Empirical Assessment in IHL Education and Training: Better Protection for Civilians and Detainees in Armed Conflict

Beginning with People on War, the ICRC’s ground-breaking global survey in 1999 of the international public’s perceptions and attitudes towards IHL, the book takes a historical approach in examining case studies of the use of empirical assessment in IHL training over the last twenty years. The case studies include the evolution of the ICRC’s approach to IHL training, the views on IHL of newly promoted U.S. Army and Marine Corps majors in the aftermath of 9/11, mental health surveys of U.S. troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq that asked searching questions regarding IHL compliance, the remarkably successful battlefield ethics training program that was developed in Iraq to reverse those surveys’ results, and work done with Swiss Military Academy officers, new Malian soldiers, a U.S. Army battalion in Germany, and university students in Ireland and Japan using war video games as an IHL instructional tool. The use of empirical assessment is occurring in the context of evolution in the approach to IHL training, one that increasingly recognizes the vital role played by military leaders in developing a values-oriented culture of compliance with the soldiers in their units.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. ICRC’s Evolving Approach to IHL Training; 2. Command & General Staff College Class of 2002; 3. Battlefield IHL Compliance Assessment; 4. Battlefield Ethics Training in Iraq; 5. Education and Training Case Studies; Conclusion; Notes; References; Index.

About the Author :
Colonel (Retd.) Jody M. Prescott is a lecturer at the University of Vermont, where he teaches cybersecurity law & policy, environmental law, and energy law & climate change.

Review :
“This is a fascinating analysis of IHL training, as it is and as it should be. The author’s extensive personal experience, and the lessons he draws from numerous empirical studies, combine to make this a powerful and original contribution to the scholarship in this field. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the promotion of IHL.” — Alison Pert, Adjunct Associate Professor, The University of Sydney Law School, Australia “The contribution is unique in its approach and data. This book has the potential to improve training and readiness of US forces prior to overseas deployments to conflict zones where IHL presents as a repeated concern.” —Dr. Ryan Burke, Associate Professor, United States Air Force Academy, US