Conflict Escalation: Understanding the Threat to Relationships and Security - Essay Sample

Introduction

A conflict is a clash of interests on a variety of basis, either personal, class, racial, political, caste, and internal. In conflict escalation, some lead to conflict resolution stage where they eventually return regular interaction. The conflict crisis threatens the existence of relationships between states and jeopardizes their economies and security levels (Doebbler, 2005). International conflicts break into war, and significant calamities of the parties involved risking the country's achievements and the dignity of their stand. Human law began in the first Geneva Convention on the condition of the Wounded Armies in the field battles. Dunant suggested that states should have relief societies providing care for those wounded in the war. The aspect drove to Geneva Conventions and brought the founding of the International Red Cross. Twelve nations signed in 1864 for the Geneva Convention, where they agreed to give neutrality to medical persons expediting supplies for usage and adopting distinctive identifying emblem (Quéguiner, 2006). The four Geneva Conventions with the Hague Conventions are the primary sources of the current international humanitarian law, which is broken down into subcategories; Hague Law and Geneva Law. The informal and formal regulation of the armed conflict existed almost as long as the armed conflict itself. The IV Convection is of significance in occupation and defines trade, which applies to date and sets out fundamental principles that regulate invasion. A universal provision for the four Geneva Convention is Article 3, which sets out necessary guarantees for every non-international armed battle situation (Quéguiner, 2006). The Article includes a prohibition of murder to civilians, mutilation, torture, the taking of hostages, and all cruel and degrading treatment on the battlefield.

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Effectiveness of Humanitarian Law

The application of international humanitarian law rules on the presence of crises and wars has proven to be effective. The act of war has regulated the war conditions and how the warring parties should conduct themselves (Pictet, 1985). The war laws define nationhood and sovereignty, occupation, territories, and states, among other vital terms of international law. The current regulations address the war declarations, acceptance of prisoners' surrender and treatment, military necessity, proportionality and distinction, and the denial of certain weapons able to cause the suffering of high magnitude (Goldstone & Smith, 2015). The law of war is distinct from various acts, such as domestic law having specific belligerents to conflict, providing additional legal limits to conduct, or the justification of war. Judicial bodies and International courts take a formative role in developing humanitarian law. Enforcement of international law through domestic courts is significant. The great powers allocated to a country in time of war can bear catastrophic impacts on the security and lives of most innocent lives. Domestic courts are not the only institutions reliable for the provision of balance and checks on the country's exercise of powers during armed conflicts. The institutions are faced with political constraints related to public opinions and security concerns (McCoubrey, 2019). The domestic courts of the democratic countries are in a better institutional level to enforce the international humanitarian law for the testimony and evidence that are easier to collect; the judicial authorities and federal investigation are available and functional. The proceedings are therefore held swiftly in a cost-efficient manner. The federal rulings have severe consequences on the various societies as they are not perceived as inventions or external pressures –and when trials are held in a state, their positive effect and outreach are most likely to be guaranteed.

Conduct of Hostilities and Rules for Victims

Conduct of hostilities limits and regulates the means and methods of warfare by the warring parties. The law strikes a balance between the humanitarian aim of reducing human suffering to civilians and legitimate military action (Bothe, et al.,1982). The limits on waging war have existed for many centuries. Often, this was a matter of unwritten agreements on behavior and, at times, recognition of the real potential retaliation only if particular limits were overstepped. Sometimes, ordinary humans restricted the impact of war. The international community's trial to have competent legal limits on behavior in the war began in the 19th century. Increased protocols and growth of customary law, now there is extensive law body regulating the conduct of hostilities (Date). The main principle of distinction goes through all the code to do with the handling of hostilities. The protection of civilians is the main preoccupation of humanitarian enforcers into devising standards of training and engagement for states' armed forces, humanitarian on the ground, and non-state armed forces. With the improved norms, the condition on the land states that al abuses of each kind continue to be don, and the victims feel no change for them (Bradley, 2016). Decreased interstate wars prove that the nature of warfare is changing over time than the past, and the internal conflicts have taken an increment route due to the unregulated flow of weapons. People working on protection issues go through thorough training, and standards are better integrated; hence results are far from satisfactory. Geneva conference brought together diplomats, humanitarians, experts, soldiers and journalist for a sincere debate on the issues affecting civilians' protection and made recommendations for the future taken in the summary report (Czelusta, 2003).

NGOs in International Humanitarian Law

NGOs play an increasingly significant role not only as organizations involved in making rules but also as international political actors to implement and enforce international law. These organizations have gained a global status equal to that of an international organization or the states. There are a disparity impact and reality of NGO involvement and the international framework regulating participation. NGO roles have significantly increased within every organization, international court, or treaty body (Barrat, 2014). There isn't an outstanding set of international regulations terming NGO as a category. It becomes relevant to examine and survey the international laws that control NGO actions at a global level to arrive at a legal conclusion of NGO status and how it should evolve and the accountability to be given international level approach. In the aspect of technology, technological growth has risen means and methods of warfare, such as; armed drones and drones, cyber-attacks, lifting novel humanitarian, and also legal challenges. When acquiring and developing all the new weapons, methods and means of warfare, it's of great importance for a nation to assess whether it is in line with the international humanitarian law. Applying the above rules to a developed technology may cause a lack of clarity on the rules, making them questionable in line with the technology's characteristics and foreseeable humanitarian effects. The international laws have taken reasonable control of all war terms regulating mass destruction and loss of lives in crisis cases and bringing a white flag in the international collaboration for peace and harmony. The lives of people are safer than an earlier century as technology has brought stability to most developed countries in terms of weapons, hence all beings on the watch out for the greater good.

References

Barrat, C. (2014). Status of NGOs in international humanitarian law. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.

Bothe, M., Partsch, K. J., & Solf, W. A. (Eds.). (1982). New rules for victims of armed conflicts: commentary on the two 1977 protocols additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.

Bradley, M. (2016). Protecting civilians in war: the ICRC, UNHCR, and their limitations in internal armed conflicts. Oxford University Press.

Czelusta, M. G. (2003). Global Strike Task Force and Stryker Brigade Combat Team: Prospects for Integration in the Forcible Entry Mission. ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS..

Date, J. P. Should Torture be Justified in any Case?. Order, 115(966), 7955.

Doebbler, C. F. (2005). Introduction to international humanitarian law. Lulu. Com

Goldstone, R. J., & Smith, A. M. (2015). International judicial institutions: the architecture of international justice at home and abroad. Routledge.

McCoubrey, H. (2019). International humanitarian law: modern developments in the limitation of warfare. Routledge.

Quéguiner, J. F. (2006). Precautions under the law governing the conduct of hostilities. International Review of the Red Cross, 88(864), 793-821.

Pictet, J. S. (1985). Development and principles of international humanitarian law: course given in July 1982 at the University of Strasbourg as part of the courses organized by the International Institute of Human Rights (Vol. 2). Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.