermore, it also provides good insight into the historical facts related to the cases treated while not being legthy or boring. I believe it is a valuable source of knowledge both for students of international law and international relations and considering that it is exceptionally well written it is also great as a passtime read.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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2 reviews
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Good account of international law on the use of force
8 Nov 2004
Format:Paperback
Christine Gray, a Reader in International Law at Cambridge University, has written an excellent account of current international law on the use of force by states. She examines the laws banning the use of force, civil wars, self-defence, collective self-defence, the use of force against terrorism, the UN and the use of force, Security Council authorisation for the use of force, and regional peacekeeping and enforcement actions.
International law depends on the defence of nations' rights to self-determination, sovereignty and independence. She shows that the UN remains committed to the prohibition of any forcible intervention in the internal affairs of any nations.
Gray maintains that the reasoning of the International Court of Justice in Nicaragua's case against the USA in 1986 is of paramount importance in this area because it is the Court's first extended discussion of the law on the use of force. The Court found that Nicaragua had not attacked anybody, but that the US government had illegally used force and intervened in Nicaragua. The Court rejected the US claim that its Contra war was justified as `humanitarian' intervention. The US state has refused to accept the verdict.
Gray shows that the similar recent US/British attacks on Iraq and Yugoslavia were also illegal: "The use of the doctrine of implied authorization by the Security Council to justify the military action by the USA and the UK in Iraq in 1993 and 1998, by NATO in Kosovo and most recently by the USA, the UK and Australia in Operation Iraqi Freedom shows lip-service to the authority of the UN, but an unwillingness actually to accept the decisions of the Security Council."
As UN Secretary-General Kofi Anna said in 1999, "enforcement actions without Security Council authorisation threaten the very core of the international security system." On 16 September 2004, he stated that the war on Iraq was illegal. Recent UN Resolutions have not endorsed the war as legal. The illegal invasion has now become an illegal belligerent occupation.
International law depends on the defence of nations' rights to self-determination, sovereignty and independence. She shows that the UN remains committed to the prohibition of any forcible intervention in the internal affairs of any nations.
Gray maintains that the reasoning of the International Court of Justice in Nicaragua's case against the USA in 1986 is of paramount importance in this area because it is the Court's first extended discussion of the law on the use of force. The Court found that Nicaragua had not attacked anybody, but that the US government had illegally used force and intervened in Nicaragua. The Court rejected the US claim that its Contra war was justified as `humanitarian' intervention. The US state has refused to accept the verdict.
Gray shows that the similar recent US/British attacks on Iraq and Yugoslavia were also illegal: "The use of the doctrine of implied authorization by the Security Council to justify the military action by the USA and the UK in Iraq in 1993 and 1998, by NATO in Kosovo and most recently by the USA, the UK and Australia in Operation Iraqi Freedom shows lip-service to the authority of the UN, but an unwillingness actually to accept the decisions of the Security Council."
As UN Secretary-General Kofi Anna said in 1999, "enforcement actions without Security Council authorisation threaten the very core of the international security system." On 16 September 2004, he stated that the war on Iraq was illegal. Recent UN Resolutions have not endorsed the war as legal. The illegal invasion has now become an illegal belligerent occupation.
Good Review of International Law on Use of Force
15 Jun 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
"International Law and the Use of Force" is an up-to-date and detailed analysis of international law and state practice on the use of armed force.
The book has many virtues. It is clearly written and thorough. Unlike many American authors, the author uses examples of state practice from the UN and capitals around the world, not just from the U.S. and UK. The book is also very realistic. Unlike many leftist writers, she doesn't confuse ideals with law. She doesn't pretend, for example, that "humanitarian intervention" is now valid international law when in fact only a few countries endorse the concept. And the book cuts through cant. Unlike many rightist writers, the author doesn't believe that U.S. violations of international law in Nicaragua, Iraq or elsewhere are bold precedents establishing new legal principles. (They are just cases of lawbreaking.) The author's knowledge of contemporary international legal practice is amazing. Most of her judgments are sound and in the mainstream of international (if not American) legal thinking.
But the book has flaws, too. It will have a short shelf life. There is too much minutiae about recent conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, with too much parsing of UN resolutions and foreign ministry boilerplate. It would have been better to unpack basic legal principles and classic use-of-force cases: how this book (or any book on this subject) can have only passing references to the Carolina case or Israel's pre-emptive war in 1967 is beyond me. The author's anti-U.S. attitude also gets the better of her. For example, she probes at length the legality of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, as if the legal justification isn't clear. It is: the U.S. invaded Afghanistan under a UNSC mandate and has remained there with the permission of the Afghan government. My hunch is that the author's anger over high-handed U.S. behavior in Central America and the War on Terror has made her too eager to question any U.S. military action. This reflex is understandable but it detracts from the book's overall credibility.
But these are quibbles. "International Law and the Use of Armed Force" is excellent. It should be assigned widely in law schools. I'm sure it will be read in the legal departments of many foreign ministries.
The book has many virtues. It is clearly written and thorough. Unlike many American authors, the author uses examples of state practice from the UN and capitals around the world, not just from the U.S. and UK. The book is also very realistic. Unlike many leftist writers, she doesn't confuse ideals with law. She doesn't pretend, for example, that "humanitarian intervention" is now valid international law when in fact only a few countries endorse the concept. And the book cuts through cant. Unlike many rightist writers, the author doesn't believe that U.S. violations of international law in Nicaragua, Iraq or elsewhere are bold precedents establishing new legal principles. (They are just cases of lawbreaking.) The author's knowledge of contemporary international legal practice is amazing. Most of her judgments are sound and in the mainstream of international (if not American) legal thinking.
But the book has flaws, too. It will have a short shelf life. There is too much minutiae about recent conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, with too much parsing of UN resolutions and foreign ministry boilerplate. It would have been better to unpack basic legal principles and classic use-of-force cases: how this book (or any book on this subject) can have only passing references to the Carolina case or Israel's pre-emptive war in 1967 is beyond me. The author's anti-U.S. attitude also gets the better of her. For example, she probes at length the legality of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, as if the legal justification isn't clear. It is: the U.S. invaded Afghanistan under a UNSC mandate and has remained there with the permission of the Afghan government. My hunch is that the author's anger over high-handed U.S. behavior in Central America and the War on Terror has made her too eager to question any U.S. military action. This reflex is understandable but it detracts from the book's overall credibility.
But these are quibbles. "International Law and the Use of Armed Force" is excellent. It should be assigned widely in law schools. I'm sure it will be read in the legal departments of many foreign ministries.
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