This course will explore the development and application of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), also known as the law of armed conflict. IHL is a set of rules that, in times of armed conflict, seeks to protect people who are not or are no longer participating in hostilities, and to restrict the means and methods of warfare. The rules of IHL aim to balance military necessity against fundamental principles of humanity. IHL also provides a normative framework to facilitate the delivery of aid by humanitarian organizations engaged in mitigating the suffering caused by armed conflict. Students will examine the rules of international customary law, as well as treaty law, which form the legal bases for IHL; in particular the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their two additional protocols of 1977, and the Hague Regulations of 1907. Students will also study the principles of proportionality and distinction between military objectives and civilian objects, as well as the prohibition against means of combat that lead to unnecessary suffering and superfluous injury, which underpin this body of law. Questions to consider throughout the course include: What is international humanitarian law? How is it created, interpreted, applied, and enforced, and how does it evolve? How does it intersect with other branches of public international law, mainly international criminal law and international human rights law? This course will use case studies to illustrate principles and concepts.

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