A companion volume to the author's seminal textbook War, Aggression and Self-Defence, Third Edition, Cambridge (2001), this book focuses on issues arising in the course of hostilities between States, with an emphasis on the most recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The main themes considered by Yoram Dinstein are lawful and unlawful combatants, war crimes, including command responsibility and defences, prohibited weapons, the distinction between combatants and civilians, legitimate military objectives, and the protection of the environment and cultural property. Numerous specific topics that have attracted much interest in recent hostilities are addressed, such as human shields, feigned surrenders, collateral damage and proportionality, belligerent reprisals and weapons of mass destruction.

' … a thorough and careful analysis of the rules governing the conduct of hostilities in international armed conflict … Dinstein's new textbook is not only a learned treatise but also a useful tool with a wealth of references to practice. The author's writing is also very accessible for its numerous qualities, this new textbook is expected to become a classic on the law governing the conduct of hostilities in international armed conflict.'

Source: Italian Yearbook of International Law