Examining the national and international law, human rights and civil liberties issues involved in governments calling out troops to deal with civil unrest or terrorism, this book discusses the changes underway in six comparable countries and provides a review and analysis of this trend, including its implications for legal and political rights.
Until recently, internal use of the armed forces has been generally regarded by the public, as well as academic commentators, as conduct to be expected of a military or autocratic regime, not a democratic government. There is however growing concern that the 'war on terror' has been used to condition public opinion to accept the internal deployment of the armed forces, including for broader industrial and political purposes. This book examines the national and international law, human rights and civil liberties issues involved in governments calling out troops to deal with civil unrest or terrorism. As the introduction of military call-out legislation has become an emerging global trend in the opening years of the 21st century, there is considerable and growing interest in the constitutional and related problems surrounding the deployment of military forces for domestic purposes. Examining the changes underway in six comparable countries, the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, Japan and Australia, this book provides a review and analysis of this trend, including its implications for legal and political rights.
'The authors are to be congratulated for this timely, thought-provoking, and challenging study of the domestic deployment of armed forces by six of the world's leading democracies, an issue which, as they argue, deserves much greater attention than it has so far received.' Steven Greer, University of Bristol, UK 'This provocative volume demonstrates how the threat of terrorism has eroded the distinction between the military's foreign and domestic functions, increasing the threat of militarization and the danger to democratic governance. The comprehensive treatment - comparative, transnational, and interdisciplinary - demands the attention of national security professionals and political leaders worldwide.' Richard H. Kohn, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
