LAWS13-567: Laws of Armed Conflict and Peacekeeping

Laws of Armed Conflict and Peacekeeping is an elective subject in undergraduate programs offered by the Faculty of Law. This subject considers the legal frameworks and institutions that regulate the conduct of armed conflicts (jus in bello), and the use of force (jus ad bellum). Students will be required to consider questions such as: What constitutes an armed conflict? Who is a combatant, and who is a civilian? Should the law of armed conflict apply to terrorists? What weapons are lawful, and why? What constitutes a war crime? Who is a war criminal? How should the law respond to the issue of child soldiers? Are United Nations peacekeeping operations appropriate? At the end of the subject, students will understand the relevant sources of international law such as international treaties, customary international law and judicial decision making. Students will also have considered the relationships between the law of armed conflict, human rights, refugee law, and domestic legal frameworks.