Hello, my name is Andrew Williams
and I'm teaching the international
humanitarian law module this year.
Now, this module is particularly apt at
the moment, given the war in Ukraine.
But in truth, it's a subject that
has never been anything other than
relevant to international affairs,
given the number of conflicts that
have occurred in recent times.
So what we will be studying is
what's also called the law of
armed conflict or the laws of war.
And these all relate to one particular
attempt by the international community
to control how wars are fought.
Now, whether we think this is possible,
whether we think that more has any role
to play in the conduct of warfare,
is a central question for us
this coming year.
We will examine the subject through
a number of different lenses,
but all will emanate from the legal
precedents that have been set.
Particularly through various
international instruments,
beginning with the Geneva Conventions.
But as you will see,
there are over 100 different
international instruments that
try to control how war is fought.
So our inquiries are going to be
particularly relevant, I think,
to how not only they've been constructed,
but how they've been applied.
What relevance do they have to the
conflicts that we see across the world?
Do they have any application or
are they simply words on a page?
Now,
before I just give you a short
introduction to the scope of the
subject matter. There is a a warning.
It's something that we have to embrace
and understand from the outset.
And it relates to the fact that.
The subject that we'll be studying
is inherently distressing.
It is about killing.
It is about destruction.
It's about the worst that
humanity has to offer the world.
Warfare is never clean.
And it is never.
An experience that is honourable in
that sense, or chivalrous, or good.
It is death and destruction.
And we have to acknowledge that when
we start talking about the various
manifestations of the laws of war.
That they are all designed to try and.
Prevent. The.
Suffering from war?
Being as great as it could be.
Whether the laws of war have ever succeeded
in that is a central question for us,
and we'll be asking many different
pertinent questions about whether
law has any role to play in
the actual conduct of warfare,
or whether this is something to
condemn the actions of the enemy.
After a war has been concluded.
And we'll do this in many ways.
So we'll start off by considering
the difference between the laws
governing going to war and the laws
governing how a war is conducted.
And there is a split here that
we have to understand.
Our focus is going to be
on the conduct of warfare,
how troops actually fight,
in other words,
what kind of controls are in place
to attempt to relieve the suffering,
particularly of civilians in warfare.
And looking at those principles
of humanity that are supposed
to underpin the laws of war or
international humanitarian law,
and it's called that for a reason.
Will be our primary focus to begin with.
So looking at for instance,
the design of weapons and the methods
of warfare will take up some time
towards the beginning of the module.
So that we look at what does law have to
say about the actual instruments of war,
the missiles that are used,
cluster munitions,
nuclear weapons?
Are there any controls that law has to
offer which either condemn or outlaw
or try to prevent the use of certain weapons?
And we'll explore that in some detail,
particularly through the lens of the
various instruments of law and the Geneva.
Convention specifically.
Will then move on to the whole
idea of who can be killed in war.
Is it restricted to troops and soldiers,
or are civilians legitimate targets?
What happens if we say that
civilians should never be killed?
When we know that collateral damage,
as it's often called rather
odiously is a product of war.
Expected outcome of conflict.
What does the laws have to say about how we
protect civilians in those circumstances?
And we'll explore that in great detail,
and particular how different
sections of community are affected.
So women in war,
children in.
What happens when children become
part of warfare as child soldiers?
We'll look at some of the specifics
of the legal regimes that try to
outlaw and then condemn and then
prosecute for using child soldiers.
But we'll ask the question,
what about the children themselves?
How should they be treated after the event?
We'll also look at what
happens when war finishes.
What is the outcome of hostilities?
Are there provisions in law that try to
deal with the way in which a conflict
should be ceased and how communities
should come back together again?
What are the obligations of the victor?
What are the obligations of the defeated?
Are there any other than are determined on
an ad hoc basis depending upon the nature
of the warfare and the parties concerned?
We'll see that the law has a great
deal to say on these different issues,
but not necessarily in their entirety,
so that they may say something
about the nature of warfare,
but not necessarily are able
to cope with every aspect.
And some of those difficult questions
will come through the way in which
technology has changed fighting in warfare.
Cyber warfare drones.
Automated weapon systems.
These are instruments of warfare
are being used as such,
but has the law been able to keep
up with that change in technology?
We'll be exploring those questions and
considering whether the law is deficient,
effective,
or has any role to play whatsoever.
And throughout,
want to stress this particularly,
we'll be relating all our questions to
what's happening in the world today,
what has happened in past conflicts,
what is happening in present conflicts,
and how those conflicts may be changed by
the law and through the law in the future.
So I hope you choose to study this.
It is very practical in its focus,
but it also requires a degree of
understanding about the principles
that underpin this particular subject.
And also how it might develop in the future.
So if you have any questions
about the subject,
then please do not hesitate to contact me,
but otherwise I'll look forward to seeing
you in class at some stage in term 2.
Thank you.