What are the international norms on the Law of Armed Conflict?

International law, or customary international law, is a set of rules, norms, and regulations accepted among all nations. The Law of Armed Conflict, which is a subset of international law, is a humanitarian set of laws that governs how nations interact with one another in times of armed conflict. This set of laws is based on a set of international norms that all nations obey. First, combatants must distinguish between combatants and civilians. All nations must make sure that any attack carried out is directed towards a legitimate military target and not towards civilians. They must also take into account the proportionality of their attacks and seize all opportunities to minimize harm to civilians. Second, combatants must abide by the rules of attack. All combatants must limit their attacks strictly to military targets and avoid any indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets. In certain cases, such as when attacking a legitimate military target, civilians may still be affected by the attack, but the attacking forces must still do their best to minimize collateral damage. Third, the principles of humane treatment must be applied to all captured combatants. The military forces must provide humane treatment to the captured combatants and ensure their humane treatment during and after their capture. Ultimately, nations must abide by these international norms and principles when engaging in armed conflict. These norms are essential in ensuring that armed conflicts are conducted in an ethical and humane way and that civilians become as protected as possible.

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What are the international norms on the Law of Armed Conflict?

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