Hurst & Co.
Rebel Law: Insurgents, Courts and Justice in Modern Conflict
Key Metrics
- Frank Ledwidge
- Hurst & Co.
- Hardcover
- 9781849047982
- 8.6 X 5.7 X 1 inches
- 1 pounds
- Law > General
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
This is why successful rebels put courts and justice at the top of their agendas. Rebel Law examines this key weapon in the armory of insurgent groups, ranging from the Ireland of the 1920s, where the IRA sapped British power using 'Republican Tribunals' to today's 'Caliphate of Law' - the Islamic State, by way of Algeria in the 1950s and the Afghan Taliban.
Frank Ledwidge tells how insurgent courts bleed legitimacy from government, decide cases and enforce judgments on the battlefield itself. Astute counterinsurgents, especially in ungoverned space, can ensure that they retain the initiative. The book describes French, Turkish and British colonial judicial strategy and contrasts their experience with the chaos of more recent stabilization operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, drawing lessons for contemporary counterinsurgents.
Rebel Law builds on his insights and shows that the courts themselves can be used as weapons for both sides in highly unconventional warfare.
Author Bio
Frank spent fifteen years at the front end of British foreign policy, dealing with problems such as torture, human trafficking and war crimes in the Balkans, Central Asia and the Middle East. Prior to that, he worked for seven years as a barrister in his home town of Liverpool and throughout the North of England, working mostly in the criminal and family jurisdictions. He was an officer in the Royal Naval Reserve for 15 years and served operational tours in the Balkans and Iraq.
Frank was seconded by the British government to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe for 7 years. He worked in Kosovo, Albania and much of the former Soviet Union in international human rights protection, criminal law reform, and institution building at the highest levels of government. Later he served as the first ‘Justice Advisor’ to the UK Mission in Helmand Province in 2007-2008 and worked in a similar role at the UK Embassy in Libya during and after the war there. He haslectured all over the world on military culture, history and performance and has worked as a consultant in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Frank holds law degrees from Oxford and Huddersfield Universities and received his doctorate in war studies from Kings College London in 2015.
He is the author of several well-reviewed books and is regular commentator on national and international print and broadcast media.
Frank has given evidence to the UK House of Commons Defence Committee on National Strategy and has spoken at conferences all over the world on war and law. In 2016 he was privileged to deliver one of Cambridge University's annual 'Darwin Lectures'.
Source: University of Portsmouth
Videos
Community reviews
Write a ReviewNo Community reviews