-
Of War and Law (Hardback)
$28.62 - Save $1.51 (5%) - RRP $30.13 Free delivery worldwide (to United States and
all these other countries) Usually dispatched within 48 hours | |Short Description for Of War and LawOnce a bit player in military conflict, law has become a political and ethical vocabulary for marking legitimate power and justifiable death. Examining this important development, this book attempts to retell the history of modern war and statecraft as a tale of the changing role of law and the dramatic growth of law's power.
Full description- Publisher: Princeton University Press
- Published: 21 August 2006
- Format: Hardback 206 pages
- See: Full bibliographic data
- Categories: Central Government Policies | Legal History | International Law | International Humanitarian Law | Military & Defence Law | Military History
- ISBN 13: 9780691128641 ISBN 10: 0691128642
- Sales rank: 312,277
Other books
Full description for Of War and Law
Modern war is law pursued by other means. Once a bit player in military conflict, law now shapes the institutional, logistical, and physical landscape of war. At the same time, law has become a political and ethical vocabulary for marking legitimate power and justifiable death. As a result, the battle-space is as legally regulated as the rest of modern life. In" Of War and Law", David Kennedy examines this important development, retelling the history of modern war and statecraft as a tale of the changing role of law and the dramatic growth of law's power. Not only a restraint and an ethical yardstick, law can also be a weapon - a strategic partner, a force multiplier, and an excuse for terrifying violence. Kennedy focuses on what can go wrong when humanitarian and military planners speak the same legal language - wrong for humanitarianism, and wrong for warfare. He argues that law has beaten ploughshares into swords while encouraging the bureaucratization of strategy and leadership. A culture of rules has eroded the experience of personal decision-making and responsibility among soldiers and statesmen alike. Kennedy urges those inside and outside the military who wish to reduce the ferocity of battle to understand the new roles - and the limits - of law. Only then, will we be able to revitalize our responsibility for war.
