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What is the War Crimes Act of 1996 (US)?

Introduction The War Crimes Act of 1996 is a law that defines a war crime to include a “grave breach of the Geneva Conventions”, specifically noting that “grave breach” should have the meaning defined in any convention (related to the laws of war) to which the US is a party. The definition of “grave breach”… Read More

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What is Command Responsibility?

Introduction Command responsibility (superior responsibility, the Yamashita standard, and the Medina standard) is the legal doctrine of hierarchical accountability for war crimes. The legal doctrine of command responsibility stipulates that a superior officer (military commander or civilian leader) can be held legally responsible for war crimes committed by subordinates. The legal doctrine of command responsibility… Read More

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What was the Salvadoran Civil War (1979-1992)?

Introduction The Salvadoran Civil War (Spanish: Guerra Civil de El Salvador) was a twelve year period of civil war in El Salvador that was fought between the government of El Salvador and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), a coalition or “umbrella organisation” of left-wing groups. A coup on 15 October 1979 followed by… Read More

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What was Wirtschaftswunder?

Introduction The Wirtschaftswunder (“economic miracle”), also known as the Miracle on the Rhine, was the rapid reconstruction and development of the economies of West Germany and Austria after World War II (adopting an ordoliberalism-based social market economy). The expression referring to this phenomenon was first used by The Times in 1950. Beginning with the replacement… Read More