The Persistence of Reciprocity in International Humanitarian Law

An evaluation of the importance of reciprocity in considering states' legal obligations in armed conflicts.

Bryan Peeler (Author)

9781108486699, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 24 October 2019

224 pages, 1 b/w illus. 1 table
23.5 x 15.6 x 1.7 cm, 0.43 kg

'Best suited for political scientists and international relations scholars … balances empirical evidence and legal-political considerations with clear, accessible, and comprehensible arguments and offers a stimulating perspective for re-examining the consequences account of state compliance with IHL obligations.' Saeed Bagheri, Edinburgh Law Review

The expectation of reciprocity continues to be an important factor when states' consider their legal obligations in armed conflicts. In this monograph, Peeler looks at the text and negotiations around the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions from 1977 to demonstrate the many places where international humanitarian law maintains expectations of reciprocity. This complements an examination of US policy regarding its Prisoner of War obligations in both the Vietnam War and the Global War on Terror, demonstrating how states make use of the expectation of reciprocity found in international humanitarian law to respond to continued non-compliance by an enemy.

1. Introduction
2. Reciprocity and IHL compliance
3. Reciprocity and the updating of the Geneva conventions
4. The expectation of reciprocity and the war in Vietnam
5. The expectation of reciprocity and the GWOT
6. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: International humanitarian law [LBBS], Public international law [LBB], International law [LB], Law [L], Armed conflict [JPWS], Human rights [JPVH], International relations [JPS]