Geneva Conventions
Geneva Conventions
By: Maksim S. Yelkin
Course: American Foreign Policy
Professor: Ronald J. Brown
Semester: Fall 2011
Date: 12/03/11
Introduction Now we live in relatively peaceful time, but it wasn’t always like that. All those wars were bloody, sometimes even too bloody, so people needed to create some rules. So those rules were created.
Four Conventions for One Purpose
Not everybody knows that, but there were four treaties, not just one. And even then, they were modified later with three amendment protocols. I will start with a brief overview.
First Geneva Convention was adopted in 1864 for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field.
Second Geneva Convention was adopted in 1906 for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea.
Third Geneva Convention was adopted in 1929, and it was related to the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Finally, Fourth Geneva Convention was adopted in 1949, and it was related to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. It collected all points of previous one while adding many new points. So, when people say about singular Geneva Convention, they usually mean this one. Later is was modified with two protocols in 1977 when modifications were related to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts and the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts. Latest modification was made in 2005 when an Additional Distinctive Emblem was adopted.
The Conventions are inextricably linked to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is both the instigator for the inception and enforcer of the articles in these conventions. They changed the world with their aspiration to protect the rights of non-combatants. This quote is a nice example:
Protected persons are entitled, in all circumstances, to respect for their persons, their honour, their family rights, their religious convictions and
By: Maksim S. Yelkin
Course: American Foreign Policy
Professor: Ronald J. Brown
Semester: Fall 2011
Date: 12/03/11
Introduction Now we live in relatively peaceful time, but it wasn’t always like that. All those wars were bloody, sometimes even too bloody, so people needed to create some rules. So those rules were created.
Four Conventions for One Purpose
Not everybody knows that, but there were four treaties, not just one. And even then, they were modified later with three amendment protocols. I will start with a brief overview.
First Geneva Convention was adopted in 1864 for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field.
Second Geneva Convention was adopted in 1906 for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea.
Third Geneva Convention was adopted in 1929, and it was related to the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Finally, Fourth Geneva Convention was adopted in 1949, and it was related to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. It collected all points of previous one while adding many new points. So, when people say about singular Geneva Convention, they usually mean this one. Later is was modified with two protocols in 1977 when modifications were related to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts and the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts. Latest modification was made in 2005 when an Additional Distinctive Emblem was adopted.
The Conventions are inextricably linked to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is both the instigator for the inception and enforcer of the articles in these conventions. They changed the world with their aspiration to protect the rights of non-combatants. This quote is a nice example:
Protected persons are entitled, in all circumstances, to respect for their persons, their honour, their family rights, their religious convictions and
Bibliography: Books: Bernett, Angela. The Geneva Convention: The Hidden Origins of the Red Cross. The History Press, Stroud, 2006. Borch, Fred L., and Solis, Gary. Geneva Conventions. Kaplan Publishing, New York City, 2010. Grossman, Dave. On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society. Back Bay Books, New York City, 2009. Byers, Michael. War Law: Understanding International Law and Armed Conflict. Grove Press, New York City, 2007. Web Sites: http://supportgenevaconventions.org/. “Citizens Interfaith Coalition to Reaffirm and Extend the Geneva Conventions”. Dennis Rivers. 11/11/2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/. “Geneva Conventions”. Multiple authors. 11/23/2011. http://www.icrc.org/. “The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols”. International Committee of the Red Cross. 11/12/2011.