Searching for a 'Principle of Humanity' in International Humanitarian Law

Searching for a 'Principle of Humanity' in International Humanitarian Law PDF

Author: Kjetil Mujezinović Larsen

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2016-03-31

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781316500583

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The legal norms of International Humanitarian Law are the product of a compromise between humanitarian considerations and the demands of military necessity. In Searching for a 'Principle of Humanity' in International Humanitarian Law, international legal scholars consider whether humanitarian considerations have an independent legal impact on IHL beyond the formation of these norms. They ask whether a 'principle of humanity' can be said to have legal force in its own right. Moreover, the book investigates whether regional or national differences are emerging regarding the import and emphasis placed on humanitarian considerations. For instance, do states which are not directly affected by armed conflict attach a greater weight to humanitarian considerations when interpreting and applying IHL than those states which are more directly involved in armed conflicts? Specifically, this book examines whether a particular 'Nordic perspective' can be identified, owing to those states' involvement in armed conflicts outside their own territories in the post- Second World War era.

Customary International Humanitarian Law

Customary International Humanitarian Law PDF

Author: Jean-Marie Henckaerts

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2005-03-03

Total Pages: 610

ISBN-13: 0521808995

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Customary International Humanitarian Law, Volume I: Rules is a comprehensive analysis of the customary rules of international humanitarian law applicable in international and non-international armed conflicts. In the absence of ratifications of important treaties in this area, this is clearly a publication of major importance, carried out at the express request of the international community. In so doing, this study identifies the common core of international humanitarian law binding on all parties to all armed conflicts. Comment Don:RWI.

Proportionality in International Humanitarian Law

Proportionality in International Humanitarian Law PDF

Author: Amichai Cohen

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 0197556728

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The principle of proportionality is one of the cornerstones of International Humanitarian Law. Almost all states involved in armed conflicts recognize that it is prohibited to launch an attack that is expected to cause incidental harm to civilians that exceeds the direct military advantage anticipated from the attack. This prohibition is included in military manuals, taught in professional courses, & accepted as almost axiomatic. Yet, the exact meaning of this principle is vague. Almost every issue is in dispute. Controversy is especially rife regarding asymmetrical conflicts, in which many modern democracies are involved. How exactly should proportionality be implemented when the enemy is not an army, but a non-state actor embedded within a civilian population? What does it mean to use precautions in attack, when almost every attack is directed at objects that are used for both military & civilian purposes?

Principles of International Humanitarian Law

Principles of International Humanitarian Law PDF

Author: Jonathan Crowe

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2013-01-01

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 1781002738

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ÔThis is a concise and nuanced overview of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The structure is unusual. While the book reflects the state of the law with accuracy and sobriety, it nevertheless shows the idealist and philosophical ambitions of the authors. Legal issues are often discussed within a wider moral and ethical context. The authors add many basics on human rights and the enforcement of international law, which are not directly relevant for IHL, but ensure the reader understands the wider picture.Õ Ð Marco Sass~li, University of Geneva, Switzerland This book provides a clear and concise explanation of the central principles of international humanitarian law (or the law of armed conflict) while situating them in a broader philosophical, ethical and legal context. The authors consider a range of wider issues relevant to international humanitarian law, including its ethical foundations, relationship to other bodies of international law and contemporary modes of enforcement. This helps to develop a richer context for understanding the law of war and a sound basis for examining the changing nature of contemporary armed conflict. The book also discusses important recent decisions by international courts and tribunals, tracks the historical development of humanitarian principles in warfare and considers the legal position of states, individuals and non-state groups. Principles of International Humanitarian Law is an important resource for students of international humanitarian law and International law academics, as well as international humanitarian law practitioners.

The Handbook of International Humanitarian Law

The Handbook of International Humanitarian Law PDF

Author: Michael Bothe

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2013-08-29

Total Pages: 767

ISBN-13: 0199658803

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The third edition of this work sets out a comprehensive and analytical manual of international humanitarian law, accompanied by case analysis and extensive explanatory commentary by a team of distinguished and internationally renowned experts.

The Oxford Guide to International Humanitarian Law

The Oxford Guide to International Humanitarian Law PDF

Author: Ben Saul

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2020-05-07

Total Pages: 481

ISBN-13: 0192597493

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International humanitarian law is the law that governs the conduct of participants during armed conflict. This branch of law aims to regulate the means and methods of warfare as well as to provide protections to those who do not, or who no longer, take part in the hostilities. It is one of the oldest branches of international law and one of enduring relevance today. The Oxford Guide to International Humanitarian Law provides a practical yet sophisticated overview of this important area of law. Written by a stellar line up of contributors, drawn from those who not only have extensive practical experience but who are also regarded as leading scholars of the subject, the text offers a comprehensive and authoritative exposition of the field. The Guide provides professionals and advanced students with information and analysis of sufficient depth to enable them to perform their tasks with understanding and confidence. Each chapter illuminates how the law applies in practice, but does not shy away from the important conceptual issues that underpin how the law has developed. It will serve as a first port of call and a regular reference work for those interested in international humanitarian law.

The Development and Principles of International Humanitarian Law

The Development and Principles of International Humanitarian Law PDF

Author: MichaelN. Schmitt

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-05

Total Pages: 943

ISBN-13: 1351545078

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The essays selected for the first part of this volume offer an insight into the development, as distinguished from the history, of international humanitarian law. The focus of the majority of the works reprinted here is on an analysis of the adequacy of the law as it stood at the time of the respective publication and in the light of existing contemporary armed conflicts and military operations. Thus, the reader is afforded an in-depth look at the early roots of international humanitarian law, the continuing relevance of that body of law despite advances in weapons technology and the efforts to progressively develop it. International humanitarian law's development cannot be considered in isolation from its principles. The essays selected for the second part of the volume deal with the two fundamental principles underlying all of international humanitarian law: humanity and military necessity. The articles on the principles of humanity include reflections on the famous Martens Clause, and the analyses of military necessity take no account of 'Kriegsraison'. Moreover, they offer proof of the customary character of the principle of distinction in land, air and naval warfare.

The Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law

The Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law PDF

Author: Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published: 2013-12-12

Total Pages: 827

ISBN-13: 1442221135

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Now in a comprehensively updated edition, this indispensable handbook analyzes how international humanitarian law has evolved in the face of these many new challenges. Central concerns include the war on terror, new forms of armed conflict and humanitarian action, the emergence of international criminal justice, and the reshaping of fundamental rules and consensus in a multipolar world. ThePractical Guide to Humanitarian Law provides the precise meaning and content for over 200 terms such as terrorism, refugee, genocide, armed conflict, protection, peacekeeping, torture, and private military companies—words that the media has introduced into everyday conversation, yet whose legal and political meanings are often obscure. The Guide definitively explains the terms, concepts, and rules of humanitarian law in accessible and reader-friendly alphabetical entries. Written from the perspective of victims and those who provide assistance to them, the Guide outlines the dangers, spells out the law, and points the way toward dealing with violations of the law. Entries are complemented by analysis of the decisions of relevant courts; detailed bibliographic references; addresses, phone numbers, and Internet links to the organizations presented; a thematic index; and an up-to-date list of the status of ratification of more than thirty international conventions and treaties concerning humanitarian law, human rights, refugee law, and international criminal law. This unprecedented work is an invaluable reference for policy makers and opinion leaders, students, relief workers, and members of humanitarian organizations. Published in cooperation with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières.

Military Professionalism and Humanitarian Law

Military Professionalism and Humanitarian Law PDF

Author: Yishai Beer

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-04-09

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0190881151

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This book challenges the unacceptable gap between the positive rules of the international law governing armed hostilities and actual state practice. It discusses reducing the human suffering caused by this reality. The current law does not seem to be optimal in balancing the different interests of states' militaries and the humanitarian agenda. In response to this challenge, this book offers a new paradigm based on reality that may elevate the humanitarian threshold by replacing the currently problematic imperatives imposed upon militaries with professionally-based, therefore attainable, requirements. The aims of the suggested paradigm are to create an environment in which full abidance by the law becomes a realistic norm, thus facilitating a second, more important aim of reducing human suffering. Militaries function in a professional manner; they develop and respect their doctrine, operational principles, fighting techniques and values. Their performances are not random or incidental. The suggested paradigm calls for leveraging the constraining elements that are latent in military professionalism. Talking professional language and adopting the professional way of thinking that underlies militaries' conduct makes it possible to identify and focus upon the core interests of a military in any given lawful war - those that ought to be taken into consideration - alongside those that can be sacrificed for the sake of the humanitarian concerns, while still allowing the military mission to be achieved. Indeed, leveraging professional standards and norms would establish a reasonable modus vivendi for a military, while allowing substantial new space for the humanitarian mission of the law.