Documents on the Laws of War

This book has become widely accepted internationally as a standard work on international humanitarian law. It contains authoritative texts of the main treaties and other key documents covering a wide variety of issues: the rights and duties of both belligerents and neutrals; prohibitions or restrictions on the use of particular weapons; the protection of victims of war, including the wounded and sick, prisoners of war, and civilians; the application of the law to forces operating under UN auspices; the attempts to apply the laws of war in civil wars; the prosecution of war crimes and genocide; the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons; and many other matters.

This third edition, greatly expanded from the second, contains thirteen new documents, including agreements on anti-personnel mines and laser weapons; key extracts from the statutes of the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and the International Criminal Court; two documents on UN forces and international humanitarian law; and an extract from the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on nuclear weapons. There is a new appendix listing internet websites.