DeletedUser
By rules I mean the laws on what you can or cannot do at war for example destroying religious and sacred buildings.
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There's rules. Doesn't mean anyone follows them.
There are rules for war, however only the Good Guys have to follow them. The Jihad jokers and enemies that we are fighting today in Iraq and Afghanistan do NOT follow any rule other than their own twisted ideas of what is right and wrong. They have no problem with using civilians as hostages, they have no care for treatment of prisoners, they love to booby trap kids or unsuspecting innocent civilians, killing high number of civilians just to kill one of their enemy.
No these two battlefields (Iraq, Afghanistan) are hard to fight when you are fighting cowards who have no honor and care not for innocents loss of live.
Rule #1: Bomb the crap out of the other one
They'll have to win to convict you
Hey hold it guys!
In World War two 1964, the Japanese arrived in an asian cou try called Singapore, started bombing and charged into a hospital, killed all the doctors, nurses and patients, then let it deserted every since.
So basically, what would happen if someone breaks the rules of the War? Execution? Nah, probably not. That leaves us with no rules in the war.
There are rules of war ... [spoil]The Principle of Distinction
Distinction between Civilians and Combatants[/B]
Rule 1.The parties to the conflict must at all times distinguish between civilians and combatants. Attacks may only be directed against combatants. Attacks must not be directed against civilians.
Rule 2. Acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited.
Rule 3. All members of the armed forces of a party to the conflict are combatants, except medical and religious personnel.
Rule 4. The armed forces of a party to the conflict consist of all organized armed forces, groups and units which are under a command responsible to that party for the conduct of its subordinates.
Rule 5. Civilians are persons who are not members of the armed forces. The civilian population comprises all persons who are civilians.
Rule 6. Civilians are protected against attack, unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities.
Distinction between Civilian Objects and Military Objectives
Rule 7. The parties to the conflict must at all times distinguish between civilian objects and military objectives. Attacks may only be directed against military objectives. Attacks must not be directed against civilian objects.
Rule 8. In so far as objects are concerned, military objectives are limited to those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose partial or total destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage.
Rule 9. Civilian objects are all objects that are not military objectives.
Rule 10. Civilian objects are protected against attack, unless and for such time as they are military objectives.
Indiscriminate Attacks
Rule 11. Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited.
Rule 12. Indiscriminate attacks are those:
(a) which are not directed at a specific military objective;
(b) which employ a method or means of combat which cannot be directed at a specific military objective; or
(c) which employ a method or means of combat the effects of which cannot be limited as required by international humanitarian law;
and consequently, in each such case, are of a nature to strike military objectives and civilians or civilian objects without distinction.
Rule 13. Attacks by bombardment by any method or means which treats as a single military objective a number of clearly separated and distinct military objectives located in a city, town, village or other area containing a similar concentration of civilians or civilian objects are prohibited.
Proportionality in Attack
Rule 14. Launching an attack which may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated, is prohibited.
Precautions in Attack
Rule 15. In the conduct of military operations, constant care must be taken to spare the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects. All feasible precautions must be taken to avoid, and in any event to minimize, incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects.
Rule 16. Each party to the conflict must do everything feasible to verify that targets are military objectives.
Rule 17. Each party to the conflict must take all feasible precautions in the choice of means and methods of warfare with a view to avoiding, and in any event to minimizing, incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects.
Rule 18. Each party to the conflict must do everything feasible to assess whether the attack may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.
Rule 19. Each party to the conflict must do everything feasible to cancel or suspend an attack if it becomes apparent that the target is not a military objective or that the attack may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.
Rule 20. Each party to the conflict must give effective advance warning of attacks which may affect the civilian population, unless circumstances do not permit.
Rule 21. When a choice is possible between several military objectives for obtaining a similar military advantage, the objective to be selected must be that the attack on which may be expected to cause the least danger to civilian lives and to civilian objects.
Precautions against the Effects of Attacks
Rule 22. The parties to the conflict must take all feasible precautions to protect the civilian population and civilian objects under their control against the effects of attacks.]
Rule 23. Each party to the conflict must, to the extent feasible, avoid locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas.
Rule 24. Each party to the conflict must, to the extent feasible, remove civilian persons and objects under its control from the vicinity of military objectives.
Specifically Protected Persons and Objects
Medical and Religious Personnel and Objects
Rule 25. Medical personnel exclusively assigned to medical duties must be respected and protected in all circumstances. They lose their protection if they commit, outside their humanitarian function, acts harmful to the enemy.
Rule 26. Punishing a person for performing medical duties compatible with medical ethics or compelling a person engaged in medical activities to perform acts contrary to medical ethics is prohibited.
Rule 27. Religious personnel exclusively assigned to religious duties must be respected and protected in all circumstances. They lose their protection if they commit, outside their humanitarian function, acts harmful to the enemy.
Rule 28. Medical units exclusively assigned to medical purposes must be respected and protected in all circumstances. They lose their protection if they are being used, outside their humanitarian function, to commit acts harmful to the enemy.
Rule 29. Medical transports assigned exclusively to medical transportation must be respected and protected in all circumstances. They lose their protection if they are being used, outside their humanitarian function, to commit acts
harmful to the enemy.
Rule 30. Attacks directed against medical and religious personnel and objects displaying the distinctive emblems of the Geneva Conventions in conformity with international law are prohibited.
Humanitarian Relief Personnel and Objects
Rule 31. Humanitarian relief personnel must be respected and protected.
Rule 32. Objects used for humanitarian relief operations must be respected and protected.
Personnel and Objects Involved in a Peacekeeping Mission
Rule 33. Directing an attack against personnel and objects involved in a peacekeeping mission in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, as long as they are entitled to the protection given to civilians and civilian objects under international humanitarian law, is prohibited.
Journalists
Rule 34. Civilian journalists engaged in professional missions in areas of armed conflict must be respected and protected as long as they are not taking a direct part in hostilities.
Protected Zones
Rule 35. Directing an attack against a zone established to shelter the wounded, the sick and civilians from the effects of hostilities is prohibited.
Rule 36. Directing an attack against a demilitarized zone agreed upon between
the parties to the conflict is prohibited.
Rule 37. Directing an attack against a non-defended locality is prohibited.
Cultural Property
Rule 38. Each party to the conflict must respect cultural property:
A. Special care must be taken in military operations to avoid damage to buildings dedicated to religion, art, science, education or charitable purposes and historic monuments unless they are military objectives.
B. Property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people must not be the object of attack unless imperatively required by military necessity.
Rule 39. The use of property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people for purposes which are likely to expose it to destruction or damage is prohibited, unless imperatively required by military necessity.
Rule 40. Each party to the conflict must protect cultural property:
A. All seizure of or destruction or wilful damage done to institutions dedicated to religion, charity, education, the arts and sciences, historic monuments and works of art and science is prohibited.
B. Any form of theft, pillage or misappropriation of, and any acts of vandalism directed against, property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people is prohibited.
Rule 41. The occupying power must prevent the illicit export of cultural property from occupied territory and must return illicitly exported property to the competent authorities of the occupied territory.
Works and Installations Containing Dangerous Forces
Rule 42. Particular care must be taken if works and installations containing dangerous forces, namely dams, dykes and nuclear electrical generating stations, and other installations located at or in their vicinity are attacked, in order
to avoid the release of dangerous forces and consequent severe losses among the civilian population.
The Natural Environment
Rule 43. The general principles on the conduct of hostilities apply to the natural environment:
A. No part of the natural environment may be attacked, unless it is a military objective.
B. Destruction of any part of the natural environment is prohibited, unless required by imperative military necessity.
C. Launching an attack against a military objective which may be expected to cause incidental damage to the environment which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated is prohibited.
Rule 44. Methods and means of warfare must be employed with due regard to the protection and preservation of the natural environment. In the conduct of military operations, all feasible precautions must be taken to avoid, and in any
event to minimize, incidental damage to the environment. Lack of scientific certainty as to the effects on the environment of certain military operations does not absolve a party to the conflict from taking such precautions.
Rule 45. The use of methods or means of warfare that are intended, or may be expected, to cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment is prohibited. Destruction of the natural environment may not be used as a weapon.
Specific Methods of Warfare
Denial of Quarter
Rule 46. Ordering that no quarter will be given, threatening an adversary therewith or conducting hostilities on this basis is prohibited.
Rule 47. Attacking persons who are recognized as hors de combat is prohibited.
A person hors de combat is:
(a) anyone who is in the power of an adverse party;
(b) anyone who is defenceless because of unconsciousness, shipwreck, wounds or sickness; or
(c) anyone who clearly expresses an intention to surrender; provided he or she abstains from any hostile act and does not attempt to escape.
Rule 48. Making persons parachuting from an aircraft in distress the object of attack during their descent is prohibited.
Destruction and Seizure of Property
Rule 49. The parties to the conflict may seize military equipment belonging to an adverse party as war booty.
Rule 50. The destruction or seizure of the property of an adversary is prohibited, unless required by imperative military necessity.
Rule 51. In occupied territory:
(a) movable public property that can be used for military operations may be confiscated;
(b) immovable public property must be administered according to the rule of usufruct; and
(c) private property must be respected and may not be confiscated;
except where destruction or seizure of such property is required by imperative military necessity.
Rule 52. Pillage is prohibited.
Starvation and Access to Humanitarian Relief
Rule 53. The use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare is prohibited.
Rule 54. Attacking, destroying, removing or rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population is prohibited.
Rule 55. The parties to the conflict must allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, which is impartial in character and conducted without any adverse distinction, subject to their right
of control.
Rule 56. The parties to the conflict must ensure the freedom of movement of authorized humanitarian relief personnel essential to the exercise of their functions. Only in case of imperative military necessity may their movements be temporarily restricted.
Deception
Rule 57. Ruses of war are not prohibited as long as they do not infringe a rule of international humanitarian law.
Rule 58. The improper use of the white flag of truce is prohibited.
Rule 60. The use of the United Nations emblem and uniform is prohibited, except as authorized by the organization.[/spoil]
Willypete, would you really have preferred a US army invading Japan, a country with strong warrior traditions(IE would have fought to the death), and having a drawn-out battle, possibly for several years, that would have left the entire country a wasteland? An entire country looking like Moscow?
Umm, to be fair, the Geneva conventions were ratified in 1949.most importantly Japan refused to follow the Geneva convention or rules of war.
Umm, you would be very hard-pressed to validate that claim.even Nazi Germany followed more rules of war than Japan
Umm, to be fair, the Geneva conventions were ratified in 1949.
Umm, you would be very hard-pressed to validate that claim.
On the issue of justification... wars are rampant with justifications, but war is inherently wrong, so justifications are merely a means to excuse oneself for ones actions. In the case of WWII, Japan was provoked by the U.S., precisely because the U.S., Roosevelt, wanted to enter the war in Europe, but didn't have the American people's, and Congress' support. ~ http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1930
So, when discussing this particular incident, it is inappropriate to ignore the provocations and then attempt to justify the means to win a conflict you provoked.
Just sayin'