Buddhism and International Humanitarian Law

Buddhism provides guidance to those involved in armed conflict, comparing with international humanitarian law (IHL) which protects non-combatants and restricts the means and methods of warfare. This ground-breaking volume explores correspondences between Buddhist and IHL principles, and identifies Buddhist resources to improve compliance with IHL and equivalent Buddhist or humanitarian norms.

Format: Hardback
Length: 452 pages
Publication date: 20 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buddhism offers valuable guidance to individuals involved in armed conflict, as well as to belligerents who may be compelled to engage in acts of killing or be killed, or defend their families, communities, or countries from attack. In contrast to international humanitarian law (IHL), which safeguards non-combatants and restricts the means and methods of warfare to minimize suffering, Buddhism provides a distinct perspective on warfare.

Despite the prevalence of armed conflict in certain regions of the Buddhist world, there has been limited research addressing these questions. While there exists a substantial body of literature on Buddhist conflict prevention and resolution, surprisingly little attention has been given to what Buddhism has to say about the actual conduct of war. IHL, on the other hand, remains relatively unfamiliar within the Buddhist community, and may not necessarily influence the behavior of belligerents who identify as Buddhists and are more likely to be guided by Buddhist principles.

To address this gap, this groundbreaking volume is part of an initiative by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The project aims to explore correspondences between Buddhist and IHL principles, as well as identify Buddhist resources to enhance compliance with IHL and equivalent Buddhist or humanitarian norms.

This book will be of immense interest to students and scholars of International Law, Buddhism, Ethics, as well as War and Conflict studies. The chapters included in this book were originally published as a special issue of Contemporary Buddhism.

The Open Access version of this book, accessible at https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003439820/buddhism-international-humanitarian-law-andrew-bartles-smith-kate-crosby-peter-harvey-asanga-tilakaratne-daniel-ratheiser-noel-maurer-trew-stefania-travagnin-elizabeth-har, provides readers with unrestricted access to the content.

Weight: 1030g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032575490