Perspectives on the ICRC Study on Customary International Humanitarian Law

Elizabeth Wilmshurst is Senior Fellow, International Law at Chatham House in London, and Visiting Professor at University College, London. Susan Breau is Reader in International Law at the School of Law, University of Surrey, and previously the Dorset Fellow in International Law at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law.

• Part I. Setting the Scene - Theoretical Perspectives on International Law in the ICRC Study: 1. The methodological framework of the study Daniel Bethlehem; 2. The approach to customary international law in the study Iain Scobbie; 3. Other areas of customary law in relation to the study Françoise Hampson; Part II. Status of Conflict and Combatants - The ICRC Study: 4. Status of conflict Jelena Pejic; 5. Combatant status Anthony Rogers; Part III. Commentary on Selected Rules from the ICRC study: 6. Targeting Michael Schmitt; 7. Protected persons and objects Susan C. Breau; 8. Environment Karen Hulme; 9. Methods of warfare William J. Fenrick; 10. Weapons of warfare Steven Haines; 11. Fundamental guarantees Françoise Hampson; 12. Prisoner of war status Agnieszka Jachec-Neale; 13. Displacement and displaced persons Ryszard Piotrowicz; 14. Implementation and compliance David Turns; 15. War crimes Charles Garraway; Part IV. Conclusions: 16. Conclusions Elizabeth Wilmshurst.

Review of the hardback: '… a wonderful contribution to the discussion of and the verification of customary international humanitarian law. … The book is recommended to practitioners, such as legal advisors to the armed forces and to peace operations and staff of the ICRC, academics working in the area of international humanitarian law, and everyone who is interested in the debate about (customary) international humanitarian law. As the ICRC Study is the basis for the discussion in this publication, the reader should have some basic knowledge about international humanitarian law and the ICRC Study, although the book is well readable because of its understandable writing and numerous examples and the authors illustrate some of the fundamental legal aspects to the reader by also extracting and explaining the profound questions.' The Military Law and the Law of War Review