International Peace & Security

To give students of international relations, historians, and political scientists a deeper knowledge of international law; to narrow the existing gap between international lawyers and international relations specialists; to educate people who could work in international organisations (both inter-governmental and nongovernmental), in government, or teach international law and politics.

This programme was launched by the School of Law and the Department of War Studies in response to the rapidly changing world after the Cold War. We aim to combine the strengths of both departments and provide you with an integrated study of international law and international politics relevant to the contemporary world. This type of study is necessitated by the major changes in the domain of international peace and security which have occurred in recent years.

The early 1990s saw radical change in the international system as has the start of the 21st century. Events in Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, Libya and Haiti and the creation of ad hoc international tribunals, as well as September 11, the War on Terrorism and Iraq from 1990 to the present all represent new approaches to international order.

Central to this is the reinterpretation by the United Nations Security Council of that which constitutes a threat to international peace and security; this single change has had enormous impact on international society and global security, forcing a reassessment of fundamental doctrines by scholars and practitioners at the interface of law and international relations. Together, these changes create a need for the integrated study of international relations and international law.