International Humanitarian Law and Influence Operations: The Protection of Civilians from Unlawful Communication Influence Activities during Armed Conflict

International Humanitarian Law and Influence Operations: The Protection of Civilians from Unlawful Communication Influence Activities during Armed Conflict

Thesis

International humanitarian law, besides managing the conduct of war, plays a profound role in mitigating the impacts of armed conflict, as it prevents the people who are not taking part in hostilities by enacting restrictions and controlling the techniques and means of warfare availed to the combatants. International humanitarian law, even though it has fragmented body of tenets, is substantially profound in protecting nationalities from harmful communication influence activities.

Introduction

1. International humanitarian law
2. Its major purpose

E.g., it is framed to balance military necessity and humanitarian concerns

1. Undertakes the critical role of subjecting wars under the war rules of law
2. Ensures that techniques used in warfare are regulated

Body

2. Laws of Armed Conflict
3. Origin of the International Humanitarian Law

E.g., civilized nations

1. Aim of the armed conflict laws

For instance, preventing unnecessary destruction and suffering

1. Their roles, which entail protecting residents from getting harming during armed conflicts (Badawi, 2016).
2. The fundamental “principles of law of war.”
3. ‘Military necessity (“Basic Principles of the Law of War and Their Targeting Implications,” 2019)
4. ‘Unnecessary suffering.’
5. ‘Proportionality’
6. ‘Distinction’ (discrimination)
7. ‘Honor’
8. Qualification of conflict
9. Rules within the additional Protocol 1
10. The four Geneva Convention
11. Definition of Article 3, regarding the four Geneva conventions
12. Article 2 definition (“Classification of Conflict,” 2019).
13. Regulation of the Armed Conflicts
14. Techniques used by modern armies, which do not necessarily apply physical means (Hill-Cawthorne , 2014).
15. Application of communication activities by the armed conflicts particularly to impact individuals
16. Achievement of political and military objectives
17. Non-International Armed Conflict (NIAC)
18. It’s applicability

E.g., within the hostilities that take place between non-governmental armed teams and government armed forces (Yuniasih, 2016).

1. Also applicable for non-governmental armed groups
2. Examples of the current conflict zones and techniques used by varying individuals
3. use of verbal threats and distinct kinds of intimidation to the journalists, aid workers and medical specialists in war zones like Syria
4. Politicians in some states like Ukraine face public discredits, with their images printed on electronic billboards displaying them as war criminals
5. Civilians lured into helping the opposing parties as they are misled through false messages
6. Application of communication as an implement to aid the civilians
7. Crucial for residents’ security, and thus should be communicated
8. The military objective that has the capability of impacting resident population can issue a warning before introducing attacks
9. Taking care to prevent communication from becoming a tool to harm civilians mentally and physically.

Conclusion

9. Humanitarian international laws and their essence in the contemporary era
10. Ensures that communities inhabiting war-stricken areas are protected from army conflicts
11. Critically needed by societies inflicted by war, like Syria, Ukraine and all other states facing wars
12. They are a profound requirement for modern societies, where battles are executed using current technology.