ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book describes the International Court of Justice that held in the Nicaragua case that indirect aggression could rise to the level of a 'armed attack', engendering a right of self-defense. It says that a terrorist act is distinguished by three specific qualities: actual or threatened violence; a 'political' objective and an intended audience. The book outlines the contours of the post-Charter self-help paradigm. It explores the possible emergence of a new, pro-democratic paradigm. The book further examines the future direction of the jus ad bellum and makes recommendations for its development. International system claims to have manifested themselves in three different ways: claims to use force to promote self-determination; claims to resort to 'just' reprisals; and claims to use force to correct past 'injustices'. International conflict responds to both civil and mixed conflicts and to the problem of state-sponsored terrorism.
