Practice And Policies Of Modern Peace Support Operations Under International Law

Confronted with the practical legal aspects of Peace Support Operations (PSO) in their daily work, the two authors realized that there was an urgent need for the international community of military and civilian lawyers, law enforcement agencies, policy makers, legal advisers and military commanders dealing with these types of missions to have a guidebook analyzing, questioning and providing some solutions to the practical legal aspects intrinsic in them and which are often known only to those who have been serving in the field. It was therefore decided to create a tool to record and diffuse the know-how acquired by those who have been directly confronted with these issues, in the field and at headquarters. Among the cutting-edge topics practitioners explore in Peace Support Operations & Their Legal Implications are human trafficking and illegal immigration in theatres of PSO such as the Balkans, arrest and detention of suspects of serious breaches of the laws of war, the relationship and role sharing of civilian law enforcement agencies and peacekeepers, the use of non-lethal and other weapons (e.g. riot control agents), criminal liability for breaches of international law and Rules Of Engagement. Contributions of a more strategic nature deal further with the complexities of Status of Forces Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding, the extraterritorial applicability of human rights obligations, the application of the law of occupation to peacekeeping forces, their new role and the relative problems in peace-building. The main objective of this guidebook is to provide the basis for further discussion, suggesting what should be done next, and to constitute a problem-solving tool for those deployed in the field, often secluded from the external world and confronted with difficulties to be solved immediately, under the pressure of time. The idea is to show them the path undertaken by others who have been confronted with similar problems and to share the knowledge and fight the power. Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.

This book contains a detailed study of the applicable international law relevant to peace operations in the context of collapsed states, the establishment of safe havens or in an enforcement role in general. It discusses the interaction and legal relationship of non government organisations, the military, UN agencies and the warring parties under international law and in practice. The book also deals with issues concerning implication of contemporary peace operations for military forces in terms of force structure, operating procedures and training. The book focuses on the critical issues of the interim administration of law and order in complex operations, and the reconstruction of a local capability in this regrad. Many contemporary operational challenges are analysed: Bosnia, the Middle East and, in particular, a detailed study of Somalia based on the author's inside knowledge, experience and access to information acquired on the ground in Somalia.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodies? In other words, who guards the guardians? At a time when the mandate of many peace support operations includes halting violations of international humanitarian law by third parties, there is still a lack of clarity concerning accountability of peace support operations themselves. This book addresses that accountability, focusing on peace support operations under the command and control of the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is concerned with the accountability of international organizations as well as troops contributing and member states, but not of individuals. Drawing on existing and emerging doctrines of international law, including the law of state responsibility, the law of responsibility of international organizations, international institutional law and international humanitarian law, and on the basis of state practice, this book makes a strong plea for improving mechanisms to implement the accountability of peace support operations under international humanitarian law. The Paul Reuter Prize 2006 was awarded to Marten Zwanenburg for this book.

This volume contains a detailed study of the applicable international law relevant to peace operations in the context of collapsed states, in the establishment of safe havens or in a general enforcement role. It discusses the interaction and the often complex legal relationships between non-government humanitarian actors, relevant UN agencies, the warring parties and international peace forces under international law and practice. In particular, the book deals with issues concerning the implications of contemporary peace operations for military forces in terms of force structure, operating procedures and training. The book focuses on the often overlooked but critical issues of the interim administration of law and order in complex operations and on the reconstruction of a local capability in this regard. Many contemporary operational challenges are analysed, including the Balkans and the Middle East. In particular, the book includes a detailed case study of Somalia based on the author's personal knowledge, experience and access to information on the ground in his capacity as military legal adviser to the Australian Defence Force Contingent in Somalia.

With the end of the Cold War and the resurgence of dormant ethnic and intrastate conflicts within many nations, the demands for international forces to keep the peace, ensure humanitarian relief, and secure democratic institutions in splintering states around the world have increased dramatically. The United States has significantly increased its own involvement in United Nations operations. At the same time as demands for forceful intervention have increased, events in Bosnia, Somalia, Haiti, and other troubled areas around the world have revealed shortfalls in the developed world's ability to deal the non-traditional missions of nation building, securing humanitarian rights, and large scale peace enforcement operations. A fundamental question arises in the face these new operations: how well do rules developed during the era of limited classical peacekeeping fit these new missions? Can the old rules still apply in this new age of peace operations? Part of the problem in applying classical peacekeeping rules today is that they are a mishmash of guidelines on when to intervene, and once decision to intervene is made, what the rules on the use of force should be. The issue of regulation of the use of force in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions is covered. A third important issue, the legal status United Nations forces engaging in new types of expanded peace operations and their resulting obligations under the international law of armed conflict, is also discussed.

Since the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a oeasymmetrica threats like terrorism, the military has been increasingly entrusted with tasks traditionally belonging to the police. This development is visible through the new challenges posed to modern Peace Support Operations (PSO), intended as an umbrella definition covering different types of post-conflict peace operations, be these mandated under Chapter VI or Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, with either peace-keeping, peace-enforcing or even peace-building goals. The aim of this volume is primarily to provide guidance, in the format of a handbook, to those deployed in the field and who are confronted with legal issues. In order to achieve this goal, the handbook is structured as follows: after this introduction, Part II addresses the general question whether law enforcement shall be a PSO task. Law enforcement is perceived by some states as a matter of self-defense.Part III then addresses the limits and possibilities of law enforcement by PSO.The discussion continues with Part IV, which provides some practical tools for those deployed to the field. Part V focuses instead on law enforcement within PSO, illustrating problems related to the prosecution of members of PSO forces suspected of illegal activities, and Part VI then draws the conclusions.

Since the first edition of this book was published in 2010, United Nations peace operations have evolved significantly. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudan, UN peacekeepers are now engaged in building peace by fighting non-State armed actors, and must consider issues concerning the application of law and policy governing the use of armed force when protecting civilians. In addition, the UN and its peacekeepers are increasingly being held to higher standards of accountability to ensure that their engagement with local forces and populations meets normative requirements found in international humanitarian law and international human rights law. This extensively revised edition of Documents on the Law of UN Peace Operations addresses the key normative principles, rules, and standards that have been a part of this evolution. The book provides essential documents, accompanied with commentary, which identify and explain the legal framework or applicable legal norms involved in the planning, management and conduct of UN peace operations. Topics covered include obligations under international humanitarian law, human rights law, international criminal law, and privileges and immunities. Special attention is also paid to matters such as accountability, the rule of law, and the protection of civilians.

The prohibition of the use of force in international law is one of the major achievements of international law in the past century. The attempt to outlaw war as a means of national policy and to establish a system of collective security after both World Wars resulted in the creation of the United Nations Charter, which remains a principal point of reference for the law on the use of force to this day. There have, however, been considerable challenges to the law on the prohibition ofThe prohibition of the use of force in international law is one of the major achievements of international law in the past century. The attempt to outlaw war as a means of national policy and to establish a system of collective security after both World Wars resulted in the creation of the United Nations Charter, which remains a principal point of reference for the law on the use of force to this day. There have, however, been considerable challenges to the law on the prohibition of the use of force over the past two decades. This Oxford Handbook is a comprehensive and authoritative study of the modern law on the use of force. Over seventy experts in the field offer a detailed analysis, and to an extent a restatement, of the law in this area. The Handbook reviews the status of the law on the use of force, and assesses what changes, if any, have occurred in consequence to recent developments. It offers cutting-edge and up-to-date scholarship on all major aspects of the prohibition of the use of force. The work is set in context by an extensive introductory section, reviewing the history of the subject, recent challenges, and addressing major conceptual approaches. Its second part addresses collective security, in particular the law and practice of the United Nations organs, and of regional organizations and arrangements. It then considers the substance of the prohibition of the use of force, and of the right to self-defence and associated doctrines. The next section is devoted to armed action undertaken on behalf of peoples and populations. This includes self-determination conflicts, resistance to armed occupation, and forcible humanitarian and pro-democratic action. The possibility of the revival of classical, expansive justifications for the use of force is then addressed. This is matched by a final section considering new security challenges and the emerging law in relation to them. Finally, the key arguments developed in the book are tied together in a substantive conclusion. The Handbook will be essential reading for scholars and students of international law and the use of force, and legal advisers to both government and NGOs.

One of the most vexing issues that has faced the international community since the end of the Cold War has been the use of force by the United Nations peacekeeping forces. UN intervention in civil wars, as in Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Rwanda, has thrown into stark relief the difficulty of peacekeepers operating in situations where consent to their presence and activities is fragile or incomplete and where there is little peace to keep. Complex questions arise in these circumstances. When and how should peacekeepers use force to protect themselves, to protect their mission, or, most troublingly, to ensure compliance by recalcitrant parties with peace accords? Is a peace enforcement role for peacekeepers possible or is this simply war by another name? Is there a grey zone between peacekeeping and peace enforcement? Trevor Findlay reveals the history of the use of force by UN peacekeepers from Sinai in the 1950s to Haiti in the 1990s. He untangles the arguments about the use of force in peace operations and sets these within the broader context of military doctrine and practice. Drawing on these insights the author examines proposals for future conduct of UN operations, including the formulation of UN peacekeeping doctrine and the establishment of a UN rapid reaction force.