Judges, Law and War

Shane Darcy is a lecturer at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

• 1. Introduction; 2. Judicial decisions in international law; 3. Key categories: armed conflicts and protected persons; 4. Basic principles and fundamental guarantees; 5. Means and methods of warfare; 6. Enforcement; 7. Prosecution of war crimes; 8. Conclusion.

'The significance of judicial decision-making to the development of law should never be ignored. In this comprehensive and compelling account, Shane Darcy demonstrates just how profound the influence of judicial decisions has been on the development of international humanitarian law. He mines a rich source of jurisprudence from international courts and tribunals as well as from domestic courts - from the aftermath of the Second World War right through to the date of publication. This is a 'must read' for practitioners and for scholars of international humanitarian law. I will return to it again and again.' Tim McCormack, Melbourne Law School, and Special Adviser on International Humanitarian Law to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court