A detailed and highly authoritative critical commentary appraising the vitally important United States Department of Defense Law of War Manual.

The Department of Defense Law of War Manual belongs on the shelf of every researcher, journalist, lawyer, historian, and individual interested in foreign affairs, international law, human rights, or national security. The Manual provides a comprehensive, authoritative interpretation of the law of war for the U.S. Department of Defense.

"This book assesses the unintended consequences of the proliferation of the laws of war for both interstate and civil wars over the past two centuries"--

This book comprises contributions by leading experts in the field of international humanitarian law on the subject of the categorisation or classification of armed conflict. It is divided into two sections: the first aims to provide the reader with a sound understanding of the legal questions surrounding the classification of hostilities and its consequences; the second includes ten case studies that examine practice in respect of classification. Understanding how classification operates in theory and practice is a precursor to identifying the relevant rules that govern parties to hostilities. With changing forms of armed conflict which may involve multi-national operations, transnational armed groups and organized criminal gangs, the need for clarity of the law is all-important. The case studies selected for analysis are Northern Ireland, DRC, Colombia, Afghanistan (from 2001), Gaza, South Ossetia, Iraq (from 2003), Lebanon (2006), the so-called war against Al-Qaeda, and future trends. The studies explore the legal consequences of classification particularly in respect of the use of force, detention in armed conflict, and the relationship between human rights law and international humanitarian law. The practice identified in the case studies allows the final chapter to draw conclusions as to the state of the law on classification.

In a period of growing tensions within the maritime domain, this timely new book brings together a combination of academic and practical expertise to present an account of the critical areas of the law of naval warfare. It provides a comprehensive, academically rigorous and practically relevant treatment of the law applicable to naval conflicts that will be of value to governments and their advisers, defence forces, academics, students and historians. The extensive expert analysis of the key issues includes topics such as: ¿ Interaction with peacetime law of the sea ¿ Maritime zones ¿ Targeting, distinction and deception ¿ Submarine warfare ¿ Legal status of merchant vessels and direct participation in hostilities by civilians ¿ Blockade ¿ Prize law ¿ Non-International Armed Conflict at Sea ¿ New technologies and non-traditional vessels ¿ Hospital ships ¿ Intelligence collection ¿ Interaction with Australian domestic legal obligations ¿ Environmental issues