This subject examines all the major areas of international humanitarian law. It covers the traditional topics of the laws of armed conflict and the laws in war, in addition to considering more recently emerged fields such as refugee law, peacekeeping operations and international crimes. The subject aims to situate each of these areas within the historical, philosophical and political contexts in which they have, and continue to be, developed. Moreover, there is an emphasis on the analysis of international humanitarian law through issues that have arisen by virtue of recent events, such as the proliferation of internal conflicts and the reaction to international terrorism.