Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)’s College of Public Policy and College of Law held an online event on September 20 to launch and explore Dr. Ka Lok Yip’s book “The Use of Force against Individuals in War under International Law,” recently published by Oxford University Press.

In the book, Dr. Yip, an Assistant Professor at HBKU Law, presents an interdisciplinary study of the laws regulating warfare. Her work weaves together law, social theories, and actual practice in a socio-legal study of the use of force against individuals in armed conflicts.

In keeping with the book’s approach, the online event explored the meaning, relevance, and wisdom of questioning the ‘legality’ of using force against individuals in war by reconnecting legal thought with the social world. In her presentation, Dr. Yip discussed the book’s analysis of different conceptions of ‘legality’ that generate tensions in international law and its regulation of warfare.

The event discussant was Mr. Fikire Tinsae Birhane, Lecturer of Laws and Human Rights at the School of Law, Hawassa University in Ethiopia. His research interests focus on children’s rights, international humanitarian law, non-state armed groups, and human rights.

After the event, Dr. Yip said: “Tensions in international law create opportunities to engage the law at a deeper level, and the book does so through the lens of social theories and practices. I am always inspired by people who have experienced the reality of on-the-ground challenges and find it particularly meaningful to have had this exchange with Mr. Fikire and other members of the audience from Ethiopia who are going through a brutal conflict literally as we speak.”

With discussions engaging several disciplines, the event was moderated by Dr. Logan Cochrane, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at HBKU’s College of Public Policy. The event brought together participants from around the world, which Dr. Cochrane noted as “a clear signal of the importance of this book and wide interest in hearing discussions regarding its content.”

Responding after the launch, the College of Law’s Dean Susan L. Karamanian said: “Dr. Yip’s book captures the complexities and tensions in the law of armed conflict, and the primacy of the role of international law. We are pleased to share her outstanding scholarship and insights with the international legal community. As the discussion with Mr. Birhane and Dr. Cochrane showed, the book presents a unique theoretical framework to understand contemporary conflict situations.”

“The Use of Force against Individuals in War under International Law” is part of the Oxford Monographs in International Humanitarian and Criminal Law series. For more information, please visit https://global.oup.com.

For more information about the programs and initiatives of the College of Law and the College of Public Policy, please visit cl.hbku.edu.qa and cpp.hbku.edu.qa, respectively.