This course is a comprehensive introduction to the law of armed conflict, known in modern times as international humanitarian law. We will study such topics as the regulation of various means and methods of warfare, the treatment of war victims (such as POWs and civilians), the regulation of non-international armed conflicts, the application of the law of war to non-state actors (such as terrorist organizations and corporations), and various enforcement mechanisms (such as international criminal tribunals and US military commissions). We will give special consideration to how the "Global War on Terrorism" implicates these issues, and we will examine closely the role that humanitarian law has played in post-9/11 litigation in the United States.
Jinks, Derek P.