Legal Challenges of Combating Terrorism: International Humanitarian Law Implications of ‘Signature Strikes’ by Drones.

Terrorism has become the main international security challenge of the 21st century. From a historical perspective, terrorism has always been a serious concern for governments and nation states. The modern threat posed by terrorism has a much wider scope because of its international character. The much bigger threat posed by modern terrorism can also be explained by technological innovations and the reliance of terror networks on social networks both to propagate their message and as a recruitment tool. Modern terrorism also tends to be much more indiscriminate in targeting its victims, and employs methods aimed at maximising the psychological and global impact of its attacks. Combating this global threat requires a coordinated international approach. However, the international response has been fragmentary. A preliminary legal challenge is that of finding a universally accepted definition for terrorism. This paper has as its main objective to critically assess the international legal framework for combating terrorism and the legal challenges involved in fighting terrorism. The main focus of the discussion will be on the international humanitarian and criminal law implications of the fight against terrorism. The concluding part of the paper will seek to make recommendations aimed at improving the international legal framework.