Details
- This book is the first ever full-scale tri-service (army, airforce and navy) official UK military manual on the international law of armed conflict
- Written by a team of international legal experts and military figures
- Contains the authoritative statement of the customary international law position
- Fully up-to-date with major developments, including the Yugoslav and Rwanda Tribunals, the Rome Statute establishing an International Criminal Court, and the status of the Guantanamo Bay prisoners
This book is the first comprehensive manual on the law of armed conflict prepared by a team of expert scholars and practitioners working for and with the UK Ministry of Defence. It covers all aspects of the law of armed conflict as applied today, including means and methods of warfare, the treatment of civilians and other non-combatants - including prisoners of war - and the conduct of operations in all three environments: land, sea and air. It also includes discussion of some of the key elements of relevance in the modern strategic environment, not least the legal aspects of internal armed conflict and the application of the law during peace support operations.
This is a significant publication providing sound evidence of the legal views of one of the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council. As such it will become an essential reference and source for legal scholars working in this field, for officials working in foreign and defence ministries around the globe, and for military officers and lawyers requiring a sound grasp of the legal framework of military operations
Readership: Scholars and practitioners of the law of armed conflict, and the military and foreign ministries of all states that follow developments in this field.
1: Historical and General Background
2: Basic Principles of the Law of Armed Conflict
3: The Applicability of the Law of Armed Conflict
4: The Armed Forces of the Belligerents
5: The Conduct of Hostilities
6: Weapons
7: The Wounded, Sick, and Dead and Medical Services
8: Prisoners of War
9: Protection of Civilians in the Hands of a Party to the Conflict
10: Negotiations Between Belligerents
11: Occupied Territory
12: Air Operations
13: Maritime Warfare
14: Application of the Law of Armed Conflict During Peace Support Operations
15: Internal Armed Conflict
16: Enforcement of the Law of Armed Conflict
Appendices: Documents and Materials
A: Geneva Convention I 1949: Annexes
B: Geneva Convention II 1949: Annex
C: Geneva Convention III 1949: Annexes
D: Geneva Convention IV 1949: Annexes
E: Additional Protocol I 1977: Annexes
F: Hague Cultural Property Convention 1954, Article 16
G: Annex to the Amended Mines Protocol
"...very good news for all those interested in international humanitarian law. The reader will find a wealth of useful materials and statements on the law applicable in time of armed conflict. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Darfur relied heavily upon an advance copy of the Manual in its findings about the law applicable in internal armed conflicts." - Antonio Cassese, Chairman of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur
"... should be appreciated for its clarity, legal craftsmanship, comprehensiveness and accuracy. The UK Manual will surely influence the drafting of other instruments of this kind." - Italian Yearbook of International Law
