Legitimate Targets?

Janina Dill is a lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford.

• Introduction; Part I. A Constructivist Theory of International Law: 1. The challenge; 2. The theory; Part II. The Definition of a Legitimate Target of Attack in International Law: 3. Positive law; 4. Customary law; Part III. An Empirical Study of International Law in War: 5. The rise of international law in US air warfare; 6. The changing logic of US air warfare; 7. The behavioural relevance of international law in US air warfare; Part IV. An Evaluation of International Law in War: 8. The lack of normative success of international law in US air warfare; 9. The impossibility of normative success for international law in war; Conclusion.

'Why do states obey international law? How and why do the laws of war constrain state behavior? Legitimate Targets explores the tensions, dilemmas, and power of international humanitarian law to shape the practice of war. This tour de force - rooted in insightful readings of military doctrine, international law, the practice of war, and dozens of interviews with military professionals - is a brilliant synthesis that will enable students of war to understand how and why the nature of war is changing.' Neta C. Crawford, Boston University, author of Accountability for Killing: Moral Responsibility for Collateral Damage in America's Post-9/11 Wars