By Gordon Williams

At first glance, warfare — whether you view it second-hand on TV or witness the battles first-hand — seems devoid of restraint and rules of fairness. In a world of falling bombs and midnight drone attacks, there don’t seem to be any rules of war at all. 

In fact, there is a whole body of rules governing the conduct of war. They are called the rules of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). They were formulated at such events as the 1949 Geneva Conventions, and they are widely taught by volunteers within the American Red Cross.

The teaching effort within the Red Cross Northwest Region is led by Spokane-based volunteer Michaela Lynch. Teaching IHL falls within the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) program. 

As Lynch explains it. “IHL encompasses the laws and treaties that govern armed conflict, also called The Rules of War.” They are meant to protect those no longer participating in armed conflict by restricting the means and methods of warfare. 

If you wonder where this fits into the humanitarian mission of the Red Cross, Lynch is quick to point out that IHL is a “core piece of Red Cross history.” She says that the International Red Cross movement was born on the battlefield following the battle of Solferino in 1859 in Italy. That is when Swiss businessman Henri Dunant witnessed the brutality of the battle and felt impelled to start a campaign that would ultimately lead to the formation of the Red Cross.  

When asked who we teach these rules to, Lynch says we teach them to anyone interested in learning the rules of International Humanitarian Law and how they came to be. That would obviously include politicians and policymakers, but also law students and students of international relations. In fact, Red Cross audiences include people with all backgrounds. “We believe the more people are equipped with knowledge of IHL, the more we are an advocate for humanity in war,” Lynch says. 

The way the Red Cross teaches IHL is meant to make the subject both compelling and understandable to the widest possible audience. As an example, one such Red Cross class showed how the rules of  IHL would have been applied to scenes out of the film Star Wars. Lynch says that she recently dressed as Clara Barton to teach IHL to a community group. In a call out to potential volunteers she says, “We would love to add another Clara Barton and a Henri Dunant to our team.” 

When it comes to understanding the rules of war, Lynch explains there are four of them: the principles of humanity, distinction, proportionality, and military necessity. In other words, wars should be fought humanely, there should be a clear line between civilians and combatants, assaults should be limited in scope to the maximum effort required, and force should be limited to that required to carry out the mission. 

The rules were hammered out at the post-World War II Geneva Convention and have been agreed to by most nations. 

The Red Cross teaches these rules in a variety of ways — through written material, by live teachers, through hybrid classes that feature both live and canned material, and through presentations made creative by those teaching them. Various institutions teach the courses, often featuring academic instructors with backgrounds in international law. 

Red Cross classes are usually taught by volunteers who lack academic training in the subject, but who have developed a passion for it. Lynch explains, “We have a truly amazing and dedicated groups of instructors across the state with a huge variety of professional and personal backgrounds, all united by our passion for humanitarianism.“ 

Lynch says she was raised to care deeply about international l affairs, “I signed up as a general Red Cross volunteer six years ago,” she says, “I just happened to receive an invitation to earn about IHL I had never heard of IHL, but knew i needed to learn more so I signed up.” 

Lynch is also involved in the Red Cross Restoring Family Links program, which reunites families who are separated globally by war and disaster. She finds her work both engaging and rewarding. “I can't imagine not being involved in this work in some way. If you can, take a basic course to learn the rules, and then become a teacher passing the rules to others.” 

“We would love for volunteers to sign up either to learn or teach,” Lynch says. “Everyone can benefit from understanding IHL more deeply.”  Courses are often taught in local Red Cross offices, but may also be taught in a local public library.