Author Description
President Obama was elected on an anti-war platform, yet targeted killings have increased under his command of the 'War on Terror'. The US thinks of itself as upholding the rule of international law and spreading democracy, yet such targeted killings have been widely decried as extra-judicial violations of human rights. This book examines these paradoxes, arguing that they are partially explained by the application of existing legal standards to transnational wars. Critics argue that the kind of war the US claims to be waging - transnational armed conflict - doesn't actually exist. McDonald analyses the concept of transnational war and the legal interpretations that underpin it, and argues that the Obama administration's adherence to the rule of law produces a status quo of violence that is in some ways more disturbing than the excesses of the Bush administration.America's interpretations of sovereignty and international law shape and constitute war itself, with lethal consequences for the named and anonymous persons that it unilaterally defines as participants. McDonald's analysis helps us understand the social and legal construction of legitimate violence in warfare, and the relationship between legal opinions formed in US government departments and acts of violence half a world away.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the paradox of how the United States justifies targeted killings within a framework of international law while simultaneously expanding the scope of transnational armed conflict. Jack McDonald, a scholar of international politics, examines the legal and social constructions that allow the U.S. government to define legitimate targets in global warfare. He argues that the Obama administration's commitment to legalistic procedures actually institutionalizes a persistent state of violence that challenges traditional understandings of sovereignty and human rights.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the legal interpretations underpinning the concept of transnational war.
- Examination of the shift in U.S. military policy from the Bush to the Obama administration.
- Investigation into the relationship between government legal opinions and real-world lethal force.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on U.S. policy and legal frameworks rather than providing a comprehensive history of all global counter-terrorism operations.
- It does not offer a prescriptive policy manual but rather a critical analysis of existing legal justifications.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts and political scientists frequently cite this work for its rigorous critique of how legal language is used to normalize state-sanctioned violence. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which is well-suited for those studying the intersection of international law and modern military strategy.
Page Count:
309
Publication Date:
2017-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190862637
ISBN-13:
9780190862633
International relations
Human rights
International Security
Warfare
Military History
Law