(Download) "Reflections on the Development of the Law of War (Hate, Genocide and Human Rights Fifty Years Later: What Have We Learned? What Must We Do ?) (Transcript)" by McGill Law Journal ~ eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Reflections on the Development of the Law of War (Hate, Genocide and Human Rights Fifty Years Later: What Have We Learned? What Must We Do ?) (Transcript)
- Author : McGill Law Journal
- Release Date : January 01, 2000
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 297 KB
Description
The speaker evaluates the current status of international humanitarian law. The law is still predominantly reactive, occurring in the aftermath of calamitous events, rather than proactive. The speaker also notes some of the difficulties with applying the law of war, drawing on his experience as the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. On the positive side, the notion of international jurisdiction has gained widespread acceptance; the practical result is that every nation that ratifies an international treaty meant to uphold human rights is obliged to punish those in violation of it. Unfortunately, most nations are unwilling to shoulder this duty. The speaker also applauds the recognition by international law of the human rights of individuals; most recently, this recognition occurred through the Rwanda tribunal, which applied international human rights law to an internal armed conflict. The barrier of state sovereignty will continue to be chipped away through such recognition. In summing up what has been learned over the last fifty years of international law, the speaker refers to the necessity of good leadership, the dangers of stereotyping, and that no one people has a monopoly over good or evil. The answer to the question "What must we do?" is that laws must be enforced, and governments must not be allowed to erect smokescreens that obscure human rights abuses. L'auteur, evaluant l'etat actuel du droit international humanitaire, remarque que celui-ci demeure d'abord axe sur la reaction plutot que la prevention, en ce qu'il entre seulement en jeu lorsque des evenements catastrophiques se sont deja produits. Son experience en tant que procureur du Tribunal penal international pour l'ex-Yougoslavie le mene a faire etat des principales difficultes reliees a l'application du droit de la guerre. Alors que, d'un cote, le concept de juridiction internationale recueille maintenant un appui tres large, avec pour resultat que chaque nation qui ratifie un traite international relatif aux droits de l'homme est dans l'obligation d'en sanctionner les violations eventuelles, la plupart des Etats ne sont toutetois pas disposes a s'acquitter de ce devoir. La reconnaissance croissante des droits de la personne par le droit international a travers, par exemple, l'institution du tribunal international sur le Rwanda, demeure tout de meme louable. La barriere que constitue la souverainete etatique continue a s'affaiblir sous l'effet de telles politiques. L'experience des cinquante dernieres annees en droit international revele la necessite d'un leadership effectif, les dangers de se baser sur des stereotypes, et l'impossibilite d'un monopole sur la determination du bien et du mal. La reponse a la question Que devons-nous faire? est que les lois doivent etre appliquees, et qu'il faut rendre impossible pour les gouvernements de dissimuler les violations des droits de l'homme derriere divers ecrans de fumee.