The Law of Armed Conflict in Wars of National Liberation

Abstract

Abstract The application of the humanitarian law of armed conflict to wars of national liberation has met less resistance than the attempt to legitimize the resort to force by national liberation movements. Whereas the extension of the authority to use force runs directly counter to the general trend of the twentieth century towards a jus contra bellum, the idea that the combatants in these wars should have the benefit of certain humanitarian protections is entirely consistent both with the expanding international law of human rights and with increasing concern about the prevalence and brutality of wars of national liberation.