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The Right to Life under International Law offers the first-ever comprehensive treatment under international law of the foundational human right to life. It describes the history, content, and status of the right, considers jurisdictional issues, and discusses the application of the right to a wide range of groups, such as women, children, persons with disabilities, members of minorities, LGBTI persons, refugees, and journalists. It defines the responsibility of not only governments but also the private sector, armed groups, and non-governmental organisations to respect the prohibition on arbitrary deprivation of life. It also explains the nature and substance of the duty to investigate potentially unlawful death as well as the mechanisms at global and regional level to promote respect for the right to life.

"It has been said that the struggle for human rights "is as old as history itself, because it concerns the need to protect the individual against the abuse of power by the monarch, the tyrant, or the state." Speaking in 1978 on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United States (US) President Jimmy Carter declared that, of all human rights, "the most basic is to be free of arbitrary violence - whether that violence comes from governments, from terrorists, from criminals, or from self-appointed messiahs operating under cover of politics or religion". Those fundamental realities notwithstanding, the right to life, per se, is a relatively recent addition to the law of nations. "To say that each person ought not to be killed is an easily comprehensible moral statement, however much it may in practice be violated." In "contrast", Kenneth Minogue suggested, "the idea that each person has a 'right' to life is, on the face of it much more puzzling""--

Offers an overview of international law, policy and practice on nuclear weapons.

In September 1997, the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) was adopted by UN Member States at a dedicated diplomatic conference in Oslo. A disarmament treaty with clear and expansive humanitarian aims, the APMBC represented the culmination of many years of energetic campaigning. The Convention has since garnered the support of over 160 States Parties, yet some of its core provisions remain under scrutiny. Stuart Casey-Maslen's article-by-article commentary on the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention addresses international law and State practice on anti-personnel mines in the first twenty-five years of the lifetime of this disarmament treaty. It builds upon the author's first commentary on the Convention, published by Oxford University Press in 2003, and the revised edition issued in 2005. Whereas the two earlier editions focused on the negotiating history of the APMBC, this new edition provides insight into State and treaty practice up to now. It comprehensively details the use of anti-personnel mines through to the present day, the destruction of landmine stockpiles, and mine clearance in every affected nation. An authoritative and current commentary on the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, this new edition will be a crucial asset for diplomats, international lawyers, and academics seeking to interpret this instrumental piece of disarmament law.

Arms control and disarmament are key elements in promoting international peace and security. In recent decades the scope of disarmament law has broadened from a traditional focus on weapons of mass destruction to encompass conventional weapons. In this new volume in the Elements series, Stuart Casey-Maslen provides a concise and objective appraisal of international arms control and disarmament law. In seven concise chapters, he traces the history of arms control and disarmament in the modern era, addressing the issues surrounding biological and chemical weapons, the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and conventional weapon and arms transfer regimes. He concludes by considering how, in order to remain relevant, disarmament and arms control will need to adapt to rapidly evolving technologies that defy traditional means of verification and control. Arms Control and Disarmament Law is an accessible, go-to source for practicing international lawyers, judges and arbitrators, government and military officers, scholars, teachers, and students.

This book addresses the regulation of hybrid warfare under relevant branches of international law, beginning with the law on inter-state use of force (jus ad bellum). Firstly, the book assesses the extent to which forms of hybrid warfare comply with or violate international humanitarian law/the law of armed conflict. It then looks at law enforcement action in response to hybrid warfare, both on land and on the high seas, and addresses hybrid warfare from the perspective of international counterterrorism law. It goes on to tackle the constraints applied to hybrid warfare under international human rights law, and looks at how hybrid warfare could be constrained under disarmament law. The final two chapters look at accountability for the conduct of hybrid warfare, concluding with the question: can we move towards a less fragmented set of international legal rules that will govern hybrid warfare in the future?

The Arms Trade Treaty is the first universal disarmament treaty to control the export and import of all conventional arms. This commentary describes each provision of the Treaty, how it was negotiated, and the key challenges to its implementation.

Drone strikes have become a key feature of counterterrorism operations in an increasing number of countries. This work explores the different domestic and international legal regimes that govern the manufacture, transfer, and use of armed drones. Chapters assess the legality of armed drones under jus ad bellum, the law of armed conflict, the law of law enforcement, international human rights law, international criminal law and domestic civil and criminal law. The book also discusses the application of law to fully autonomous weapons systems where computer algorithms decide who or what to target and when to fire.

The Right to Life under International Law offers the first-ever comprehensive treatment under international law of the foundational human right to life. It describes the history, content, and status of the right, considers jurisdictional issues, and discusses the application of the right to a wide range of groups, such as women, children, persons with disabilities, members of minorities, LGBTI persons, refugees, and journalists. It defines the responsibility of not only governments but also the private sector, armed groups, and non-governmental organisations to respect the prohibition on arbitrary deprivation of life. It also explains the nature and substance of the duty to investigate potentially unlawful death as well as the mechanisms at global and regional level to promote respect for the right to life.

Policing is commonly thought to be governed by domestic legal systems and not international law. However, various international legal standards are shown to have an impact in situations where police use force. Police Use of Force under International Law explores this tension in detail for the first time. It critically reviews the use of force by law enforcement agencies in a range of scenarios: against detainees, during protests, and in the context of counterterrorism and counterpiracy operations. Key trends, such as the growing use of private security services, are also considered. This book provides a human rights framework for police weaponry and protection of at-risk groups based on critical jurisprudence from the last twenty years. With pertinent case law and case studies to illustrate the key principles of the use of force, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in policing, human rights, state use of force or criminology.