Introduction During the last decade there has been growing agreement that the rule of law (ROL) is critical in both domestic and international affairs. At the 2005 United Nations (UN) World Summit, member states unanimously recognised the need for ‘universal adherence to and implementation of the ROL at both the national and international levels’.1 This resolved an impasse in which some western states were pressing for improvements in the ROL in developing states and others were pressing some western states to adhere to the international ROL – especially with regard to interventions and other missions involving the deployment of troops. This was an inspiring compromise – to pursue both rather than none. However, we should remain inspired without becoming naive. One of the problems of this welcome consensus is that the term ‘rule of law’ is subject to a range of interpretations/perspectives/dimensions that are affected by context as well as theory. Even within the UN, the variety of interpretations is considerable and influenced by the perceived missions of various UN agencies.2