1. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the editor and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the International Committee of the Red Cross
2. The normal state of human relations between communities and within a single community, is peace. Humanitarian law does not contradict this rule, but confirms it; this is borne out by the Preamble to Additional Protocol I of 1977.
3. The principle of the limitation of armed violence is reflected in contemporary written law, in the Saint-Petersburg Declaration of 1868, as well as in Article 22 of The Hague Regulations of 1907, which stipulates that, “[t]he right of belligerents to adopt means of injuring the enemy is not unlimited” This text is taken up again, slightly reworded, in paragraph 1 of Article 35 (Basic rules) of Additional Protocol I of 1977: “In any armed conflict, the right of the Parties to the conflict to choose methods or means of warfare is not unlimited”
4. Kennedy, P. 1993.Preparing for the Twenty-First Century, 130New York: Random House.