The course will provide a detailed overview of international humanitarian law, and the legal obligations it imposes on states and armed forces prior to and during conflict. It provides a detailed introduction to the historical development of international humanitarian law, its key obligations, and the debate surrounding its creation. It then surveys a series of related ethical, legal and operational challenges raised by new forms of conflict and military operations including counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism, stability and reconstruction operations, humanitarian interventions and complex emergencies, conventional war-fighting, and air operations. Rather than narrowly treating ethical issues in terms of legal obligations, it explores how ethical questions have become central to strategic success.