Law of Armed Conflict - 2241

  The Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), also known as International Humanitarian Law (IHL), is an area of public international law.  It is responsible for regulating the conduct of armed hostilities, and balances the desire of states to prevent unnecessary suffering and destruction on one hand with the need to permit the effective waging of battle on the other.  LOAC makes special provision for the protection of civilians, prisoners of war, the wounded, sick, and shipwrecked.  LOAC applies to international armed conflicts (conflicts between states) and to non-international armed conflicts (conflicts between states and certain non-state groups). This course will explore: how conflicts are characterised (as IACs/NIACs orpurely ‘domestic’ actions); the main rules underlying the conduct of hostilities; and how those rules are enforced. Real-world examples and case studies will be used to elucidate theory.