Can International Law Meet the Challenges of Today’s Lawless Conflicts?
In the News: Dr. Lyal S. Sunga
On 14 November, Dr. Lyal S. Sunga, Head of the Rule of Law program at The Hague Institute, wrote an article for The Guardian newspaper about the applicability of IHL in modern conflicts. Dr. Sunga discussed the importance of maintaining the Geneva conventions in the face of terrorist groups that don’t have any intention of applying international humanitarian law.
“Can the Geneva conventions, adopted in 1949 mainly to limit cruelty in wars fought by regular soldiers, possibly apply to today’s terrorist groups who carry out attacks such as the events in Paris last night, who don’t wear uniforms, don’t necessarily follow a regular military command structure, and don’t have any intention to apply international humanitarian law?”
Dr. Lyal S. Sunga, Head of the Rule of Law Program
