GC IV Commentary Series – Individualization in Civilian Internment Decisions

GC IV Commentary Series – Individualization in Civilian Internment Decisions

by , | Sep 29, 2026 | AoW Posts, Blog, GC IV Commentary Series, Law of Armed Conflict

GC IV Commentary Series – Individualization in Civilian Internment Decisions Editors’ note: The following series considers ICRC’s 2025 updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention. Rosa-Lena Lauterbach, Liisi Adamson, and Sean Watts’s introduction to the series...
GC IV Commentary Series – Introduction

GC IV Commentary Series – Introduction

by , , | Sep 29, 2026 | AoW Posts, Blog, featured post, GC IV Commentary Series, Law of Armed Conflict

GC IV Commentary Series – Introduction Editors’ note: Sean Watts, co-author of this post, served on the Reading Committee that advised production of the ICRC’s Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention and co-authored two entries in it. Recent decades have produced a...
The “Obligation” of States to Call for the Respect of IHL in Case of Violations

The “Obligation” of States to Call for the Respect of IHL in Case of Violations

by | Sep 25, 2026 | AoW Posts, Blog, Law of Armed Conflict

The “Obligation” of States to Call for the Respect of IHL in Case of Violations There are two bases in international law under which there is a discussion of an obligation of States to intervene and to call for the respect of international humanitarian law (IHL) rules...
Killings of Prisoners of War and Refusal of Quarter – Present and Past

Killings of Prisoners of War and Refusal of Quarter – Present and Past

by | Aug 19, 2026 | AoW Posts, Blog, History of LOAC, Law of Armed Conflict

Killings of Prisoners of War and Refusal of Quarter – Present and Past Modern international humanitarian law (IHL) protects prisoners against attack or mistreatment from the moment they surrender or do something akin to surrender. Relevant provisions include Articles...
Air Warfare and International Humanitarian Law

Air Warfare and International Humanitarian Law

by | Aug 12, 2026 | AoW Posts, Blog, Law of Armed Conflict

Air Warfare and International Humanitarian Law In 1949, the U.S. Army’s International Law Branch Chief, Major William G. Downey, provided remarks (in his personal capacity) to the American Society of International Law.  He asserted, The person who first drafts an...
Surrender as a Weapon: Operational Paralysis and the Law of War

Surrender as a Weapon: Operational Paralysis and the Law of War

by | Aug 5, 2026 | AoW Posts, Blog, Law of Armed Conflict

Surrender as a Weapon: Operational Paralysis and the Law of War In the opening days of the Operation Desert Storm ground campaign, Iraqi Soldiers surrendered by the tens of thousands. They surrendered to armor, to infantry, and in one famous instance, to a remotely...