Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War

by Samuel Moyn

The Hague treaties of 1899 and 1907 on rules for fighting were in some places more than cosmetic. “At least,” Fried observed, “no one can now say that no rules apply to war.” However paltry, it was a real victory. The original Geneva Convention’s protection for the wounded in battle was now extended from armies on the ground to sailors at sea. Disfavored practices such as denial of quarter and killing prisoners of war—Prince Andrei’s proposal—were absolutely prohibited. There was even some early civilian protection (again, with emphasis on property), especially in situations of military occupation. As they had at Brussels, delegates also affirmed in the treaty that there was some limitation to the means armies could use to win, leaving it vague what they were ruling out.