Permanent Court of ArbitrationThe Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, which was built to house the PCA. Unlike a judicial court in the traditional sense, the PCA provides administrative support in international arbitrations involving various combinations of states, state entities, international organizations and private parties. The cases span a wide range of legal issues involving territorial and maritime boundaries, sovereignty, human rights,...
Lieber CodeThe jurist Franz Lieber, LL.D., modernized the military law of the 1806 Articles of War into the Lieber Code (General Orders No. 100, April 24, 1863) for the Union army to legitimately prosecute the civil war (1861–1865) begun by the Confederate States of America.The Lieber Code (General Orders No. 100, April 24, 1863) was the military law that governed the wartime conduct of the Union army by defining and describing command responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity; and the military responsibi...
Geneva ConventionsThe Geneva Conventions are a series of four international treaties (1949) and their three additional protocols that form the core of international humanitarian law. They establish legal standards for humanitarian treatment of non-combatants in war and protect people who are not or are no longer actively taking part in hostilities. This category includes not only civilians and civilian populations but also former combatants, such as prisoners of war and fighters rendered hors de combat due to injury, illness, shi...
Peace conferenceA peace conference is a diplomatic meeting where representatives of states, armies, or other warring parties converge to end hostilities by negotiation and signing and ratifying a peace treaty. Significant international peace conferences include: St. Petersburg Declaration of 1868Algeciras Conference (1905)Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907Versailles (1919)Good Friday Agreement (1998)Confrence of san remo of 1920See alsoPeace congress (list)List of peace activistsNobel Peace PrizeReferences
War crimeA war crime is a serious violation of the laws and customs applicable in armed conflict, known as international humanitarian law (IHL) and the law of war, which gives rise to criminal responsibility under international law. Examples of actions committed by combatants in the conduct of war that can give rise to individual criminal responsibility include, but are not limited to: intentionally killing civilians, torture, taking hostages, unnecessarily destroying civilian property, deception by perfidy, wartime sexu...
The HagueThe Hague (Dutch: Den Haag, short for 's-Gravenhage) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and has been described as the country's de facto capital since the time of the Dutch Republic, while Amsterdam is the official capital of the Netherlands. The Hague is the core ...
TreatyA treaty is an international agreement between sovereign states or other subjects of international law (including international organizations) that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, pact, or exchange of letters, among other terms. However, only documents that are legally binding on the parties are considered treaties under international law. Treaties may be bilateral (between two parties) or multilateral (involving more tha...
World War IWorld War I, or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. One of the deadliest conflicts in history, World War I resulted in an estimated 15 to 22 million deaths, including those in war crimes and genocides. The war also helped spread the Spanish flu pandemic. The conflict saw important developments in weaponry, including the first large-scale use of machine guns, artillery, a...
International lawInternational law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of rules, norms, legal customs and standards that states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generally do, obey in their mutual relations. In international relations, actors are simply the individuals and collective entities, such as states, international organizations, and non-state groups, which can make behavioral choices, whether lawful or unlawful. Rules are formal, typically written expectations that outlin...
MultilateralismIn international relations, multilateralism refers to an alliance of multiple countries pursuing a common goal. Multilateralism is based on the principles of inclusivity, equality, and cooperation, and aims to foster a more peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. Middle powers play a crucial role in the international system by promoting multilateralism and internationalism. One of the key advantages of multilateralism is that it enables countries to solve problems that transcend national boundaries, such as...
NetherlandsThe Netherlands, also informally known as Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands consists of twelve provinces and three overseas special municipalities. European Netherlands has land borders with Germany to the east and with Belgium to the south, and a coastline to the north and west. It shares maritime borders with the United Kingdom, Germany, and Belgium in t...
Law of warThe law of war is the part of international law that regulates the conditions for initiating war (jus ad bellum) and the conduct of hostilities (jus in bello). Laws of war define sovereignty and nationhood, states and territories, occupation, and other critical terms of law. Among other issues, the modern laws of war address the declarations of war; acceptance of surrender and the treatment of prisoners of war; the principles of distinction, as well as military necessity and proportionality; and the prohibition ...*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.