Law of War - Use of Force and International Humanitarian Law
Course code
AKJ6376.YK
old course code
Course title in Estonian
Rahvusvaheline sõja- ja humanitaarõigus
Course title in English
Law of War - Use of Force and International Humanitarian Law
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2024/2025 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2025/2026 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Course aims
This course explores two key areas of international law: (1) International Law on the Use of Armed Force, and (2) International Humanitarian Law (also known as the Law of Armed Conflict).
The objectives of the course include:
- to learn about the prohibition on the use of force under customary law and the United Nations Charter;
- to broaden the students’ perspective and enable them to better understand the need for states to employ or refrain from using force in certain circumstances;
- to foster the students’ interest in the challenges and opportunities of legal regulation and limitation of the use of force in the context of the rise of new technologies, remote-controlled weapons, means of cyber-warfare, nanotechnology and autonomous weapons;
- to learn about international humanitarian law and the laws of armed conflict and the sources of the relevant norms and principles as well as their historical origins;
- to provide a thorough overview of the substance of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and its Additional Protocols;
- to create opportunities to use the knowledge by applying it to actual and hypothetical scenarios;
- to give students an understanding of the basic terminology used in the field of humanitarian law (the law of armed conflict);
The objectives of the course include:
- to learn about the prohibition on the use of force under customary law and the United Nations Charter;
- to broaden the students’ perspective and enable them to better understand the need for states to employ or refrain from using force in certain circumstances;
- to foster the students’ interest in the challenges and opportunities of legal regulation and limitation of the use of force in the context of the rise of new technologies, remote-controlled weapons, means of cyber-warfare, nanotechnology and autonomous weapons;
- to learn about international humanitarian law and the laws of armed conflict and the sources of the relevant norms and principles as well as their historical origins;
- to provide a thorough overview of the substance of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and its Additional Protocols;
- to create opportunities to use the knowledge by applying it to actual and hypothetical scenarios;
- to give students an understanding of the basic terminology used in the field of humanitarian law (the law of armed conflict);
Brief description of the course
Historical overview of the prohibition on the use of force under customary international law and the United Nations Charter; overview of international humanitarian law (IHL) and the principles and rules of warfare. Limitations on the waging of war; the concept and goals of IHL; the essential difference between combatants and civilians; use of the Red Cross symbol; the rights of combatants and civilians; the common articles of the Geneva conventions; 1949 Geneva Convention I (wounded and sick armed forces on the battlefield); 1949 Geneva Convention II (wounded, sick and shipwrecked armed forces at sea); 1949 Geneva Convention III (protection of prisoners of war); 1949 Geneva Convention IV (protections of civilians); additional protocols I, II and III to the Geneva conventions of 1949; non-international armed conflict; IHL and human rights; analysis of cases.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- has knowledge and understanding of the prohibition on the use of force under customary law and the United Nations Charter;
- has knowledge and understanding of the exceptions to that prohibition in cases of self-defense by States or collective security action by the UN Security Council; peacekeeping operations; the role of regional and international actors; and the use of force by and against non-State actors;
- has knowledge and understanding of the origins, purposes and sources of international humanitarian law; its scope of application; classification of armed conflicts;
- has knowledge about what substantive protection is provided by the Geneva conventions to the soldier in the battlefield;
- has knowledge about what substantive protection is provided by the Geneva conventions to prisoners of war;
- has knowledge about what substantive protection is provided to civilians in territory that is occupied by a foreign power;
- is capable of analyzing the legality of actions of combatants and civilians during wartime;
- is capable of interpreting the general requirements and specific provisions of the Geneva conventions and applying them to practical situations.
- has knowledge and understanding of the prohibition on the use of force under customary law and the United Nations Charter;
- has knowledge and understanding of the exceptions to that prohibition in cases of self-defense by States or collective security action by the UN Security Council; peacekeeping operations; the role of regional and international actors; and the use of force by and against non-State actors;
- has knowledge and understanding of the origins, purposes and sources of international humanitarian law; its scope of application; classification of armed conflicts;
- has knowledge about what substantive protection is provided by the Geneva conventions to the soldier in the battlefield;
- has knowledge about what substantive protection is provided by the Geneva conventions to prisoners of war;
- has knowledge about what substantive protection is provided to civilians in territory that is occupied by a foreign power;
- is capable of analyzing the legality of actions of combatants and civilians during wartime;
- is capable of interpreting the general requirements and specific provisions of the Geneva conventions and applying them to practical situations.
Teacher
Karolina Aksamitowska
Study programmes containing that course