Zbornik Radova Pravnog Fakulteta u Splitu (Jan 2013)
Protection of civilians in modern armed conflicts-international legal solutions in light of the development of new tendencies protection
Abstract
Rapid development in international humanitarian law characterises the 20th century. Besides the people directly involved in hostilities, much attention is given to armed conflicts’ collateral casualties. These are always civilians. Due to their vulnerable position, lack of protection, inconsistent implementation of international documents and lack of supervision in the battlefield, civilians suffer the direct and indirect consequences of armed conflict. Even though dissent is the cause of armed conflict, divergence in political and economic interests and the creation of bad ideologies, the battlefield is the centre of events. In extraordinary circumstances of armed conflict international law attempts to create and maintain peaceful relations between opposing sides. Respecting regulations in humane actions leads to creating mutual respect among the opposing sides. It becomes postulate in particular when the victim of war is a civilian. This paper focuses on the protection of the civilian population in times of hostility. It is divided into three main thematic sections: the protection of the civilian population in international armed conflict, the protection of civilians during international armed conflict and the application and practice of humanitarian intervention, that is, the development of a new concept of responsibility for protecting civilians from genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
