War Crimes and Just War

Arguing for a paradigm shift, Larry May posits that war crimes should be viewed as crimes against humanness rather than mere legal violations. He emphasizes the collective responsibility of states in upholding the rules of war, linking them to humanity and soldiers' honor. May asserts that humanness underpins international humanitarian law and traditional principles like discrimination, necessity, and proportionality. His analysis incorporates the Just War tradition and examines cases from the International Tribunal for Yugoslavia, alongside atrocities documented by the International Committee of the Red Cross.