This Oxford Handbook provides an authoritative and comprehensive analysis of one of the most controversial areas of international law. Over sixth contributors assess the current state of the international law prohibiting the use of force, assessing its development and analysing the many recent controversies that have arisen in this field.

• I Introduction


• 1: Randall Lesaffer: Too Much History: From War as a Sanction to the Sanctioning of War


• 2: Daniele Archibugi, Mariano Croce, and Andrea Salvatore: Law of Nations or Perpetual Peace? Two Early International Theories on the Use of Force


• 3: Michael Glennon: The Limitations of Traditional Rules and Institutions Relating to the Use of Force


• 4: James Crawford and Rowan Nicholson: The Continued Relevance of Established Rules and Institutions Relating to the Use of Force


• 5: Gina Heathcote: Feminist Perspectives on the Law on the Use of Force


• 6: Jean d'Aspremont: The Collective Security System and the Enforcement of International Law


• 7: Alexander Orakhelashvili: Changing Jus Cogens through State Practice? - the Case of the Prohibition of the Use of Force and its Exce ptions


• II Collective Security and the Non-use of Force


• 8: Ramesh Thakur: Reconfiguring the UN System of Collective Security


• 9: Niels Blocker: Outsourcing the Use of Force: Towards More Security Council Control of Authorized Operations?


• 10: Ian Johnstone: When the Security Council is Divided: Imprecise Authorizations, Implied Mandates, and the 'Unreasonable Veto'


• 11: Rob McLaughlin: United Nations Security Council Practice in Relation to Use of Force in No-Fly Zones and Maritime Exclusion Zones


• 12: Penelope Nevill: Military Sanctions Enforcement in the Absence of Express Authorization?


• 13: Nigel D. White: The Relationship Between the UN Security Council and General Assembly in Matters of International Peace and Security


• 14: Erika de Wet: Regional Organizations and Arrangements: Authorization, Ratification or Independent Action


• 15: A. Mark Weisburd: Use of Force: Justiciability and Admissibility


• 16: Scott Sheeran: The Use of Force in United Nations Peace-keeping Operations


• 17: Haidi Willmot and Ralph Mamiya: Mandated to Protect: Security Council Practice on the Protection of Civilians


• 18: Nicholas Tsagourias: Self-defence, Protection of Humanitarian Values and the Doctrine of Impartiality and Neutrality in Enforcement Mandates


• 19: Charlotte Ku: Transparency, Accountability, and Responsibility for Internationally Mandated Operations


• 20: Andre Nollkaemper: Failure to Protect in International Law


• III The Prohibition of the Use of Force, Self-Defence, and other Concepts


• 21: Nico Schrijver: The Ban on the Use of Force in the UN Charter


• 22: Jan Klabbers: Intervention, Armed Intervention, Armed Attack, Threat to Peace, Act of Aggression, and Threat or Use of Force - What's the Difference?


• 23: Jen Michel Arrighi: The Prohibition of the Use of Force and Non-intervention: Ambition and Practice in the OAS region


• 24: Sean Murphy: The Crime of Aggression at the International Criminal Court


• 25: Claus Kress: The International Court of Justice and the 'Principle of Non-Use of Force'


• 26: Vaios Koutroulis: The Prohibition of the Use of Force in Arbitrations and Fact-Finding Reports


• 27: Jorg Kammerhofer: The Resilience of the Restrictive Rules on Self-defence


• 28: Sir Michael Wood: Self-defence and Collective Security: Key Distinctions


• 29: Ashley Deeks: Taming the Doctrine of Preemption


• 30: Kimberley Trapp: Can Non-state Actors Mount an Armed Attack?


• 31: Noam Lubell: The Problem of Imminence in an Uncertain World


• 32: Lindsay Moir: Action against Host States of Terrorist Groups


• 33: Terry Gill: When Does Self-defence End?


• 34: Jean Christophe Martin: Theatre of Operations


• IV Action on Behalf of Peoples and Populations


• 35: Sir Nigel Rodley: Humanitarian Intervention


• 36: David Wippman: Pro-democratic Action


• 37: Gregory H. Fox: Intervention by Invitation


• 38: Elizabeth Chadwick: National Liberation in the Context of Post- and Non-Colonial Struggles for Self-Determination


• V Revival of Classical Concepts?


• 39: Olivier Corten: Necessity


• 40: Shane Darcy: Retaliation and Reprisal


• 41: Bill Gilmore: Hot Pursuit


• 42: Anne Lagerwall and François Dubuisson: The Threat of the Use of Force and Ultimata


• 43: Wolff Heintschel von Heinegg: Blockades and Interdictions


• 44: Mathias Forteau: Rescuing Nationals Abroad


• 45: Martin Waelisch: Peace Settlements and the Prohibition of the Use of Force


• 46: Marina Mancini: The Effects of a State of War or Armed Conflict


• VI Emerging Areas?


• 47: Guglielmo Verdirame and Vasco Becker Weinberg: Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Shipping Interdiction


• 48: Daniel Joyner: The Implications of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction for the Prohibition of the Use of Force


• 49: Douglas Guilfoyle: The Use of Force Against Pirates


• 50: Marco Pertile: The Changing Environment and Emerging Resource Conflicts


• 51: Jordan Paust: Remotely Piloted Warfare as a Challenge to the Ius ad Bellum


• 52: Michael Schmidt: The Use of Cyber Force and International Law


• 53: Ian Ralby: Private Military Companies and the Jus ad Bellum


• VII General Problems


• 54: Andre de Hoogh: Ius Cogens and the Use of Armed Force


• 55: Theodora Christodoulidou and Kalliopi Chainoglou: The Principle of Proportionality from a us ad Bellum Perspective


• 56: Keiichiro Okimoto: The Relationship Between Ius ad Bellum and Jus in bello


• 57: Paolo Palchetti: Consequences for Third States as a Result of an Unlawful Use of Force

Marc Weller is Professor of International Law and International Constitutional Studies, University of Cambridge. He became a member of the Faculty of Law of the University of Cambridge in 1990. From 1997-2000 he was Deputy Director of the Centre of International Studies. He has been Director of Graduate Education in the Department of Politics and International Studies of the University since 2008. Professor Weller holds Masters degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the University of Cambridge, and Doctorates in Law, in Economic and Social Sciences, and in International Law from the Universities of Frankfurt, Hamburg and Cambridge respectively.
Jake William Rylatt is Research Assistant to the Legal Tools for Peace-Making Project, Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge
Alexia Solomou is Associate Legal Officer, International Court of Justice.