International Law and Armed Conflict

1
International Law and Armed Conflict

• MA Course Lecture Conduct of Contemporary
  Warfare

2
Laws of War

• Jus ad bellum (law towards war)
• limits resort to armed force
• UN Charter, Article 2(4) and Chapter VII
• Jus in bello (law in war)
• moderates conduct of armed hostilities
• Geneva conventions (1949, 1977)
• Hague Conventions (1899 1907)

3
Jus ad bellum

• UN Charter
• - Art. 2(3) Settle disputes peacefully
• - Art. 2(4) no threat or use of force
• Article 2(4) prohibition as jus cogens
• - no derogation from peremptory norms
• - two exceptions
• self-defence (Article 51)
• UNSC authorised under Chap VII

4
What constitutes self-defence?

• Protection of nationals? US v. Grenada (1983)
  Panama (1989), Israel v Uganda (1976).
• Anticipatory self-defence? Israel (1967), Iraq
  (1981), US (2003)

5
Collective security in the Charter

• Article 39The Security Council shall determine
  the existence of any threat to the peace, breach
  of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make
  recommendations, or decide what measures shall be
  taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42, to
  maintain or restore international peace and
  security

6
Rise of Humanitarian Intervention

• CW cases India v East Pakistan (1971), Vietnam
  v. Cambodia (1978), and Tanzania v. Uganda
  (1979).
• post CW Kuwait (1990), FRY (1992), Somalia
  (1992), Haiti (1994), Bosnia (1995), Liberia
  (1997), Sierra Leone (1997), Albania (1997), East
  Timor (1999)
• UNSC tendency to link humanitarian crises to
  threats to the peace but fails to justify link
• Kosovo (1999) NATO states legitimate
  intervention on grounds of humanitarian
  necessity. BUT intervention condemned by Russia,
  China and some NNA states.

7
UN High Level Panel Report

• Seriousness of threat
• Proper purpose
• Last resort
• Proportional means
• Balance of consequences
• http//www.un.org/secureworld/

8
Jus in bello

• prohibition on unnecessary suffering
• Lieber Code (1863) principle of military
  necessity
• Targeting of civilians and civilian objects is
  prohibited
• creates unilateral and non-reciprocal
  obligations, and as jus cogens, there is no
  derogation

9
LOAC trends and challenges

• Increasing scope and force of law
• Shift in focus from combatant to civilian
  suffering
• Cluttered battlefields and non-military partners
• Insurgent ethics and lawfare

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Civilian shields
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LOAC and COIN US approach

• Firepower culture
• Reading Fallujah
• World opinion 70-90 negative
• No-strike lists, CDEM and JAGs in the CAOC
• New checkpoint TTPs

12
Symbolism of Fallujah
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LOAC and COIN US approach

• Firepower culture
• Reading Fallujah
• World opinion 70-90 negative
• No-strike lists, CDEM and JAGs in the CAOC
• New checkpoint TTPs

14
LOAC and COIN UK approach

• Doctrine of minimal force
• Strict interpretation of LOAC
• Application of English criminal law
• Learning lessons from operations clarifying
  noncombatants

15
War of competing narratives

• Narrative express ideals and interests, are more
  emotive than analytical
• Military operations should support development of
  compelling narrative about course consequence
  of a conflict
• From eliminating enemy assets to undermining
  enemy narratives

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Narrating the good war
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Enforcement of LOAC
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Law as an enabler

• Building international legitimacy
• Mobilising enduring domestic support
• Liberal script for war (JIM)

19
The legitimacy imperative

• Grand bargains in WTO, NPT and UNSC
• Domestic trust of int. legal institutions
• Legitimacy umbrellas for IGO/NGO partners

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Challenges

• Enemy will engage in lawfare
• Emotion enemy narratives
• Narrative management and the media cycle