Acceso usuarios
Sigrid Mehring
Contrary to its narrowly phrased title, Das Tötungsverbot im Krieg (�The Prohibition to Kill in War�), Gerd Hankel in his most recent publication presents his thoughts on contemporary armed conflicts, humanitarian interventions, and the future of the laws of armed conflict. One should not be fooled by the small and handy format of the book; in its six manageable chapters, Hankel provides a plethora of recent and older examples and explanations to support his call for the revision of international humanitarian law.
Considering recent history, from the conflicts in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, over Gaza in 2008�2009, and to Libya, modern conflicts have one thing in common: the main victims are civilians. This is surprising for two reasons. First, in a globalized information society, public awareness and condemnation of civilian casualties have increased. Examples can be found in the widespread public outrage regarding civilian collateral damage in armed conflicts, for example after the airstrike on two fuel tankers by US fighter jets under the command of German Colonel Klein in September 2009. Secondly, armed conflicts are nowadays often fought for humanitarian reasons. A recent case in point is the conflict in Libya. NATO armed forces entered Libyan airspace for humanitarian reasons, as mandated by UN Security Council (UN SC) Resolution 1973 of 17 March 2011. The international armed forces became involved for the protection of the civilians, yet first reports of civilian casualties due to NATO airstrikes have been published.
Here, Hankel's discussion comes in. The book is an appeal to states, practitioners, members of armed groups, and the public to re-think the laws of armed conflicts in light of the high toll they take on civilian populations despite the fact that many modern armed conflicts are fought in the name of humanity. His call for revision adds to the �
