The Justification of War and International Order: From Past to Present

The introductory chapter provides the rationale for the book. It introduces the book’s core thesis: the history of war is also a history of its justification. This history can be told as a genealogy of endeavours to facilitate the use of force and to hedge it. As such it addresses the double function of international law as enabling and restricting the use of force. The chapter elaborates the research innovations of the book: first with regard to the gap between the theory on the admissibility of war and the practice of justifying it, second with a view to reading war discourses as discourses of international order formation. Finally, the chapter offers a preview over the book’s individual parts, arguments, and contributions.