LAWS 6673 Laws of Armed Conflict

Laws of Armed Conflict (LOAC), also known as International humanitarian law (IHL), constitutes a distinct branch of public international law that regulates the conduct of hostilities in situations of armed conflict. IHL is characterized by an inherent normative tension: it seeks to reconcile military necessitythe prerogative of parties to conduct military operations with humanitarian considerations, notably the protection of civilians, civilian objects, and other specially protected persons and entities. This tension lies at the heart of the IHL framework and permeates its entire corpus, most prominently codified in four 1949 Geneva Conventions and their two 1977 Additional Protocols which require critical engagement with doctrinal and scholarship. This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the foundational principles, sources, and contemporary challenges of IHL, such as new technologies of warfare. Particular attention will be devoted to the interpretation and application of IHL in practice, drawing on the jurisprudence of international courts as well as case studies from recent armed conflicts.