War Crimes
Research papers on War Crimes can be approached from the philosophical perspective or the political science perspective. Paper Masters will custom write you a war crimes research paper today.
War crimes are violations of international humanitarian law, including:
- Murder or deportation of civilians to slave-labor camps,
- Murder or ill treatment of prisoners of war
- Killing hostages
- Wanton destruction of property not justified by any military necessity.
War crimes were codified under international law in the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. Modern concepts of war crimes emerged during the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi leaders following the Second World War.
War Crimes and the Guilty
In 1865, Confederate Captain Henry Wirz was convicted for the deplorable conditions at Andersonville Prison, where many Union POWs died. This was one of the first instances of an individual being charged with war crimes, and Wirz was hanged for his role. Numerous Nazi officials, including Herman Goering, were put on trial after World War II for their roles in conducting the Holocaust. In Japan, the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal convicted high officials, including Prime Minister Tojo, of war crimes.
War Crimes and the Geneva Conventions
War Crimes are governed by four treaties known as the Geneva Conventions. Modern war crimes, such as the trials of Serbian officials following the wars that resulted from the breakup of Yugoslavia, are dealt with at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The United States is not a member of this international body, however. Former Liberian president Charles Taylor was convicted in 2012 by the ICC for war crimes.