Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-11840-9 - The Conduct of Hostilities Under the Law of International Armed Conflict: Third Edition Yoram Dinstein Frontmatter More information The Conduct of Hostilities under the Law of International Armed Conflict Written by the leading commentator on the subject, this is the seminal text- book on the law of international armed conflict. Focusing on recent issues arising in the course of hostilities between States, it explores the dividing line between lawful and unlawful combatants, the meaning of war crimes and com- mand responsibility, the range of prohibited weapons, the distinction between combatants and civilians, the parameters of targeting and proportionality, the loss of protection from attack (including ‘direct participation in hostilities’), and special protection (granted, pre-eminently, to the environment and to cul- tural property). In a completely revised and updated text, the author expertly covers the key principles and examines important new issues, such as the use of autonomous weapons and the complexities of urban warfare. The subtleties and nuances of the international law of armed conflict are made accessible to the student and practitioner alike, whilst retaining the academic rigour of pre- vious editions. yoram dinstein is Professor Emeritus at Tel-Aviv University. He is a for- mer President of the University (1991–98), as well as former Rector and for- mer Dean of the Faculty of Law. He served twice as the Charles H. Stockton Professor of International Law at the US Naval War College in Newport, RI. He was also a Humboldt Fellow at the Max Planck Institute of International Law in Heidelberg, a Meltzer Visiting Professor of Law at New York Uni- versity and a Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Toronto. He is a Member of the Institute of International Law. © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-11840-9 - The Conduct of Hostilities Under the Law of International Armed Conflict: Third Edition Yoram Dinstein Frontmatter More information © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-11840-9 - The Conduct of Hostilities Under the Law of International Armed Conflict: Third Edition Yoram Dinstein Frontmatter More information The Conduct of Hostilities under the Law of International Armed Conflict Third Edition Yoram Dinstein © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-11840-9 - The Conduct of Hostilities Under the Law of International Armed Conflict: Third Edition Yoram Dinstein Frontmatter More information University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge. It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781107544185 C Yoram Dinstein 2016 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2016 Printed in the United Kingdom by Clays, St Ives plc A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data Dinstein, Yoram, author. The conduct of hostilities under the law of international armed conflict / Yoram Dinstein. – Third edition. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-107-11840-9 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. War (International law) 2. Aggression (International law) I. Title. KZ6385.D56 2015 341.63 – dc23 2015023288 ISBN 978-1-107-11840-9 Hardback ISBN 978-1-107-54418-5 Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-11840-9 - The Conduct of Hostilities Under the Law of International Armed Conflict: Third Edition Yoram Dinstein Frontmatter More information Contents Introduction to the Third Edition page xiii Preface xv Table of cases xvii Table of treaties xx List of abbreviations xxix 1. The general framework 1 I. Preliminary definitions 1 A. Hostilities 1 B. Attacks 3 II. The two major premises 4 A. Limitation of means and methods of warfare 4 B. Legal equality of the Belligerent Parties 4 (a) No connection between the jus in bello and the jus ad bellum 4 (b) Inequality in military capabilities 6 (c) The issue of reciprocity 7 III. The two driving forces 8 A. Military necessity 8 B. Humanitarian considerations 9 C. The combination of the two driving forces 9 D. Military necessity as a legal justification 10 IV. The two cardinal principles 12 A. Distinction and the prohibition of unnecessary suffering 12 B. The Martens Clause 13 C. Neutrality 15 V. The strata of the law 15 A. Customary international law 16 B. Treaty law 17 C. The semantics 20 D. LOIAC and Rules of Engagement 20 VI. The principal general LOIAC treaties 21 A. The origins 21 B. ‘Hague Law’ 21 C. ‘Geneva Law’ 22 D. The fusion of ‘Hague Law’ and ‘Geneva Law’ 23 v © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-11840-9 - The Conduct of Hostilities Under the Law of International Armed Conflict: Third Edition Yoram Dinstein Frontmatter More information vi Contents E. The ‘Great Schism’ 24 (a) Controversial treaties 24 (b) Legal inter-operability 25 (c) Restatements 26 VII. Special agreements between the Belligerent Parties 26 VIII. Humanitarian law and human rights 27 A. Human rights and State rights 27 B. Derogations 29 C. Lex specialis and symbiotic coexistence 31 (a) Lex specialis 31 (b) Parallels and coexistence 33 IX. The inter-State nature of IACs 35 A. Inter-State and intra-State armed conflicts 35 B. Formalities and recognition 37 C. The UN 38 X. Dissemination, training and legal advisers 38 2. Lawful combatancy 41 I. Lawful and unlawful combatants 41 A. Combatants and civilians 41 B. The consequences of being a combatant 42 C. Entitlement to engage in hostilities 43 II. The rationale of the construct of unlawful combatancy 44 III. Prosecution, punishment and detention of unlawful combatants 45 A. Prosecution and punishment 45 B. Detention 46 C. The problem of ‘suicide bombers’ 46 IV. Fundamental guarantees 47 V. Entitlement to POW status under customary international law 48 A. The Hague and Geneva provisions and their scope of application 48 B. The seven Hague and Geneva conditions 51 (a) Subordination 52 (b) Fixed distinctive emblem 52 (c) Carrying arms openly 54 (d) Conduct in accordance with LOIAC 54 (e) Organization 54 (f) Belonging to a Belligerent Party 54 (g) Non-allegiance to the Detaining Power 55 C. The impact and extent of the conditions 56 (a) Guerrilla warfare 56 (b) Levée en masse 57 (c) Certain civilians 58 (d) Armed groups and individuals 59 (e) Doubt 60 VI. The legal position under AP/I 61 VII. A case study: the Afghanistan War 64 VIII. Mercenaries 67 IX. Converting merchant vessels into warships 70 A. The conditions of conversion 70 B. Resistance by unconverted merchant vessels 71 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-11840-9 - The Conduct of Hostilities Under the Law of International Armed Conflict: Third Edition Yoram Dinstein Frontmatter More information Contents vii 3. Prohibited weapons 72 I. The principle of distinction 72 II. The principle prohibiting unnecessary suffering 73 A. The formulation of the prohibition 73 B. The meaning of unnecessary suffering 74 C. The penal provisions 76 III. Explicit prohibitions or restrictions of certain weapons 77 A. Groundwork comments 77 B. Conventional weapons 78 (a) Poison 78 (b) Certain projectiles 79 (i) Explosive bullets 79 (ii) Expanding bullets 79 (c) Non-detectable fragments 80 (d) Booby-traps 80 (e) Landmines 82 (f) Naval mines 85 (g) Torpedoes 86 (h) Incendiaries 87 (i) Blinding laser weapons 89 (j) Cluster munitions 90 C. Weapons of mass destruction 91 (a) Chemical weapons 91 (b) Biological weapons 93 IV. The status of nuclear weapons 94 V. Autonomous weapons 98 VI. Development of new weapons 99 4. Lawful targets of attack 102 I. Classification 102 A. The basic rule 102 B. Military objectives 102 C. Combatants 105 D. Civilians directly participating in hostilities 105 E. Other living creatures 106 II. The requirement of a definite military advantage 106 III. ‘War-sustaining’ versus ‘war-fighting’ 109 IV. The meaning of nature, use, purpose and location 110 A. The nature of the objective 110 B. The use of the objective 111 C. The purpose of the objective 113 D. The location of the objective 115 E. Bridges 115 F. Military objectives exempt from attack 116 V. Problems relating to the spectrum of lawful targets of attack 117 A. Personnel 117 (a) Retreating troops 117 (b) Targeted killings 117 (c) Policemen 118 (d) Political leadership 119 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-11840-9 - The Conduct of Hostilities Under the Law of International Armed Conflict: Third Edition Yoram Dinstein Frontmatter More information viii Contents B. Objectives 120 (a) Government offices 120 (b) ‘Dual-use’ targets 120 (c) Industrial plants 122 (d) Oil, coal and other militarily valuable minerals 122 (e) Civilian airports and maritime ports 123 (f) Trains, trucks and barges 123 (g) Civilian broadcasting stations 123 (h) Computers 124 (i) Satellites in outer space 124 VI.