The history of war is also a history of its justification. The contributions to the volume „The Justification of War and International Order. From Past to Present“ argue that justification rarely happens as empty propaganda. While it is directed at mobilizing support and reducing resistance, it is not purely instrumental. Rather, the justification of force is part of an incessant struggle over what is to count as justifiable behaviour in a given historical constellation of power, interests, and norms. This way, the justification of specific wars interacts with international order as a normative frame of reference for dealing with conflict. The justification of war shapes this order, and is being shaped by it.
With contributions from International Law, History, and International Relations, and from Western and non-Western perspectives, this book offers a collection of texts exploring the continuities and changes in war discourses as they respond to and shape normative orders from early modern times to the present. In addition to the two editors (and co-authors), other current and former PRIF researchers are involved in the volume: Christopher Daase, Nicole Deitelhoff, Anna Geis, Beate Jahn, Thilo Marauhn, Gabi Schlag und Wolfgang Wagner.
The volume is published in “The History and Theory of International Law”-Series of Oxford University Press and is now available.
It is edited by Lothar Brock and Hendrik Simon. Lothar Brock is Senior Professor at Goethe University Frankfurt as well as Associate Researcher at PRIF. Hendrik Simon is an Associate Researcher at PRIF as well as Lecturer at Goethe University Frankfurt. Both scholars conduct research on the nexus of peace and law in the international system, among other topics.