The pillars of the law of armed conflict

In this clip, I introduce the main legal principles that underlie the law of armed conflict (or, as it is also often referred to, international humanitarian law or IHL). After briefly outlining the most important conventional and customary sources in this domain, I address the question of the applicability of the law of armed conflict. I end with a short summary of two of the main principles, namely humanity and military necessity 0:00 Introduction 1:01 The four Geneva Conventions 1:45 The additional protocols 2:15 Customary IHL 3:49 The main principles of IHL 5:44 When does IHL apply? 7:01 The principle of humanity 8:04 Military necessity Reading: • Jan Klabbers, International Law (4th ed., Cambridge University Press, 2023), chapter 11 Reading questions: • What is the relationship between the IHL principles of military necessity and proportionality? Answer the question with reference to a real or hypothetical example not already given in the chapter. • In your opinion, does the law of armed conflict provide an excuse for engaging in warfare? This video series was created for a second-year undergraduate course in public international law at University College Roosevelt in the Netherlands.