Naval Weapons Systems and the Contemporary Law of War

This book is the first comprehensive critical analysis of the regulation of naval weapons during armed conflict. Busuttil examines in depth this century's three principal weapons--naval mines, submarines, and anti-ship missiles--explicating the relevant sources of international law that deal with this difficult but fundamental area of state practice. The book examines the impact of agreements drawn up in peacetime on wartime conduct and focuses on the growth of law through customary practice. In addition to explaining the law as it exists today, the author provides suggestions for the practical development of the law.

This book provides the first comprehensive critical analysis of the regulation of naval weapons during armed conflict. It examines the experience this century with the use of naval mines, submarines and anti-ship missiles, the three main naval weapons. The sources of international law relevant to an assessment of the law, that is the extant conventions, state practice, military manuals, war crimes prosecutions, and the opinions of publicists, are each extensively examined so that a clear picture of the law emerges. The book examines the impact of agreements drawn up in peacetime on wartime conduct and focuses on the growth of law through customary practice. While stating the law as it is today, it also provides suggestions for the practical development of the law.

1 - Introduction
2 - Naval Mines
3 - Submarines
4 - Anti-Ship Missiles
5 - Conclusions

Dr James J Busuttil is Professor of International Studies at the Institute of Social Sciences in The Hague, and formerly Director of the British Institute of Human Rights as well as a Research Fellow in International Human Rights Law, Kings College, London.