There is considerable writing on the laws designed to regulate war, but most of this material is devoted to international wars between different states. Lindsay Moir examines the laws which exist to protect civilians caught up in armed conflicts within a single state. This book traces the development of international law from the nineteenth century, up to events arising from the conflicts in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. It demonstrates how human rights can offer protection during armed conflict and how effectively (and by whom) the relevant rules can be enforced.

A number of commentators assert that the military response to the terrorist atrocities of September 11, 2001 - the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq, and the commonly referred to 'war on terror' - has significantly impacted the international law regulating resort to armed force by states (jus ad bellum), loosening the constraints on self-defense. Some even suggest that the very future of the United Nations - in particular, the Security Council and its collective security system - is at risk, at least in its current form. This book does not address the question of the future of the United...