Faces of State Terrorism

Westra (U. of Windsor, Canada, and U. of Milano, Italy) assesses the legality under international law of state-based actions that may be labeled by the states involved (including the United States) as "self-defense" or "counter-terrorism" as self-justification but which do not conform to international legal principles and constitute a form of state terrorism. She begins by cataloguing forms of state terrorism and countering the numerous self-justifications states proffer for their conduct. She then examines the role of intent and motivation in state terrorism (often the pursuit of profit, the plunder of resources, and/or hegemonic ambition); the illegal and violently repressive means of state terrorism and the current national and international legal mechanisms for countering such activities; and relations between the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council as they relate to the connection between terrorism, "counter-terrorism," and globalization. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Laura Westra, Ph.D. (1982) in Philosophy, University of Toronto, and Ph.D. (2005) in Law, Osgoode Hall Law School, currently teaches environmental law at the University of Windsor, international law at the University of Milano (Bicocca) and a graduate course on Environmental Studies for Royal Roads University in Victoria,B.C. She has published twenty-seven monographs and collections on environmental justice and human rights issues and international law, and over 85 articles and chapters.