Overview of International Human Rights in War

Abstract

This introductory chapter sets the scene for the 20 contributions that follow. It provides an overview of the volume’s organization and content by outlining the key issues of concern explored throughout the ensuing chapters. This includes, in particular, issues that relate to the rise of human rights as a set of concerns taken seriously in times of hostility by the international community. This also includes issues relating to the emergence of public international law designed to regulate war’s conduct by protecting certain categories of persons and prohibiting the use of certain categories of weapons, as well as to issues relating to specific situations where gross violations of human rights are occurring, or have recently occurred. This chapter closes with a reflection on the volume’s likely significance for policymakers, practitioners, and scholars alike.