International law and international wars

Abstract

In a world rife with wars and conflicts, it is incumbent upon scholars, researchers, and intellectuals to contribute their efforts to confronting them, exposing the dark and dangerous consequences they cause, and striving to promote the rule of law and to establish peace and goodwill among people.

In today’s world, many wars and tragedies afflict oppressed peoples, taking numerous forms. Warfare is no longer confined to its traditional forms—despite the suffering they entail. In addition to military conflicts, there are wars that target international peace and security and harm the economic and social structures of states. New forms have also emerged in which modern technology plays a role, producing grave effects on human beings in their values, structures, and meanings. These impacts have not stopped there but have extended to the very system of the state—its foundations and institutions.

Perhaps the supreme value that has become an urgent necessity is equality before the law, without favoritism or bias toward those with influence and interests—whether individuals, states, or international organizations. This is a demand at the level of national law as well as international law, in which some have begun to lose confidence due to delays in enforcing its rules and upholding its authority.

At this historical moment, oppressed peoples are waging their struggle to obtain their legitimate rights in accordance with international and humanitarian laws and conventions, confronting racism and horrific genocide that has spared neither child, woman, nor elderly person—nor even trees, stones, or history itself. At the forefront of these noble struggles is what the free people of Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip, are undertaking in the face of a brutal machine that has exhausted them and deprived them of the most basic necessities of life.

Academic and research institutions have collaborated in organizing this conference, in partnership with several universities, research centers, and peer-reviewed scientific journals, to provide an academic framework for presenting research papers, studies, and scholarly articles addressing its diverse themes. A broad spectrum of participants from various countries took part, and the conference concluded with recommendations formulated by its scholars and researchers, in the hope that they will find resonance among decision-makers and serve as valuable and beneficial academic references.