Chapter

The nature of war and the character of contemporary armed conflict

Steven Haines

International law and the classification of conflicts

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2012

p. 9-31

English

This chapter examines the realities of the situations in which the law of armed conflict might apply and how hostilities are viewed by those who spend their time analysing them. It begins by discussing the nature of war as first propounded by Clausewitz, as well as recent criticisms of the Clausewitzian approach. It then considers the characteristics of hostilities as they have developed over time, concentrating ultimately on their current features.

• International law and the classification of conflicts / ed. by Elizabeth Wilmshurst ; Steven Haines... [et al.]