Table of Contents
Part I An historical exposition of the legal regulation of the use of force by states
Introduction... 1
I. The historical experience prior to 1815... 3
II. The customary law of the period 1815_1914. Some new developments: arbitration and treaties for pacific settlement... 19
III. The first world war. The Versailles and other treaties: war guilt and reparations... 51
IV. The covenant of the league of nations... 55
V. Illegal war, aggressive war, and aggression: the major legal developments of the period 1920 to 1945... 66
VI. New foundations: the United Nations charter and the bases of the law after 1945... 112
Part II The content of the illegality of the use of forces: the delictual and criminal aspects
VII. Use of force as a state delict: the obligation to make reparation... 133
VIII. Criminal responsibility for the unlawful use of force in inter-state relations... 150
IX. Charges of crimes against peace arising out of the second world war... 167
X. Crimes against peace: Definition and bases of responsibility... 195
Part III Legal justifications for the use of force in the modern law
XI. Problems of transition: the legal regime in the period 1920 to 1930... 216
XII. The right of legitimate defence: doctrine and state practice in the period 1920 to 1939... 231
XIII. The right of self-defence in the period after the second war... 251
XIV. Some problems relating to self-help in the modern law... 281
XV. Forcible anticipation of a breach of NEU_Trality... 309
XVI. The consent of states... 317
XVII. International action... 328
XVIII. Other justifications for resort to force of doubtful validity... 338
Part IV Problems of a general nature relating to the use of force
XIX. The question of defining aggression... 351
XX. The use or threat of force and the concept of armed attack... 361
XXI. Some problems of responsibility... 369
XXII. The authors of and the entities protected from unlawful resort to force... 379
XXIII. The legal significance of the state of war in the period since 1920 and the problem of defining war... 384
XXIV. The illegality of the use of force: the question of corollaries in the law... 402
XXV. The principle of non-recognition... 410
XXVI. Conclusions... 424

The most authoritative work in the field, this classic study is once again available. Professor Brownlie has confined himself to the pursuit, on historic lines, of an estimation of the extent of legal prohibition of the use of force by states. He includes the deliberations and findings of political organs of the League of Nations and the United Nations, as well as a study of the quality of prohibition of force, making some indication of relevant corollaries.