#ISIS: The Largest Threat to World Peace Trending Now

Authors

Annalise Lekas

Abstract

In this comment, Annalise Lekas urges that the international legal system must evolve to solve the largest threat to world peace, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The current system imposes strict territorial boundaries, inhibiting the armed intervention required to successfully combat terrorist organizations like ISIS. The United Nations Charter permits armed intervention in self-defense or collective self-defense and armed intervention sanctioned by the security counsel. However, Annalise Lekas argues neither mode allows States to defeat ISIS and instead, recommends that the Security Council, under its duty to maintain international peace and security, sets clear standards that allow States to combat ISIS with the force of law. First, armed intervention must be a last resort that is limited to threats involving a high severity and probability of mass atrocities. Second, armed intervention must serve a common interest'preventing gross human rights violations and safeguarding international peace and security.

Recommended Citation

Annalise Lekas, #ISIS: The Largest Threat to World Peace Trending Now, 30 Emory Int'l L. Rev. 313 (2015).
Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/eilr/vol30/iss2/5