Writing in the New York Times this week, Amanda Taub articulates what many observers have been asking lately: Does it even make sense to speak about the laws of war, when armed actors on all sides of most conflicts seem only too willing to ignore them? Do the laws of war become mere rhetorical tools that can even escalate conflicts, allowing actors on both sides to point fingers at the other while ignoring their own culpability? It is true that in armed conflicts worldwide, military actors and their civilian leaders have been willing to ignore the rules of law or invoke them only when convenient. In Ukraine, noncombatants have suffered rape, torture, bombardment and environmental warfare during Russia’s invasion—itself a violation of the ban on territorial aggression. But perhaps the conflict most disheartening to U.S. observers this past month is that unfolding in Israel and Gaza.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 08, 2023 01:26 UTC