Civil-Military Relations and Democratic Control of the Security Sector

International Peace and Humanitarian Missions
Further, the rules of engagement should include reference to the kind of weapons allowed in
a specific peace operation. The range might be from no weapons at all, e.g., for UN military
observers, to heavy weapons including ships and aircraft.
The norms regulating the conduct of combatants in times of conflict also fully include the
“Law of Armed Conflict” or the “International Humanitarian Law.” 42 These expressions are used
to cover a range of international treaties and principles applicable to situations of armed conflict.
Their aim is to establish limits to methods and means of armed conflict and to protect non-combatants
– civilians, wounded, sick, or captured military personnel. 43 Already in the beginning of
the 20 th Century, through an annex to the 1907 Hague Convention, the international community
attempted to regulate the actual conduct of hostilities during armed conflict, such as target selection
and permissible weapons. Additionally, four conventions adopted in 1949 and collectively
known as the “Geneva Conventions” aimed to protect civilians, wounded, and prisoners of war.
Most important aspects of the Hague and the Geneva Conventions were merged in the 1977
Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions: Protocol I on the victims of international armed
conflict and Protocol II on the victims of non-international armed conflicts. 44
The issue of the treatment of prisoners of war once again raises considerable interest in the
framework of the “war on terrorism” and the status of detained Al-Qaeda and other “fighters” in
Afghanistan and Iraq. The graphical evidence of mistreatment of detainees in the Abu-Ghraib
prison challenged the analysis of the war on terrorism, the ethics of the treatment of prisoners,
and even major postulations of national security and military strategies. 45 A main conclusion in
regard to the democratic control of the military and the security services is that the troops to be
sent abroad should be provided with comprehensive and clear rules of engagement, should be
educated in the principles and trained in the implementation of the requirements of international
humanitarian law.
Preparing the troops for peace and humanitarian missions
The participation in international peace missions, very often far away from the home country, is
a very demanding task. Furthermore, the ongoing “war on terrorism” places additional demands
on response times and readiness, doctrine and training, force structure and technology level.
Effective contribution to peace operations with minimized probability of casualties may be provided
only by ready, cohesive, superbly trained, equipped, and sustained units. 46
Being a challenge in itself, the preparation of forces capable to conduct such operations in
multinational format should be examined as an essential component of the overall security and
defense policy of a country. The development of the respective capabilities has to be pro-
42 The latter term is preferred by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
43 Ray Murphy, “Contemporary Challenges to the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law,”
Connections: The Quarterly Journal 3:3 (September 2004): 99-113.
44 Ibid., p. 100.
45 Details are available in G. Paul Holman, “Implications of the Events at Abu Ghraib Prison for the PfP
Countries: Reflections of a Former Intelligence Officer,” Connections: The Quarterly Journal 3:3 (September
2004): 85-98.
46 And not by the so called military “contingents.”
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