International Humanitarian Law Faces New Challenges

by Von Heinegg, Wolff Heintschel; Epping, Volker

• ISBN13: 9783540490890
• ISBN10: 3540490892
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-03-31
• Publisher: Springer Nature

Summary

Recent armed conflicts, whether international or non-international in character, are in many respects characterized by a variety of asymmetries. These asymmetries may be overstressed, sometime even abused, and ultimately virtually meaningless. Still, either as such or in conjunction with other developments, they seem to challenge the law of armed conflicts or: international humanitarian law. These challenges may very well compromise the very function of that body of law, which is to mitigate as far as possible the calamities of war. Thus, the law of armed conflict may be deprived of its fundamental function as an order of necessity because its legally binding directives will increasingly be disregarded for the sake of allegedly superior values. In order to discuss these and other questions a most distinguished group of experts in the field of the law of armed conflicts gathered in Berlin in June 2005. The goal of that colloquium, which marked the 70th birthday of Knut Ipsen, was to find operable solutions for problems and challenges the contemporary law of armed conflict is confronted with. With contributions by Bill Boothby, Michael Bothe, Yoram Dinstein, Knut Dörmann, Charles J. Dunlap Jr., Volker Epping, Dieter Fleck, Steven Haines, Wolff Heintschel von Heinegg, Hans-Joachim Heintze, Rainer Hofmann, Frits Kalshoven, Stefan Oeter, W. Hays Parks, Michael Schmitt, Torsten Stein, and Andreas Zimmermann.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. v
Introduction
Confronting New Challenges Knut Ipsen and International Humanitarian Law	p. 3
Asymmetries with regard to Methods and Means of Warfare
Asymmetrical Warfare and International Humanitarian Law	p. 11
'The end justifies the means' - Should this be the philosophy?	p. 49
Comment: Is the Principle of Distinction Outdated?	p. 53
Asymmetries and the Identification of Legitimate Military Objectives
Asymmetries and the Identification of Legitimate Military Objectives	p. 65
Targeting Hearts and Minds: National Will and Other Legitimate Military Objectives of Modern War	p. 117
The United Kingdom and Legitimate Military Objectives: Current Practice ... and Future Trends?	p. 127
The System of Status Groups
The System of Status Groups in International Humanitarian Law	p. 145
Collateral Damage, Proportionality and Individual International Criminal Responsibility	p. 157
Do Non-State Actors Challenge International Humanitarian Law?	p. 163
The Relationship between Individual and State Responsibility
Individual and State Responsibility for Violations of the Ius in Bello: An Imperfect Balance	p. 171
Some Comments on the International Responsibility of States	p. 207
Responsibility for Violations of International Humanitarian Law, Inter- national Criminal Law and Human Rights Law - Synergy and Conflict?	p. 215
Dissemination and Monitoring Compliance
Dissemination and Monitoring Compliance of International Humanitarian Law	p. 227
Fact-finding as a Means of Ensuring Respect for International Humanitarian Law	p. 249
Human Rights Treaty Bodies and Their Potential Role in Monitoring	p. 269
Contributors	p. 273
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