Defining International Terrorism

This book is an attempt to approach the issue of defining international terrorism, proposingthat the most workable way to do so is to achieve due balance between the two principal drivingforces of international law developments: State sovereignty interests and cosmopolitan ideals.All those who aspire to the promotion of international criminal justice and the fight againstimpunity agree that the formulation of a universal definition of international terrorism willfurther enhance the fight against terrorism and offer a universally acceptable legal frameworkwithin which this fight can be conducted.Discussed in an in-depth manner are, for instance, the UN Charter Provisions, the RomeStatute and the principle of complementarity, the Kampala amendments on the crime ofaggression, the paradigms of aggression and terrorism, and prominent anti-terroristSecurity Council Resolutions such as Resolution 1368 and Resolution 1373.The volume broadens the reader's understanding on how State sovereignty interestsand priorities as well as ideals of cosmopolitanism have influenced the development ofinternational law in general and international criminal law in particular. Furthermore,it simplifies the complicated picture of defining international crimes by explaining howthe `State sovereignty' and `Cosmopolitanism' dynamics have also been of relevancethroughout the drafting process of the definition of the crime of aggression for thepurposes of the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court. In addition, itequips the reader with an understanding of the reasons behind the lack of an internationaldefinition for terrorism and suggests an appropriate context within whichsuch a definition can take shape.It intends to appeal to academics and students with an interest in international criminallaw and the international criminal justice system, international law and security, butalso to anyone with an interest in transnational crime and counter-terrorism.Stella Margariti has recently graduated from the University of Dundee where sheattained the title of Doctor from the School of Law.