The Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), also known as international humanitarian law (IHL), is a set of rules that govern warfare and aim to minimize harm to civilians and non-combatants. Alexandra Meise joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine the development of LOAC, which stems from treaties like the Geneva Conventions, domestic laws of individual states, and the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court. Their conversation delves into war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression. Alexandra emphasizes the importance of LOAC in providing a framework for accountability in the chaos of war, even if enforcement can be challenging. She stresses that despite its limitations, LOAC serves as a reminder that even in conflict, there must be rules to protect human life and dignity.
War is chaos, and it is hell. But we can have some rules and regulations that we can follow…to minimize the impacts on noncombatants and on others that are engaged in the conflict.
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Alexandra Meise, JD, is the Women, Peace, and Security Studies Chair, and Visiting Professor of National Security in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College. She is an Associate Teaching Professor at Northeastern University School of Law. A second career academic, her work in international relations, rule of law, legal practice, and academia has spanned domestic and international institutions and legal mechanisms across five continents. Her research sits at the intersection of public and private international law, national security, and human rights.
Ron Granieri is Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE.
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense.
Photo Description: Defendants in the dock at the Nuremberg Trials, circa 1945-1946.
(in front row, from left to right): Hermann Göring, Rudolf Heß, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Wilhelm Keitel
(in second row, from left to right): Karl Dönitz, Erich Raeder, Baldur von Schirach, Fritz Sauckel
Photo Credit: Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration
