Espionage, sabotage, and intelligence operations lie at the heart of modern warfare, yet the study of their legal regulation remains fragmented and underdeveloped. This volume examines the central role of intelligence gathering, espionage, and sabotage in modern armed conflict and challenges the persistent assumption that such covert activities exist beyond meaningful legal constraint.Bringing together leading scholars in international humanitarian law, national security law, intelligence studies, and human rights, the book addresses a significant gap in the literature by providing a systematic analysis of how law governs "conflict in the shadows." Drawing on contemporary case studies including the Russia-Ukraine war, it investigates AI-enabled targeting, cyber sabotage, civilian intelligence networks, and hybrid warfare. The contributors adopt a doctrinal and interdisciplinary approach to assess how existing legal frameworks apply across the spectrum of conflict, including peacetime operations, armed conflict, occupation, and counterterrorism. The volume highlights how technological change, the growing role of civilians and private actors, and the blurring of boundaries between war and peace have outpaced traditional legal categories.Law in the Shadows of War argues that the primary challenge is not the absence of legal rules, but the need to interpret and apply existing principles to reflect contemporary operational realities. In doing so, it lays the foundation for more coherent legal analysis and improved accountability in intelligence-driven warfare.
