This book explores not only the formal constraints on the conduct of war throughout Western history but also the unwritten conventions about what is permissible in the course of military operations. Ranging from classical antiquity to the present, eminent historians discuss the legal and cultural regulation of violence in such areas as belligerent rights, the treatment of prisoners and civilians, the observing of truces and immunities, the use of particular weapons, siege warfare, codes of honor, and war crimes.

The book begins with a general overview of the subject by Michael Howard. The contributors then discuss the formal and informal constraints on conducting war as they existed in classical antiquity, the age of chivalry, early modern Europe, colonial America, and the age of Napoleon. They also examine how these constraints have been applied to wars at sea, on land, and in the air, planning for nuclear war, and national liberation struggles, in which one of the participants is not an organized state. The book concludes with reflections by Paul Kennedy and George Andreopoulos on the main challenges facing the quest for humanitarian norms in warfare in the future.

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Yes, you can access The Laws of War by Michael Howard, George Andreopoulos, Mark R. Shulman in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & World History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher

Yale University Press

Year

1994

ISBN

9780300174885

Edition

Topic

History

Subtopic

World History

Index

History

Contents
Preface
1. Constraints on Warfare
2. Classical Greek Times
3. The Age of Chivalry
4. Early Modern Europe
5. Colonial America
6. The Age of Napoleon
7. Maritime Conflict
8. Land Warfare: From Hague to Nuremberg
9. Air Power
10. Nuclear War Planning
11. The Age of National Liberation Movements
12. The Laws of War: Some Concluding Reflections
Notes
Acknowledgments
List of Contributors
Suggested Readings
Index