Governing the Use-of-Force in International Relations

Aiden Warren is Senior Lecturer in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. His research interests are in the areas of International Security, US national security and foreign policy, US Politics, International Relations, and issues associated with Weapons of Mass Destruction, proliferation, non-proliferation and arms control. He is the author of The Obama Administration's Nuclear Weapon Strategy: the Promises of Prague and Prevention, Pre-emption and the Nuclear Option: From Bush to Obama.Ingvild Bode is JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow in the Institute for Sustainability and Peace at the United Nations University in Tokyo, Japan. Her research interests are in the areas of understanding individual agency, norm and policy change at the UN, international humanitarian law and the United Nations system. She is the co-author of Key Concepts in International Relations (with Thomas Diez and Aleksandra Fernandes da Costa).

'This well-written volume is a timely reminder that the attitude of the greatest military power on earth towards the legal regime on the use of force remains as relevant today as it has ever been. Highly recommended for all those seeking to understand how hegemonic powers conduct their foreign relations as well as for those wanting to keeping abreast of ongoing contestation surrounding the interpretation of the Charter provisions on use-of-force.' - Shirley Scott, University of New South Wales, Australia 'Continuity or change? This accessible, salutary, timely and engaging account of American engagement with the rules on the use of force, under Bush and Obama, offers vital insights at a time of obvious and increasing challenge.' - Philippe Sands, University College London, UK 'Warren and Bode have produced a timely, well-written book that documents the continuity that defined the United States' approach to international law and the use-of-force over the last decade. It should be required reading for anyone interested in foreign policy and international relations but more generally for anyone with an interest in how the world has operated since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.' - Sarah Kreps, Cornell University, US

• Introduction 1. The International Legal Paradigm: The UN Charter jus ad bellum Regime 2. Self-Defence in International Law: Pre-emptive/Preventive Requisites 3. Preventive and Pre-emptive Self-Defence in US National Security Policy: A Brief History 4. Bush and the Use-of-Force 5. Obama and the Use-of-Force 6. The Rise of Drones Conclusion – The Use-of-Force and the Making of Hegemonic International Law: from Bush to Obama