The Prohibition Of Propaganda For War In International Law

"Drawing on primary materials from the League of Nations to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, this book makes the case for the revitalization ofa provision of international law which can be fundamental to the prevention of war.

Michael Kearney analyses the prohibition of propaganda for war in international law and examines the potential of international law to prevent war by proposing that 'direct and public incitement to aggression' be included as a crime in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

First Published in 2012. Propaganda, War Crimes Trials and International Law addresses the emerging jurisprudence and international law concerning propaganda in war crimes investigations and trials. The role of propaganda in the perpetration of atrocities has emerged as a central theme in the war crimes trials in the past century. The Nuremburg trials initially, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda currently, have all substantially contributed to the development of international law in this respect. Investigating and exploring the areas between lawful and unlawful propaganda, they have dealt with specific mechanisms and consequences of the phenomenon within the perspective and framework of their international legal mandates. But the cultural codes and argots through which propaganda operates have vexed international courts struggling to assign responsibility to the instigators of mass crimes, as subtle, but potentially fatal, communications often remain undetected, misinterpreted or even dismissed as entirely irrelevant. With contributions from leading international scholars and legal practioners, Propaganda, War Crimes Trials and International Law pursues a comparative approach to this problem: providing an overview of the current state of the theory of propaganda in the social sciences; exploring this theory in the legal analysis of war crimes and related proceedings; and, finally, offering a study of the prosecution of propaganda-related crimes in international law, and the newly emerging jurisprudence of war crimes propaganda cases.

The papers collected in this volume span a 35-year period of active involvement in the ‘reaffirmation and development of international humanitarian law’. A process under that name started in 1971 and ended in 1977 with the adoption of two Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, one for international and one for internal armed conflicts. Subsequent developments brought a narrowing of this gap between international and internal armed conflicts, as well as growing recognition of the interplay between the law of armed conflict and human rights, the rediscovery of individual criminal liability for violations of international humanitarian law, the introduction of further prohibitions or restrictions on the use of specified weapons, and so on. In contrast with these positive developments, the period was negatively characterised by increasing disrespect, not only for some or other minor rule (such as what to do with cash taken from a prisoner of war at the time of his capture) but for the very principles underlying the entire body of the law of armed conflict: respect for the other as a human being and, hence, humane treatment of prisoners of war and other detainees, protection of civilians ... Throughout the period, the author’s activities ranged from participation in lawmaking and law interpreting exercises, through attempts at explaining the law of armed conflict in its historical context and making propaganda for its faithful implementation, to critical or even bewildered observance of actual events. The papers brought together here reflect these diverse angles.

The essays contained in this volume deal both with the law concerning resort to force (jus ad bellum) and the law which regulates the conduct of hostilities once the decision to resort to force has been taken (jus in bello). The collection looks at Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and shift towards the interpretation of decisions of the Security Council rather than the reliance on the law of self-defence in assessing the legality or illegality of a state's resort to force. Also addressed are questions of whether international law permits the pre-emptive use of force and humanitarian intervention. The collection also contributes to the debates surrounding the law on the conduct of hostilities (the laws of war, properly so called), including intense debate over whether nuclear weapons could ever lawfully be employed, whether there is a role for belligerent reprisals in modern international law, the system for the prosecution of war crimes and the duties of the belligerent occupant.

Scholarly analysis of legal aspects of propaganda, with suggestions for its use in averting war and promoting peace in international relations.

Bereft of any comprehensive analysis and subject to little if any sustained debate, the tangential location of the prohibition of propaganda for war in the discourse of international law has resulted in a situation where state conduct in this area too often appears to be acting in a legal vacuum. In proposing a more robust role for international law in responding to what is a matter of widespread public concern, the book analyses the context in which international law first came to be concerned with propaganda for war in the years following the First World War. With the establishment of the United Nations and the corresponding development of international human rights law, the issue of the prohibition of propaganda for war in both human rights law and international criminal law became a highly significant, yet frequently divisive matter during the Cold War. Drawing on primary materials from the League of Nations to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, this book makes the case for the revitalisation of a provision of international law which can be fundamental to the prevention of war. The book examines international human rights law, the travaux préparatoires to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, communications between the Human Rights Committee and states parties to the Covenant, state practice, and international criminal law. Drawing on the manner by which international tribunals from Nuremberg to The Hague have approached the matter of individual criminal responsibility for 'incitement to crimes of an international dimension', the book proposes that 'direct and public incitement to aggression' be included as a crime in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Espionage, an area of state activity which is vital to international relations, yet which is unregulated by international law, is coming to assume increasing importance in the `New World Order'. International Law and Espionage examines four major areas of public international law: freedom of information and human rights, diplomacy, territory, and armed conflict. A detailed analysis is given of their theoretical and practical connection to the practice of espionage. The relevance of international law to espionage is clearly demonstrated, not least by the absence of any official link between the two (save in time of war). The conclusion is inescapable: it is high time for international legal provision to be made for the control of an activity which is universal, and which plays such a crucial role in the deterrence of conflict and the maintenance of international peace and security. International Law and Espionage was written by the late Dr John Kish, and completed and edited by David Turns. It is an essential reference work for those who seek to understand the ill-defined legality and permissibility of espionage in the uncertainties of the modern world. Required reading for international lawyers, and all interested in the realities of international relations.