Terrorism and international law

International law tools —in particular treaties and cooperation through international organizations— have proven to be means of choice for States to organize and deliver their responses to terrorist activities. These shall be examined thoroughly in the first part of this course, which will also address the thorny issue of the definition of terrorism. However, serious concerns have also been voiced as to the conformity with the existing international legal framework of the policies developed and the actions undertaken by some States to counter terrorism, especially since the attacks of 11 September 2001 on the United States. These concerns will be studied in depth in the second part of the course, which focuses on the conformity of such measures with rules governing the use of force in international law, on the one hand, and on their potential impact on the complex interaction between terrorist activities, the fight against terrorism and human rights, on the other.

The course aims at enabling students to understand and analyze how - from a legal perspective - States and international organizations have faced the challenges resulting from the development of terrorist activities.

Mostly hrough case studies. Each class will include discussions in preparation of which questions and readings will be provided to students. Students are expected to take an active part in these discussions and to devote enough time to the preparation of materials.

Contribution to the teaching profile

Terrorism is a multi-faceted phenomenon that has become a prominent item on the agenda of numerous States and international institutions over the last two decades. It has been identified as a major threat to international peace and security and its negative impact on the stability and sovereignty of States has been repeatedly emphasized.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

A complete list of readings will be provided on the Université virtuelle, along with the course outline.

Contacts

Pierre Kleinpiklein@ulb.ac.be

Method(s) of evaluation

• Other

Other

Participation in class discussions. Final paper to be produced individually or in teams. The paper will consist in a critical commentary of a suitable object (academic article or book, judgment of a national or an international court, works of fiction –including movies—, …) in direct relation with the topic of the course and subject to approval.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

One third of the final mark will be based on participation in class discussions. The two remaining thirds will be based on the final paper.

Language(s) of evaluation

• english
• french