PREFACE 4
INTRODUCTION 9
CHAPTER ONE 19
INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW: A UNIQUE REGIME 19
i. Jus ad bellum and jus in bello 20
ii. Origins and development 23
A. Formative ideas 23
B. The Law of Geneva and the Law of The Hague 25
iii. Specific aspects 26
iv. Three fundamental dychotomies 30
A. “International” and “non-international” armed conflicts 30
B. Combatants and non-combatants 32
C. Actors and modes of implementation 34
CHAPTER TWO 37
CONSTRAINTS OF WAR – HOLDING THE CENTRE 37
I. General remarks and cardinal principles 38
A. General remarks 38
B. Cardinal principles: The shift from a “horizontal” to a “vertical”, or “quasi-constitutional”, order 42
C. Humanity 44
D. Military necessity 46
E. Proportionality 50
General considerations 50
Environmental protection as a case in point 57
F. Distinction 61
General remarks 61
Direct participation of civilians in hostilities 64
Summing up and some examples 66
II. Constraints in the use of and ban on weapons 68
A. General remarks 68
B. Banning weapons 70
Most recent example: The ban on cluster bombs 73
C. Limiting the Use of small arms as a case in point 75
Prohibition of nuclear weapons: Relative or absolute? 78
III. Concluding remarks: Making the law effective 86
A. New weapons, means and methods of warfare 87
B. Citizens taking centre stage 88
CHAPTER THREE 92
I. From the genius loci to the genius orbis? 92
II. International humanitarian law and human rights law: Structures and processes 95
A. Three theoretical models: Predominance of the theory of overlapping circles 96
B. The rule of complementarity and the doctrine of lex specialis 102
C. Symbiosis in living practice: The doctrine of convergence 107
a. Non-international armed conflicts as a source of growth for international law 108
2. Areas in need of development 112
aa) Procedural principles and safeguards for internment and administrative detention in armed conflicts and other situations of violence 112
bb) Internally displaced persons 114
cc) Missing persons 115
b) Belligerent occupation 117
III. Accountability: Procedures and mechanisms 122
A.Human rights mechanisms 124
B.Individual criminal responsibility 128
a) Elements of the idea and its first applications 129
b) A new era: The tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia 134
c) The International Criminal Court 140
d) Hybrid tribunals: Anchoring criminal justice locally 144
e) International and internationalized criminal tribunals: An assessment 147
C. Truth and reconciliation commissions 150
IV. Genius mundi: Globalization and law 156
CHAPTER FOUR 163
RELIGION AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW – SUPPORT AND TENSION 163
I. A difficult relationship 164
II. World religions and world views 167
A. Confucianism 167
B. Hinduism 173
C. Buddhism 176
D. Judaism and Christianity 182
Judaism 182
Christianity 186
E. Islam 193
III. Concluding remarks 199
CHAPTER FIVE 204
I. The changing nature of warfare 206
A. The “new wars” thesis 206
B. Implications for international humanitarian law 210
A. Private military companies and economic interests 213
B. Three challenges for international humanitarian law 216
C. Reminding States of their obligations 220
III. War and natural resources 223
A. The resource curse 223
B. Controlling access to international markets – Sierra Leone as case in point 225
IV. The arms trade 228
A. Dissemination of small arms and the consequences for humanitarian work 228
B. Economic and strategic interests 230
C. Arms trade treaty 232
D. Existing State obligations 235
A. Adaptability of international humanitarian law 237
B. State responsibility to ensure respect for international humanitarian law 240
C. Corporate responsibility under international law 241
D. The international community’s “responsibility to protect” 245
CHAPTER SIX 249
A NETWORK OF HUMANITARIAN ACTORS – PROMOTION OF 249
INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW 249
I. The International Committee of the Red Cross 251
II. The role of the United Nations 255
A. The Security Council 256
A) General remarks 256
b) Peacekeeping Operations 260
B. The General Assembly 267
a) General remarks 267
b) The Human Rights Council 271
C. The Secretary-General 276
D. The International Court of Justice 279
a) “Elementary considerations of humanity”: International humanitarian law as customary law 280
b) jus cogens and erga omnes norms 282
c) Assessment 286
III. Regional organizations promoting international humanitarian law 286
A. The European Union 286
B. The Council of Europe 291
IV. The role of non-governmental organizations in international humanitarian law 293
A. Banning anti-personnel mines 296
B. Banning cluster munitions 298
v. The media’s role in international humanitarian law 301
A. The media: “Public watchdog” and objects of instrumentalization 302
B. Responsibilities of the media 305
C. Protection under International Law 310
1. A space of liberty 310
vi. Concluding remarks 320
CHAPTER SEVEN 324
A SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS 324
I. Warfare in the shadow of the law 326
II. Fundamental challenges: Assessing the state of international humanitarian law 330
A. International humanitarian law and the "war on terror" 331
B. Are there gaps in the protection afforded by international law? 332
C. Is the law incomplete? 338
III. The walls of the law 342
A. The Martens Clause 343
B. General principles of law 347
C. Constitutional paradigm? 351
Constitutionalization in international law 351
Constitutionalism as a method of construction 354
Constitutionalism in humanitarian law 356
Relevance of the constitutional paradigm for international humanitarian law 361
IV. The destructive potential of technology 362
Outlook: Practical means and legal ideals 365
I. Implementation 366
II. Law as a Myth: Nuclear Weapons 373
Appendix 381
Bibliography 386