The first casualty of war may be truth, but the overwhelming majority of its victims are civilians who have nothing to do with the conflict. They are victims not only of war itself -- strategic bombings, terrorist attacks, accidents, famine and disease. Tens of millions more have died in the past century from intentional policies directed at civilians, often by their own governments – genocide, forced pregnancy, sterilization, enslavement, ethnic cleansing, and torture. And then there are the refugees and internally displaced persons, forced from their homes, trapped in squalor, and destabilizing international relations in Africa, Asia, and the Near East. The Geneva and Hague conventions on the law of armed conflict go only so far in protecting noncombatants, and some argue that they displace international human rights law when they do apply. This panel will examine the role of law – especially international human rights law, international criminal law, and international humanitarian law – in protecting civilians in times of armed conflict.
Once again, New Voices in Human Rights offers newcomers – to the academy, to AALS, to human rights – an opportunity to present their cutting-edge scholarship to what we hope will be an active and responsive audience. Topics include humanitarian intervention and the responsibility to protect, the Georgian War of 2008, human rights implications of U.S. and U.K. antiterrorism laws since 2001, and contemporary implications of Lincoln’s pardons in the aftermath of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.
Business Meeting at Program Conclusion.