War, Aggression and Self-Defence

A NEW SIXTH EDITION AS WAR REMAINS THE EVER-PRESENT MENACE FOR YET ANOTHER CENTURY

An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers and Reviews Editor, "The Barrister"

The changing face of warfare is discussed in detail in "War, Aggression and Self-Defence". The book originally appeared in 1988 and was last revised in 2010. The subject-matter is well covered in this new sixth edition from Yoram Dinstein at the Cambridge University Press. And it remains an indispensable guide with world events leading to "the sharpening of debates over several of the relevant topics".

The author states that "war has plagued homo sapiens since the dawn of recorded history and, at almost any particular moment in the annals of the species, it appears to be raging in at least a portion of the globe (frequently, in many places at one and the same time)". Although it is a reasonable observation to suggest that we also have "international armed conflicts" which are "short of war" so the title of the book caters for what can be called "outright states of war" although the issues remains similar. A great book for any member of the armed forces to read to gain a perspective on war.

Dinstein's mission is to cover what he calls "international legal issues of war and peace, the crime of aggression, self-defence and its trigger, armed attack, and the different modalities of self-defence, as well as enforcement measures taken under the aegis of a binding decision of the Security Council".

We welcome this new and fully updated 6th edition which continues to focus on the "key issues at the forefront of the contemporary international legal debate, as well as analysing the new armed conflicts in Syria, Ukraine and Georgia, re-examining the Kampala amendments on the crime of aggression and considering the phenomenon of 'robust' mandates of a peacekeeping force". So, it is very much a contemporary book for our world looking at what war is, how it starts and is there a twilight between war and peace.

The work is thought suitable for graduate and advanced level undergraduate students. The publishers describe it as a market-leading book which offers a wide-ranging and highly readable introduction to the legal issues surrounding war and self-defence although it has the attention to detail which some many similar books lack.

The issues of self-defence and collective security are well covered with substantial reference made to the work of the Security Council and the authorizations of "all necessary means" (viz. the use of force) given in response to "threats to the peace". For lawyers, Dinstein reviews the work of the General Assembly and the International Court of Justice in useful detail.

The final words can be left with Dinstein in his introduction where he writes about his purpose in providing us with the book. "There is also a need to address ever-growing dissensions in the legal literature concerning the scope of an armed attack, preemptive self-defence, foreign interventions in non-international armed conflicts, the definition of the crime of aggression, the extent of the powers and responsibilities of the Security Council, and manifold related subjects." That is exactly what you get and what you might be looking for in your researches. Thank you.

The publication date for this edition is cited as at 31st October 2017.