Aggression and crimes against peace / Larry May.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 343-350) and index.

Part A: Pacifism and just wars. Introduction : between the horrors and necessity of war ; Grotius and contingent pacifism ; International solidarity and the duty to aid -- Part B: Rethinking the normative ad bellum principles. The principle of priority or first strike ; The principle of just cause ; The principle of proportionality -- Part C: The precedent of Nuremberg. Custom and the Nuremberg "precedent" ; Prosecuting military and political leaders ; Prosecuting civilians for complicity : The Krupp -- Part D: Conceptualizing the crime of aggression. Defining state aggression ; Act and circumstance in the crime of aggression ; Individual mens rea and collective liability -- Part E: Hard cases and concluding thoughts. Humanitarian interventions ; Terrorist aggression ; Defending international criminal trials for aggression.

In this volume, the third in his trilogy on the philosophical and legal aspects of war and conflict, Larry May locates a normative grounding for the crime of aggression - the only one of the three crimes charged at Nuremberg that is not currently being prosecuted - that is similar to that for crimes against humanity and war crimes.