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AbstractThis article examines the relationship between Hinduism and war and the extent to which the fundamental concepts of humanitarian law are recognized in Hinduism. After reviewing the sources of Hinduism, it considers the permissibility and types of war in ancient India, explores the rules of warfare and investigates whether war was a matter of course or regarded as a ruler's last choice. It then sets out the humanitarian principles that already applied at that time. Finally, it considers how far the concepts of Hinduism have helped in the development of international humanitarian law.

War, more than peace, is likely to give rise to circumstances in which soldiers and civilians find themselves against their will in a setting where a foreign language is employed. In addition, they may be forced to have contact on their own territory with people using another tongue. Therefore in the context of war, the protection of basic language rights is perhaps even more crucial than in peacetime in easing the fate of those involved. One of the ways humanitarian law seeks to protect the victims of war is by guaranteeing their right to communicate in a language which they easily understand. The purpose of this study is to analyze linguistic rights in time of war.

The Henry Dunant Institute is currently publishing a book in French only under the titleGuérilla et droit humanitairein its "Collection scientifique." The author is Mr. Michel Veuthey, an ICRC collaborator, who, since 1967, has taken part in the work of reaffirmation and development of humanitarian law. Mr. J. Pictet, Vice-President of the ICRC, associate professor at the University of Geneva and director of the Institut Henry Dunant, introduces the book with the following preface:At last we have a complete work on guerrilla warfare, thus fulfilling a real need. Anyone who wishes to study the subject in detail should have a copy of this book.

The centennial of the Hague Convention (No. II; No. IV in the 1907 version) on the Laws and Customs of War on Land and the fiftieth anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions for the Protection of Victims of War of August 12, 1949, present an opportunity to reflect on the direction in which the law of war, or international humanitarian law, has been evolving. This essay focuses on the humanization of that law, a process driven to a large extent by human rights and the principles of humanity. As the subject is vast, major issues must inevitably be left out of my discussion, including the impact of the prohibitions on unnecessary suffering and indiscriminate warfare on the regulation of weapons, the proscription of antipersonnel land mines and blinding laser weapons, and the progression of international humanitarian law from largely protecting noncombatants to protecting combatants as well.

Argues that the spiritual roots of international humanitarian law are being overlooked with negative consequences. The origins & development of humanitarian standards are traced from early civilizations in which taboos that limited violence were implemented to ensure survival of the group. An exploration of the emergence & evolution of international humanitarian law highlights the universality of international humanitarian laws & declarations of human rights as well as the multiplication of legal implementation mechanisms. It is contended that international law is currently experiencing a "deadlock" because of an "ethics deficit" that is leading to a denial of humanity, justice, & reconciliation. It is concluded that there is a pressing need to draw on deep spiritual resources to reaffirm the universality of fundamental values; reinforce existing mechanisms; reactivate the network of humanity (including spiritual leaders); reinvent creative remedies to promote the respect of fundamental values in varied situations; & rebuild the public conscience to reinstate ethical & legal standards that guarantee human dignity in today's armed conflicts. 275 References. J. Lindroth

Aldo Moro certainly undergoes, in his training as a Catholic intellectual, the influence of Mounier and Maritain's personalism and is part of the personalist philosophy with a remarkable stature and authority, precisely because of the depth and richness of his thought with the which he has been able to philosophically establish the concept of person in respect of which he has developed a conception of ethical and humanitarian law. For Moro the law is justice and has the task of ordering and humanizing the life of relationships on democratic bases, not leaving aside the ethics that is the essential prerequisite and also aiming to direct life itself to seek the truth that always illuminates and makes brave. With this essay we want to highlight how the conception of law in Aldo Moro connotes itself as a humanitarian right that humanizes relations between men orienting them to the search for truth. Humanitarian law retains its identity even when the juridical ideal translates as force, never identifying itself with brute power, but always remaining a real ideal.

Contemporary political analyses and studies concerning Islam often bear the mark of ethical values and judgements that obtain in the cultural context of the authors.In this respect, two main tendencies can be discerned. The first, which we might call "Western-centred", is to be found in the works of specialists in Oriental or Islamic studies who have been trained in the West and are thence impregnated with its culture. When analysing Islam, they judge it on the basis of the moral or political norms pertaining in the West. The second, which could be characterised as "apologetic", generally finds its reflection in the writings of Moslem thinkers who, reacting against the first school's attacks on Islam, try to glorify it and, in particular, set out to identify in Islam all the cultural notions and inventions of the modern world, in other words, the Western world. According to this second school, Islam is, for example, the inventor and disseminator of democratic government, socialism, the separation of powers, human rights and humanitarian law.