Do the Geneva Conventions Matter?

Matthew Evangelista is President White Professor of History and Political Science and former chair of the Department of Government at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA, where he teaches courses in international and comparative politics. His current research interests include international humanitarian law, separatist movements, and gender and conflict.Nina Tannenwald is a faculty fellow at the Watson Institute and Director of the International Relations Program. She is also a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science.

• 1. Assessing the Effects and Effectiveness of the Geneva Conventions, Nina Tannenwald2. The Origins and Evolution of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1977 Additional Protocols, Giovanni Mantilla3. The Struggle to Fight a Humane War: The United States, the Korean War, and the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Sahr Conway-Lanz4. America, the 1949 Geneva Conventions, and War Crime Courts-martial in the Vietnam Conflict, Gary D. Solis5. Geneva Convention Compliance in Iraq and Afghanistan, Elizabeth Grimm Arsenault6. The French Army and the Geneva Conventions during the Algerian War of Independence and After, Raphaëlle Branche7. Russia, Chechnya, and the Geneva Conventions, 1994-2006: Norms and the Problem of Internalization, Mark Kramer8. The Application of International Humanitarian Law by the Israel Defence Forces: A Legal and Organizational Analysis, Amichai Cohen and Eyal Ben-Ari9. Noncompliance with the Geneva Conventions in the Wars of Yugoslav Secession, R. Craig Nation10. "Be Karbala Miravim!" Iran or the Challenges of Internalizing International Humanitarian Law in a Muslim Country, Anicée Van Engeland11. Private Military and Security Companies, Renée de Nevers12. The Geneva Conventions: Do they matter in the context of peacekeeping missions?, Siobhán Wills13. How the Geneva Conventions Matter, Matthew Evangelista

"Fascinating and insightful essays are offered on wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Algeria, Chechnya, and Yugoslavia. Other essays look at Iran s ambivalence on international law, because of Sharia law and Israel s codification of international humanitarian law, and the role of non-government actors (NGOs) in advocating for the Geneva Conventions...The book is richly documented and has a good index. Recommended." - CHOICE