Democratic Accountability and the Use of Force in International Law [Hardcover]

Charlotte Ku (Editor), Harold K. Jacobson (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521807476 | ISBN-13: 978-0521807470 | Publication Date: February 17, 2003

The spread of democracy to a majority of the world's states and the legitimization of the use of force by multilateral institutions such as NATO and the UN have been two key developments since World War II. In the last decade these developments have become intertwined, as multilateral forces moved from traditional peacekeeping to peace enforcement among warring parties. This book explores the experiences of nine countries (Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Norway, Russia, UK and US) in the deployment of armed forces under the UN and NATO, asking who has been and should be accountable to the citizens of these nations, and to the citizens of states who are the object of deployments, for the decisions made in the such military actions. The authors conclude that national-level mechanisms have been most important in assuring democratic accountability of national and international decision-makers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book shows the authors' astute understanding of contemporary issues of law, democracy and international order, and is essential for any complete library on this topic." John Allison, ACUNS

"Recommended." Choice

"the book successfully delivers on the more earthbound objective of addressing the 'failure [in the literature] to examine issues of democratic accountability when military forces are used under the auspices of international institutions' (p. 4). The book fills this scholarly gap admirably. The editors provide a concise, if conceptually limited, treatment of the subjects 'democracy' and the 'use of force.' The book also includes an invaluable mine of data. Most impressively, Democratic Accountability contains an unparalleled comparative survey of the use-of-force regimes operating in nine countires. These surveys are the books significant merits." - Russell A. Miller, University of Idaho College of Law The American Journal of International Law

Book Description

In the democracies that fought World War II, elected governments were accountable and expressed the will of the people to wage war. Today, the nine democracies discussed in this book (France, UK, US, Canada, Germany, Japan, Russia, India and Norway) contribute to military operations sanctioned by the UN and NATO. On whose authority, and with what oversight?This is the first book to analyze the relationship of internationally-authorized armed interventions to democratic accountability. It raises issues that concern the future of the nation-state, international organizations, and democratic armed forces.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 468 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (February 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521807476
• ISBN-13: 978-0521807470
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,418,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)