Nous sommes très heureux de publier cette étude dans laquelle Mme Diallo nous fait part des recherches entreprises pour tenter de dégager les corrélations existantes entre lesprincipes du droit international humanitaire et les principes d'humanité qui servent de toile de fond à la tradition africaine. Déjà, dans de précédents numéros de la Revue internationale, plusieurs auteurs étaient venus rappeler que, depuis longtemps, dans les pays de I'Islam, en Inde, en Extrême-Orient, dans les morales successives et dans les diverses civilisations, nous trouvons exprimées des idées semblables à celles de la Croix-Rouge qui, elles, peuvent done être considérées comme émanant d'une aspiration implicite dans la plupart des peuples. II est d'autant plus opportun, dans ces conditions, de mettre en lumière certaines concordances et de retrouver, en des lieux differents, une unité de vues et de préceptes sur la vie morale et sociale.

Le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge, dans un appel qu'il lançait aux nations en guerre, le 23 juillet 1916, au sujet des cruautés exercées sur les prisonniers à titre de représailles, exprimait d'un mot son principe essentiel: «La Croix-Rouge a été fondée en vue d'un but unique: l'humanité». Si l'on nous demandait de caractériser aussi le but du Bureau international pour la défense des indigènes, nous ne saurions mieux faire que de donner la même réponse. Néanmoins il semble que l'on puisse dire que si la Croix-Rouge est une œuvre d'humanité-charité, le Bureau international pour la défense des indigènes est une œuvre d'humanité-justice. En effet il s'agit, pour ce dernier, de rendre ou de faire rendre à une grande portion des habitants du globe ce dont ils ont été dépouillés.

No human institution is perfect and the International Committee of the Red Cross is no exception. The criticism most frequently levelled at this venerable body is its silence concerning some of its activities. How can it have a claim to eminence, how can it call powerful governments to account, without seeking the support of men of goodwill through divulgence of full information to the public?

The International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (‘International Conference’) is one of the few international fora in which governments take part on an equal footing with other entities. The origins of the International Conference, and its capacity to adopt decisions that are binding on both National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and on governments in their dealings with National Societies as their auxiliary partners, give rise to special considerations concerning state participation. This article provides an overview of the models for participation in the assemblies of other international organizations, and how problematic cases have been dealt with in various fora. The authors then examine the participation of states and other political entities in the International Conference, as well as the controversial cases that have put the Conference to the test.

Iraq occupies a special position in the general context of re-Islamization of Arab societies because of the US occupation and the absence of a viable state. The attempt to rebuild communities under the aegis of the United States led to a widespread withdrawal back into communities in which Islam plays a vital role. Sectarian identities were intensified, particularly because they built on layers largely secularized by years of a form of political life that had been partly dominated by secular or secularist parties (Communist Party, Baath party). It looks as if a secularized form of Islam, whose vocation is primarily to confer an identity and which has become impervious to any religious code, is likely to fuel the fighting, which is all the more inexpiable because each person believes that he is fighting for survival as a member of his community.

From a land called the “Cradle of Civilizations” to one that is now described as “apocalyptic” and “one of the most dangerous places on Earth”, Syria may have no more critical moment than the current crisis to reflect on what is taking it down this terrifyingly dark path. We resort to history in order to decipher the mysteries of the present, and there is no more honest and direct history than that of the built environment: a concrete object that tells the narratives not only of the winners, the wealthy and the powerful, but also of those who were brushed aside, cut apart and walked over.

This Opinion Note argues that reversing the process which led to the loss of home and the loss of urban fabric is the foundation of reclaiming these as essential elements of recovery after war and destruction. It examines four areas of transformation where modern urban planning and architecture have left their marks on the Levantine city, to give a clearer understanding of the role of architecture and where to begin in the rebuilding.

“Secret societies”, “traditional hunters”, “charms” and “mystical weapons” are recurrent terms when analyzing some of the present armed conflicts in the Sub-Saharan region. However, though spiritual beliefs shape armed groups’ behaviour, and such beliefs are integrated into the modus operandi of some armed groups, the role of these beliefs in warfare is largely overlooked. Far from being something anecdotal or incidental, the invisible world plays a role in shaping armed groups’ behaviour and framing warfare dynamics. Spiritual beliefs might influence the respect afforded to international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Such beliefs may also serve various strategic functions, including for legitimation of the group, mobilization of support, control, cohesion, discipline, motivation and protection. Digging further into the matter and understanding how such beliefs impact the internal dynamics of armed groups and their external relations, including with the State, other armed groups and communities, is an essential part of understanding armed conflicts and their aftermath.

A mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the eighth since 1955, went to Algeria from January 25 to February 23, 1961, in order to visit the principal centres and prisons in which arrested persons had been detained as a result of the events. This mission, which consisted of Mr. Pierre Gaillard, Mr. Roger Vust and Dr. J. L. de Chastonay, visited 61. places of detention of various categories, as well as hospitals in which there were prisoners and detainees. During the course of these visits, relief supplies were handed over to persons under detention. Wherever they went the delegates of the ICRC were able to talk without witnesses and at length with detainees whom they themselves had selected or with those who had expressed the wish to speak with them.

This article poses the question as to whether and why States overlook the prosecution of people for war crimes rather than terrorist offences, where war crimes would be preferred. It looks at whether a diverse range of States (Afghanistan, Australia, Mali, the Netherlands and the Russian Federation) are able through their domestic legislation to prosecute people for war crimes or for terrorist offences. It considers what the value of prosecutions is theoretically and legally, and what the impact of prosecutions is practically in a State. It proposes that prosecutors, police and judges should ask the question whether an alleged offender should be prosecuted for war crimes and/or terrorist offences with war crimes being the preferred option where there is evidence that they have been committed.

Anything concerning Henry Dunant is of interest to members of the Red Cross. We are therefore particularly grateful to Mr. Paul-Emile Schazmann, for many years conservator of manuscripts at the Swiss National Library, for having made available, for the centenary issue of our Review, unpublished writings by Dunant on facts which have so far received no attention. (Ed.)

Los Gobiemos son los principales responsables de la aplicación del derecho internacional de los derechos humanos y del derecho humanitario en tiempo de conflicto armado. En caso de conflicto armado no internacional, los Gobiernos y los grupos armados de la oposición tienen la obligación de respetar estas normas.

Las organizaciones internacionales pueden alentar a las partes implicadas en conflictos armados a respetar los derechos humanos y el derecho humanitario. El Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja (CICR), que desempeña, desde hace mucho tiempo, un papel preponderante en la tarea de velar por la aplicación del derecho humanitario durante los conflictos armados, también ha comenzado a hacer referencia al derecho de los derechos humanos en las situaciones de disturbios interiores o tensiones internas no cubiertas por el derecho internacional humanitario. La Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas, la Comisión de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas, la Corte Internacional de Justicia y otras varias organizaciones intergubernamentales han intentado en diversas oportunidades garantizar el respeto del derecho de los derechos humanos durante los conflictos armados, refiriéndose ocasionalmente en dichas tentativas al derecho humanitario. En sus decisiones, el Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas se ha valido casi exclusivamente del derecho humanitario.

Las organizaciones internacionales no gubernamentales han reconocido que, durante los conflictos armados, pueden cometerse violaciones de los derechos humanos en sus respectivos ámbitos de incumbencia. Efectivamente, las violaciones graves de los derechos humanos, incluidos los malos tratos, las detenciones, las muertes arbitrarias, etc.

Every war brings its share of missing persons, whether military or civilian. And every individual reported missing is then sought by a family anxiously awaiting news of their loved one. These families cannot be left in such a state of anguish. For the truth, however painful it may be, is preferable to the torture of uncertainty and false hope. In Bosnia and Herzegovina civilians were especially affected by a conflict in which belligerents pursued a policy of ethnic cleansing by expelling minority groups from certain regions. Thousands of people who disappeared in combat or were thrown into prison, summarily executed or massacred, are still being sought by their families.

El tema de este documento es el contenido de las disposiciones del derecho internacional humanitario contemporáneo en las que se prohíben los «actos de terrorismo», en general llamados, sencillamente, «terrorismo ».