Mission Impossible? International Law and the Changing Character of War
A a participant in the conference “International Law and the Changing Character of War,” in this article I hope to present and support the thesis reflected in the title to this essay, i.e., that the use and abuse of international law and the changing character of war have combined to place major obstacles in the way of the successful prosecution of armed conflict by US forces and their allies. In support of this thesis, I shall be drawing extensively on examples arising out of “the changing character of weapon systems” panel, but I shall also be exploring other dimensions of “the changing character of war” to buttress this support.
Recent acquisitions of the Library & Public Archives, ICRC
Barak, Eitan (ed.). Deadly metal rain: the legality of flechette weapons in international law: a reappraisal following Israel’s use of flechettes in the Gaza strip (2001–2009). Leiden and Boston, MA: M. Nijhoff, 2011, 259 pp. Breitegger, Alexander. Cluster munitions and international law: disarmament with a human face? London and New York: Routledge, 2012, 271 pp. Fontaine, Bernard; préface du général Paul Parraud. Les armes à énergie dirigée: mythe ou réalité? Paris: L’Harmattan, 2011, 405 pp. Koblentz, Gregory D. Living weapons: biological warfare and international security. Ithaca, NY and London: Cornell University Press, 2011, 255 pp. Mathur, Ritu. The International Committee of the Red Cross and humanitarian practices of arms control and disarmament. Toronto: York University, 2011, 613 pp. Rietiker, Daniel. Le régime juridique des traités de maîtrise des armements: plaidoyer pour l’unité de l’ordre juridique international. Berne: Stämpfli; Bruxelles: Bruylant, 2010, 719 pp.
Cultural constraints on the delivery of HIV/AIDS prevention in Ireland.
HIV appeared in Ireland following an opiate epidemic in the early 1980s. Initially, however, the gay community mounted the only response to the spread of the virus while the implementation of early actions by the government was hampered by the constructions of the disease within Irish society. This paper considers the influence of the religious hierarchy in both the development of AIDS policy and in the shaping of public perceptions of the disease and those affected. A qualitative methodology is used to examine the role of such cultural constraints in an evaluation of the social context within which the prevention of HIV infection occurs. Three key issues pertinent to the policy context in Ireland are explored in depth. These are the role of the Catholic Church, the influences on health education programmes, particularly information giving, and the development of services and other interventions. These findings are discussed within the social and political contexts in which health policy is formulated.