This course offers an introduction to the law or armed conflict, or international humanitarian law, as it is known. It critically examines the role of law in armed conflict and demonstrates how law can guide the conduct of hostilities, mitigate the consequences of the use of armed force, and protect civilians in both international and non-international armed conflicts. It puts the law of armed conflict in a political context, traces recent developments in this particular area of law, discusses the role of international criminal law, the convergence between human rights and humanitarian law, gender and law, and the protection of vulnerable groups such as children. It examines situations of occupation and the impact which the 'war on terror' has on the law of armed conflict.