INTRODUCTION
International Humanitarian Law, also known as the Laws of War or Law of Armed Conflict, regulates international and non-international armed conflict. International Humanitarian Law consists of rules applicable during armed conflict. These rules also apply to a situation of occupation arising from armed conflict. Its rules can be found in treaties and international customary law. The main objective of these rules is to provide protection to the civilian population and civilian objects as well as to those persons who are no longer taking part in the hostilities. In addition, International Humanitarian Law rules aim to restrict the methods and means of warfare used during the hostilities by the parties involved. The International Committee of the Red Cross, a non-governmental humanitarian organization with its headquarter in Geneva, is the primary institution for International Humanitarian Law. Established in 1863, the initiatives of the ICRC have greatly contributed to the development of the laws of war. The ICRC also monitors the implementation of International Humanitarian Law rules and norms. States that have signed and ratified the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005 have given the ICRC a mandate to protect victims of international and internal armed conflicts.
This Research Guide is intended as a starting point for research in the field of International Humanitarian Law. It provides the basic materials available in the Peace Palace Library, both in print and electronic format. Handbooks, leading articles, bibliographies, periodicals, serial publications and documents of interest are presented in the Selective Bibliography section. Links to the PPL Catalogue are inserted. The Library's subject heading (keyword) International Humanitarian Law is instrumental for searching through the Catalogue. Special attention is given to our subscriptions on databases, e-journals, e-books and other electronic resources. Finally, this Research Guide features links to relevant websites and other online resources of particular interest. Updated regularly in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Library in Geneva.
LIBRARIAN'S CHOICE
SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sources of international law
- Doswald-Beck, L. (ed.), San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, Cambridge, Cambridge university Press, 1995.
- Dustin A. Lewis, Naz K. Modirzadeh, and Gabriella Blum, “Medical Care in Armed Conflict: International Humanitarian Law and State Responses to Terrorism”, Legal Briefing, Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict, September 2015.
- ICRC International Humanitarian Law - Treaties and Documents.
- ICRC Customary International Humanitarian Law.
- ICRC, Interpretive Guidance on the Notion of Direct Participation in Hostilities under International Humanitarian Law (N. Melzer ed., 2009).
- Grace, R., The Design and Planning of Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-Finding Missions, Cambridge (MA): Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research Harvard University, December 2013.
- Heyns, C., Report of the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions on Lethal Autonomous Robotics (LARs), UN Doc. A/HRC/23/47, 9 April 2013.
- International Law Association (ILA) Study Group, The Conduct of Hostilities under International Humanitarian Law - Challenges of 21st Century Warfare, Report 2014.
- Kraehenmann, S., Foreign Fighters Under International Law, Geneva, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, 2014.
- Lieblich, E. and Alterman, O., Transnational Asymmetric Armed Conflict Under International Humanitarian Law: Key Contemporary Challenges, Ramat Aviv, Institute for National Security Studies, 2015.
- Melzer, N., Human Rights Implications of the Usage of Drones and Unmanned Robots in Warfare, European Parliament, 2013.
- Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University (HPCR), Manual on International Law Applicable to Air and Missile Warfare, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2013.
- Roberts, A., and R. Guelff (eds.), Documents on the Laws of War (3rd ed.), Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2000.
- De Rover, C., To Serve and To Protect: Human Rights and Humanitarian Law for Police and Security Forces, Geneva, International Committee of the Red Cross, 1998.
- Schindler, D., and J. Toman, The Laws of Armed Conflicts: A Collection of Conventions, Resolutions, and other Documents (4th ed.), Leiden, Nijhoff, 2004.
- Schmitt, M.N. (ed.), Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Treaties
Case-law
UN Declarations and Resolutions
Reference works
- Blank, L.R., and G.P. Noone, International Law and Armed Conflict: Fundamental Principles and Contemporary Challenges in the Law of War, New York, NY, Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, 2013.
- Clapham, A., and Gaeta, P., and Sassoli, M. (eds.), The 1949 Geneva Conventions: a commentary, Oxford, United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 2015.
- Clapham, A., and P. Gaeta (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of International Law in Armed Conflict, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2014.
- Corn, G.S., K. Watkin and J. Williamson, The Law in War: A Concise Overview, Second Edition, Abingdon; New York, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2023.
- Crawford, E., and Pert, A., International Humanitarian Law, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015.
- Crowe, J., and K. Weston-Scheuber, Principles of International Humanitarian Law, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, 2013.
- Dinstein, Y., The conduct of hostilities under the law of international armed conflict, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2016.
- Dinstein, Y., Non-International Armed Conflicts in International Law, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2014.
- Djukic, D. and N. Pons (eds.), The companion to international humanitarian law, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2018.
- Fleck, D. (ed.), The Handbook of International Humanitarian Law (4th edition), Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2021.
- ICRC, Handbook on international rules governing military operations, Geneva, International Committee of the Red Cross, 2013.
- Kolb, R., Advanced Introduction to International Humanitarian Law, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, 2015.
- Liivoja, R., and McCormack, T. (eds.), Routledge handbook of the law of armed conflict, London, Routledge, 2016.
- Saul, B. and Akande, D. (eds.), The Oxford Guide to International Humanitarian Law, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2020.
- Sivakumaran, S., The Law of Non-International Armed Conflict, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2014.
- Thürer, D., International Humanitarian Law: Theory, Practice, Context, The Hague, Hague Academy of International Law, 2011.
- Tsagourias, N., and A. Morrison, International humanitarian law: cases, materials and commentary, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2018.
Selected books and articles
- Cryer, R., and Henderson, C. (eds.), Law on the Use of Force and Armed Conflict; Volume III: Foundations of the law of armed conflict, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2017.
- Cryer, R., and Henderson, C. (eds), Law on the Use of Force and Armed Conflict; Volume IV: Armed conflict: substantive law and practice, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2017.
- Zamir, N., Classification of conflicts in international humanitarian law: the legal impact of foreign intervention in civil wars, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, 2017.
- Barrat, C., Status of NGOs in International Humanitarian Law, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2014.
- Bergen, P. L. and Rothenberg, D. (ed.), Drone Wars: Transforming Conflict, Law and Policy, New York, Cambridge University Press, 2015.
- Bouchet-Saulnier, F., The Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law (3rd ed.), Lanham, MD, Rowman & Littlefield, 2013.
- Bhuiyan, Md. J.H. and Khan, B.U. (eds.), Revisiting the Geneva Conventions: 1949-2019, Leiden, Boston, Brill Nijhoff, 2020.
- Burri, N., Bravery or Bravado? : The Protection of News Providers in Armed Conflict, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2015.
- Cameron, L., and V. Chetail, Privatizing War: Private Military and Security Companies under Public International Law, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2013.
- Cantor, D. J. and Durieux, J. (eds.), Refuge from Inhumanity? : War Refugees and International Humanitarian Law, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2014.
- Chamberlain, K., War and Cultural Heritage: An Analysis of the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Two Protocols (2nd ed.), Crickadarn, Institute of Art and Law, 2013.
- Christiansen, S. M., Climate Conflicts – A Case of International Environmental and Humanitarian Law, Cham, Springer, 2016.
- Dinstein, Y., The Conduct of Hostilities Under the Law of International Armed Conflict (3rd ed.), Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2016.
- Ducheine, P. A. L. (et al.) (eds.), Targeting: The Challenges of Modern Warfare, The Hague, Asser Press, 2016.
- Fink, U. and Gillich, I., Humanitäres Völkerrecht, Baden-Baden, Nomos, 2023.
- Garbett, C., The Concept of the Civilian: Legal Recognition, Adjudication and the Trials of International Criminal Justice, Abingdon, Routledge, 2015.
- Heffes, E., Kotlik, M.D. and Ventura, M.J. (eds.), International Humanitarian Law and Non-State Actors: Debates, Law and Practice, The Hague, Asser Press, 2020.
- Heintze, H.-J. and Thielbörger, P. (eds.), From Cold War to Cyber War: The Evolution of the International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict Over the Last 25 Years, Cham, Springer, 2016.
- Jachec-Neale, A., The Concept of Military Objectives in International Law and Practice, London, Routledge, 2015.
- Jinks, D. (et al.) (eds.), Applying International Humanitarian Law in Judicial and Quasi-Judicial Bodies: International and Domestic Aspects, The Hague, T.M.C. Asser Press, 2014.
- Kolb, R., and G. Gaggioli (eds.), Research Handbook on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Cheltenham, E. Elgar, 2013. [ToC]
- Lovell, D. W. (ed.), Investigating Operational Incidents in a Military Context: Law, Justice, Politics, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2015.
- Mehring, S., First Do No Harm: Medical Ethics in International Humanitarian Law, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2015.
- Moyakine, E. V., The Privatized Art of War: Private Military and Security Companies and State Responsibility for Their Unlawful Conduct in Conflict Areas, Cambridge, Intersentia, 2015.
- Nasu, H. and McLaughlin, R. (eds.), New Technologies and the Law of Armed Conflict, The Hague, T.M.C. Asser Press, 2014.
- Niebergall-Lackner, H., Status and Treatment of Deserters in International Armed Conflicts, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2016.
- Petrovic, J. (ed.), Accountability of Violations of International Humanitarian Law: Essays in Honour of Tim McCormack, London, Routledge, 2016.
- Ohlin, J.D., Research handbook on remote warfare, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2017.
- Ohlin, J. D. (et al.) (eds.), Cyberwar: Law and Ethics for Virtual Conflicts, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2015.
- Schütte, R., Civilian Protection in Armed Conflicts: Evolution, Challenges and Implementation, Wiesbaden, Springer VS, 2015.
- Turner Johnson, J. and Patterson, E. D. (eds.), The Ashgate Research Companion to Military Ethics, Farnham, Ashgate, 2015.
- Waschefort, G., International Law and Child Soldiers, Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2015.
- Bieńczyk-Missala, A. and Grzebyk, P., “Safety and Protection of Humanitarian Workers”, in: P. Gibbons and H. Heintze, The Humanitarian Challenge: 20 Years European Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA), Cham, Springer, 2015, pp. 221-252.
- Bosch, S., “Private Security Contractors and Neutral Relief Workers – An Unlikely Marriage?”, African Yearbook on International Humanitarian Law, (2013), pp. 163-195.
- Cohen, A., “The Principle of Proportionality and Procedures in International Humanitarian Law”, Justice, 56 (2015), pp. 20-25.
- Dew, A. and Carrick, D., “Military Medical Personnel: A Unique Responsibility to Protect”, in Whetham, D. and Strawser, B. J., Responsibilities to Protect: Perspectives in Theory and Practice, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2015, pp. 116-136.
- Düsterhöft, I., “Is Journalism the New (Inter)National Battlefield? : An Analysis of the Protections Offered to Journalists in Armed Conflict”, Humanitäres Völkerrecht: Informationsscchriften, 27 (2014), No. 4, pp. 156-168.
- Foster, F., “The Price of News From the Front Line: Rethinking the Protection of Media Personnel under International Humanitarian Law”, Journal of Conflict & Security Law, 20 (2015), No. 3, pp. 451-480.
- Gill, T., “International Humanitarian Law applied to Cyber-Warfare: Precautions, Proportionality and the Notion of “Attack” under the Humanitarian Law of Armed Conflict”, in N. Tsagourias and R. Buchan (eds.), Research Handbook on International Law and Cyberspace, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015, pp. 366-379.
- Greenwood, C., “The International Court of Justice and International Humanitarian Law”, in C. C. Jalloh and O. Elias (eds.), Shielding Humanity: Essays in International Law in Honour of Judge Abdul F. Koroma, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2015, pp. 263-288.
- De Groof, M., “Death From the Sky: International Legal and Practical Issues on the Use of Armed Drones”, in A. Završnik (ed.), Drones and Unmanned Aerial Systems: Legal and Social Implications for Security and Surveillance, Cham, Springer, 2016, pp. 131-156.
- Sarkin, J.J., The Conflict in Syria and the Failure of International Law to Protect People Globally: Mass Atrocities, Enforced Disappearances, and Arbitrary Detentions, Abingdon, Oxon, New York, NY, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2022.
- Sassòli, M. and Issar, Y., “Challenges to International Humanitarian Law”, in A. von Arnauld, N. Matz-Lück and K. Odendahl, 100 Years of Peace Through Law: Past and Future, Berlin, Duncker & Humblot, 2015, pp. 182-235.
- Scholdan, B., “'The End of Active Hostilities': The Obligation to Release Conflict Internees Under International Law”, Houston Journal of International Law, 38 (2016), No. 1, pp. 99-214.
- Van der Vyver, J. D., “The ISIS Crisis and the Development of International Humanitarian Law”, Emory International Law Review, 30 (2016), No. 4, pp. 531-563.
- Vergerio, C., War, States, and International Order: Alberico Gentili and the Foundational Myth of the Laws of War, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2022.
- Wagner, M., “The Dehumanization of International Humanitarian Law: Legal, Ethical, and Political Implications of Autonomous Weapon Systems”, Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 47 (2014), No. 5, pp. 1371-1424.
- Wills, S., “Ensuring Peacekeepers’ Respect for International Humanitarian Law”, in H. Krieger (ed.), Inducing Compliance With International Humanitarian Law: Lessons From the African Great Lakes Region, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015, pp. 351-381.
Periodicals, serial publications
- African Yearbook on International Humanitarian Law (Publication ceased in 2014)
- Humanitäres Völkerrecht: Informationsschriften: Table of Contents
- International Humanitarian Law Magazine
- International Review of the Red Cross
- ISIL Yearbook of International Humanitarian and Refugee Law (Publication ceased in 2011)
- Journal of Conflict & Security Law: Table of Contents
- Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies
- Law Mantra Journal, 1 (2013), No. 4: Table of Contents
- The Military Law and the Law of War Review
- Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law
Bibliographies
- Huynh Thi Huong, Bibliography of International Humanitarian Law Applicable in Armed Conflicts, Geneva : ICRC & Henry Dunant Institute, 1987.
- ICRC Resource Centre, Quarterly IHL Bibliography
- Thyssen, H., "Selected Bibliography on the Rules and Institutions of International Humanitarian Law Put to the Test of Recent Armed Conflicts", in Rules and Institutions of International Humanitarian Law Put to the Test of Recent Armed Conflicts, Leiden : Nijhoff, 2010, pp. 901-981.
Dictionaries
DATABASES
- Customary Law Database, International Committee of the Red Cross
- Geneva Conventions Materials, Library of Congress, Military Legal Resources
- International Humanitarian Law Commons, Digital Commons Network
- Law of Armed Conflict Lecture Series, United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
- The Laws of War Database, Avalon Project of the Yale Law School
- National Implementation of IHL Database, International Committee of the Red Cross
- Répertoire de droit international: Droit international humanitaire – Philippe BRETTON; Aurélien LEMASSON – Octobre 2019 (actualisation: Février 2020)
- Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC) Project, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
- Treaties, States Parties and Commentaries Database, International Committee of the Red Cross
EXTERNAL LINKS
International Organisations
Research Guides
- Humanitarian Law, NYU Law Library
- International Humanitarian Law, American Society of International Law
- International Humanitarian Law, FSU College of Law
- International Humanitarian Law, University of Iowa Law Library
- International Humanitarian Law, University of Melbourne
- International Humanitarian Law, University of Ottawa Library
- International Humanitarian Law: Legal Aspects of War, Heafy Law Library
- Program on International Law and Armed Conflict, Harvard Law School Library
Research and Academia
- Forum for International Criminal and Humanitarian Law (FICHL)
- Frederick K. Cox International Law Center War Crimes Research Portal
- International Committee of the Red Cross, War and International Humanitarian Law
- International Humanitarian Law
- Preparatory documents on Geneva Conventions
- Rule of Law in Armed Conflict Project
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Protecting the Environment During Armed Conflict