The Role of International Law in Rebuilding Societies after Conflict: Great Expectations

International law can create great expectations in those seeking to rebuild societies that have been torn apart by conflict. For outsiders, international law can mandate or militate against intervention, bolstering or undermining the legitimacy of intervention. International legal principles promise equality, justice and human rights. Yet international law’s promises are difficult to fulfil.

This volume of essays investigates the phenomenon of post-conflict state-building and the engagement of international law in this enterprise. It draws together original essays by scholars and practitioners who consider the many roles international law can play in rehabilitating societies after conflict. The essays explore troubled zones across the world, from Afghanistan to Africa’s Great Lakes region, and from Timor-Leste to the Balkans. They identify a range of possibilities for international law in tempering, regulating, legitimating or undermining efforts to rebuild post-conflict societies.

• Explains the theoretical and practical dilemmas confronted when international actors seek to promote democracy, justice, human rights and the rule of law in post-conflict environments
• Draws on case studies which cover much of the globe, meaning the book will have appeal beyond specific ‘area studies’ or ‘regional studies’
• Contributors include scholars and practitioners, making the book accessible to both scholars with an interest in the field and those engaged in the state-building enterprise.