Article

War on terror : armed conflict with Al-Qaida ?

Marja Lehto

• Nordic journal of international law, Vol. 78, no. 4, 2009, p. 499-511

English

The US government has recently renounced the term 'Global War on Terror', pointing out that it does not describe accurately the nature of the terrorist threat. While the change of terminology is a welcomed development, it should be noted that 'War on Terror' was not merely a political slogan. The war paradigm was accompanied with a number of legal arguments and claims which have a direct link to the perplexing policy outcomes of the Bush era. One of the trickiest questions before the Obama administration is related to the concept of an armed conflict.

• International humanitarian law : celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions / guest ed.: Rikke Ishoj... [et al.]