ABSTRACT
The phrase ‘Low intensity operations’ first came into prominence as a result of work in the late 1960s by Brigadier Frank Kitson. Low intensity operations never merit the title of war, are limited in aim, scope and area, and are subject to the international law of self-defence. In practice they may include sporadic acts of violence on both sides. A common and unsurprising fact about the aims of low intensity operations is that one side or the other generally has the objective of preserving the status quo. The limits of the area of low intensity operations may very well be defined by the aim. Rights under international law account for a substantial proportion of disputes leading to low intensity operations. If demonstrations of right are very closely linked to the process of claim and counterclaim that is an integral part of the operation of international law, demonstrations of resolve are similarly linked to the countervailing tensions of international power.
