Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the legitimacy of those unilateral actions in the light of the controversial concepts of human rights and humanitarian intervention under both the traditional and the new criteria. It discusses the human tendency to peace and security, today known as pacifism. The book provides a critical examination of the just war tradition in jus ad bellum and outlines how the modern concept of just war evolved from the fusion of early Roman law and Christian teachings. It examines the development of the law of armed conflict to limit and prohibit all use of armed force in international relations, beginning by The Hague Convention of 1907 for the Pacific Settlement; the League of Nations; the Locarno agreement; the Pact of Paris; and the United Nations Charter.