Special Subject: The Laws of War in Global History
M 2-5, 2-103
Explores the history of the modern laws of war from the mid-eighteenth century to the present. Traces the transformations of this body of law from eighteenth-century cabinet warfare to the first codifications of laws of war in the nineteenth century, the effect of these laws on subsequent wars, and the recasting of the laws of war into International Humanitarian Law in the twentieth century. Covers the right to go to war, laws regulating military conduct, and efforts to use law to litigate wartime transgressions. Focuses on colonial hierarchies and exclusions, the persistent problem of new weaponry, and the protection of civilians in wartime.