International | The Telegram

Why warriors should welcome laws of war

Lessons from a 17th-century thinker on preventing crimes against humanity

Hugo Grotius in an oval shape with a frame of warfare imagery
Illustration: Ellie Foreman-Peck

THIS IS A perilous moment for all who seek to regulate conflict with law. From Europe to the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, brutal acts by violent men are challenging the international order founded after 1945, in response to the horrors of industrialised, racialised world war.

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This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “Warriors should welcome laws of war”

From the December 21st 2024 edition

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