Can the Gulf War (2) be justified under International Law?
Would you like to contribute to this discussion? Read and accept the terms and conditions, and send us your thoughts. We may republish a selection of the more thoughtful contributions. A response to Professor Craven’s Opinion piece Professor Craven’s recent justification of the US-led invasion of Iraq has generated considerable debate within his own institution ¯ the University of Notre Dame. He conceives of international law as a “vague and malleable” system that lacks “clear commands and penalties”. This description provides an excellent softener for what follows – the dismembering of the international legal order to justify the Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive strike. Academic support for war has been thin on the ground. The Howard government’s ‘legal case’ for war has attracted significant criticism from international jurists and members of the legal profession in Australia. While Craven’s paper was clearly not intended as a scholarly piece, it is likely to have been well received at K
