The course’s main focus remains on which legal rules apply when there is an armed conflict ( jus in bello), whether that is of an international or of a non-international nature. While IHL’s relationship with other branches of public international law, especially the rules on the use of force (jus ad or contra bellum), international human rights law, and international criminal law law is addressed, these latter subjects are covered in specific courses offered by the Faculty. In addition, there are several specific treaties trying to regulate or ban various types of weapons, including biological and chemical weapons, cluster munitions, and nuclear weapons. The main legal basis for IHL is composed of the four 1949 Geneva Conventions with their two additional protocols of 1977 and the third additional protocol of 2005, The Hague Regulations of 1907, rules of customary international law, and fundamental principles of IHL.

The course provides important insights on several key aspects of IHL, including its historical development, legal sources, types of armed conflict, means and methods of waging war, protection of civilians and civilian objects, protection of cultural heritage and of the environment, international peace operations, implementation and responsibility for serious IHL violations, the relationship with other branches of public international law, and some of the current challenges IHL faces. International Humanitarian Law (IHL) or the law of armed conflict (LOAC) aims at reducing the disastrous effects of armed conflicts by regulating the means and methods of warfare and by establishing relevant legal protections not only for civilians and for non-combatants more generally, but also for combatants.

Law of armed conflict cbt answers