Legal Accountability and Britain's Wars 2000-2015 / Edition 1

by Peter Rowe

Overview

This book discusses the manner in which Britain’s wars, which took place between 2000 and 2015, have interacted with the relevant principles of international law and English law for the purpose, primarily, of considering legal accountability.

During a debate in the House of Lords in 2005 a former Chief of the Defence Staff commented that ‘the Armed Forces are under legal siege.’ The book will discuss the major legal issues which have arisen, ranging from the various votes in Parliament to go to war, the constitutional relationship between ministers and senior commanders, the right under international law to use force, the influence of human rights law, the role of the courts in England (including the coroners’ courts), to the legal regime applying to the conduct of UK military operations. It will assess critically whether the armed forces will now have to accept that operations conducted outside the UK are subject to greater legal scrutiny than previously and whether, if this is the case, it is likely to hinder their future military activities.

This book will be of great interest to scholars of international law, the law of armed conflict, military studies and international relations, as well as to those with a professional or other interest in the subject matter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138846241
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/24/2016
Series:	Routledge Research in International Law
Pages:	310
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Professor Emeritus Peter Rowe retired from the University of Lancaster Law School in 2014. He has been chairman of the UK Group of the International Society for Military law and the Laws of War.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. The United Nations and NATO 3. The Armed Forces and Government Ministers 4. The Role of Parliament in Armed Conflict Decisions 5. The Relationship between the English Courts and the Government 6. The United Kingdom's Obligations under International Humanitarian Law 7. The Influence of Human Rights Law on the UK Armed Forces 8. The Individual British Serviceman or Woman 9. The Conduct of British Military Operations 10. Conclusions