Ever since 9/11 the legal classification of transnational conflicts between states and non-state armed groups, such as Al Qaeda, has become a highly debated topic. While repeatedly referred to as the War on Terror, the legal qualification of the conflict between the US and Al Qaeda remains controversial: US military operations in Afghanistan against Al Qaeda and the use of drones against alleged terrorists in Pakistan, Yemen and other states pose the question as to whether this conflict truly qualifies as one single global war. Similarly, transnational conflicts such as the Colombian operation against a FARC base in Ecuador, Israel’s fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Turkish operations against the PKK in northern Iraq pose difficulties as they transcend individual nations˙ political systems and geographical borders. Whether the law of war (i.e. humanitarian law) is applicable to such conflicts and to what extent human rights law binds the states involved is debated. This work aims to provide structure to the current debate and analyzes the applicability of both humanitarian law and human rights law. Furthermore, it examines and explores approaches to enhance and develop the existing legal framework, including proposed new legal regimes for transnational conflicts. The author argues against the strict separation of international humanitarian law and human rights law and instead borrows from Colombian authorities’ experience in their struggle with the FARC to develop an alternate solution, combining both legal regimes in an integrated approach.

This book is written not because of any foreseen break of armed conflict, but armed conflict is an inevitable phenomenon in human and international relations since despite the United Nations Charter prohibition on the use of force in international relations, war still exist. Hence, there is need to have law that regulates conduct in time of armed conflict. International humanitarian law (IHL) being the law of armed conflict has to be disseminated to the entire society through a comprehensive medium that everyone can understand and appreciate.

However, as it is part of the "Essentials of Canadian Law" series, a major goal of the book is to explore fully the nexus between these bodies of international law and Canadian domestic law--and help Canadian courts and lawyers engage successfully with the international aspects of the cases they work on. Accordingly, the book contains: a stand-alone chapter on the prosecution of international crimes before Canadian courts; a detailed examination of how the various transnational crime treaties are implemented in Canadian law; and a full chapter on Canadian extradition and mutual legal assistance law and practice.