Marco Sassòli, International Humanitarian Law: Rules, Controversies and Solutions to Problems Arising in Warfare

Abstract

anyone who is a researcher or a teacher in international Humanitarian law (iHl) has had the opportunity to read some of Marco sassòli’s works. one of his best-known publications – titled How Does Law Protect in War. Cases, Documents and Teaching Ma-terials on Contemporary Practice in International Humanitarian Law (iCrC, English editions – 1999, 2005, 2011; french editions in 2003 and 2012) – was originally co-authored with antoine a. bouvier, and then jointly with anne Quintin (from the third edition) and julia Grignon (the online platform). This casebook, which has also been available online since 2014 (https://casebook.icrc.org) is an extremely useful re-source tool, systematically updated and available in several language versions (arabic, Chinese, English, french, russian, serbo-Croatian, spanish). However, despite the fact that How Does Law Protect in War contains some introductory remarks to each of the chapters, which explain basic notions or rules of iHl, the publication is still only a casebook – not a handbook of iHl. since it lacks detailed analyses, many problems are just remarked upon, with suggestions for further readings, and the explanations are very limited and rudimentary, thus leaving a reader with a feeling of wanting more. sassòli, who is also known for his tremendous teaching skills, was both tempted and encouraged – especially by his numerous students – to write a handbook on international Humanitarian law. He finally decided to take up the challenge and he managed to achieve it in a great fashion. He has just published International Humanitarian Law: Rules, Controversies, and Solutions to Problems Arising in Warfare , Edward Elgar 2019. However, do not be fooled by the title. it is not just a classic handbook which will make students’ and researchers’ lives easier by explaining the principles applied in armed conflicts in short and simple words. This is a full-fledged monograph, a treatise on iHl which confirms sassòli’s position as a master in all debates concerning iHl-related issues.