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When is a war a war - and when is it just containment? When are we justified in declaring war? Increasingly, wars are being fought by coalitions of allies, which makes a common interpretation of the law almost impossible. Can there be a justification, in law, for taking pre-emptive action? And how can we call nations like the US to account if they use banned weapons? Speakers include: Gerry Simpson, author of The Law of War Crimes; Gwyn Prins, senior fellow at the Institute of International Affairs, who affirms both a legal and moral duty to rid Iraq of Saddam; James Gow, professor of international peace and security at Kings, advisor to the government and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; and Rabinder Singh, QC, of Matrix Chambers, who represented CND in the recent case against the Government about resolution 1441. Mary Riddell, Observer journalist, is in the chair.