International Humanitarian Law

Catalog description

This seminar will introduce students to the fundamentals of international humanitarian law (IHL, the laws of armed conflict, the laws of war), with a focus on contemporary issues. It will be taught by Gabor Rona, former legal advisor in the legal division of the International Committee of the Red Cross and International Legal Director at Human Rights First. Traditionally, the study of IHL has focused on technical mastery of the Geneva Conventions and other IHL treaties by armed forces. There is increasing recognition, however, of the importance of IHL to political leaders and policymakers, international human rights lawyers, humanitarian workers, lawyers involved in international criminal justice, journalists and the general public. Thus a contemporary course on IHL needs not only to expose students to the principles and rules of that law, but also to examine the dynamic relationships between IHL and other bodies of law, including human rights law, refugee law, international criminal law and domestic law. We will first address the sources, historical development, fundamental principles, and fields of application of IHL. We will next study IHL rules governing methods and means of warfare and treatment of persons in the power of the enemy. We will then explore the application of these principles and rules to contemporary issues, including humanitarian intervention, pre-emption and prevention, IHL during civil wars, asymmetrical and counterinsurgency conflicts, the growth of international justice mechanisms, and the role of IHL in connection with terrorism and counterterrorism. Prerequisite(s): LAW 7261 and LAW 7269 .