Ten years have past since the last edition of Professors Frits Kalshoven and Liesbeth Zegveld’s Constraints on the Waging of War was published by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This time has only reaffirmed the need for such an introductory textbook, which follows the growth of international humanitarian law from its inception to its most recent developments.

Professors Kalshoven and Zegveld – whose expertise in humanitarian law is universally recognized – succeed in bringing together, in a book of limited length, the principal rules of humanitarian law. They do so in an accurate and thorough style, which will undoubtedly appeal to specialists, but also with a clarity that will make the book accessible to students turning to the subject for the first time. The blend of theory and practice renders this book not only extremely useful, but also most interesting to read.