Love of the Land: Proportionality in Modern Asymmetrical Wars

Proportionality in Modern Asymmetrical Wars

Amichai Cohen
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
21 January '10

(At this time available only in PDF)

As the uses of force in Somalia, Kosovo, and Iraq show, Western armies are very concerned about protecting the lives of their soldiers, and to that end are willing to risk many civilian lives. They also find acceptable the notion that civilian lives can be forfeited in order to attain important military goals.

Israel's Gaza operation clearly shows that Israeli commanders successfully followed the requirements of the administrative model of the principle of proportionality. The IDF required commanders to take humanitarian law into account in the planning stages of the operation. Legal advisors were involved in the planning of many operations and provided advice regarding specific targets. The right questions were asked, checks were made, and the incidental damage to civilians was on the whole limited.

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Love of the Land: Proportionality in Modern Asymmetrical Wars