Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Table of Cases
- Table of Treaties
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT: INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW IN WAR
- LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW: A FRAMEWORK
- 5 Conflict Status
- 6 Individual Battlefield Status
- 7 Law of Armed Conflict's Four Core Principles
- 8 What Is a “War Crime”?
- LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW: BATTLEFIELD ISSUES
- References
- Index
- References
7 - Law of Armed Conflict's Four Core Principles
from LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW: A FRAMEWORK
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Table of Cases
- Table of Treaties
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT: INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW IN WAR
- LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW: A FRAMEWORK
- 5 Conflict Status
- 6 Individual Battlefield Status
- 7 Law of Armed Conflict's Four Core Principles
- 8 What Is a “War Crime”?
- LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW: BATTLEFIELD ISSUES
- References
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
The two foundational questions in examining any armed conflict have been addressed. The first is: What is the conflict status? What law of armed conflict/international humanitarian law (LOAC/ IHL), if any, applies to the conflict being considered? That question is not always as easily or as cleanly resolved as one might wish. The second question: What are the individual statuses of those involved in the conflict? What can they lawfully do, what may they not do, and to what rights and protections are they entitled, should they be captured? Although the second question is usually easier to resolve, it, too, has gray areas, particularly in a “war on terrorism.” Ambiguity and lack of complete clarity are features of all varieties of law, however, not just LOAC/ IHL.
We know what constitutes LOAC/IHL. We also know, as much as it can be known, in what circumstances they apply, and do not apply. There is one more matter critical to the LOAC framework: LOAC's core concepts. Just as every conflict has a status, and every battlefield player has an individual status, every battlefield incident may be examined for compliance with LOAC's four core concepts.
As this almost formulaic examination of LOAC/IHL suggests, we are studying the construction of an LOAC/IHL matrix: conflict, individual, and event. We examine the conflict for its applicable law then look at the participants to determine their place in the conflict. Finally, we look at a specific event involving the participants.
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- The Law of Armed ConflictInternational Humanitarian Law in War, pp. 250 - 300Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010