The Geneva Conventions are something you have almost certainly heard of and maybe even know
a little bit about, even if you aren’t a total nerd who knows about a lot of UN conventions
and makes ASMR readings of foreign constitutions.
This is because these treaties have played a huge role in transforming how we fight wars
in the modern day, so what do these treaties specify and how did they come into being?
Without a doubt, maybe unless you’re playing a war-themed video game, war is a pretty crappy
experience; wars destroy countries and economies alike for generations, displace anywhere from
hundreds to millions, tear apart communities, destroy important basic infrastructure, can
leave behind artifacts which cause even more suffering after the fighting has ended, and
has psychological effects on combatant and civilian alike, even those on the winning
side.
For most of human history war was basically a free-for-all, which led to a whole host
of horrors that quite a few national governments decided were maybe a little too much, even
for empires at war.
The Geneva Conventions actually refer to a series of four different treaties signed on
four different occasions: one in 1864, one in 1906, one in 1929, and one most notably
in 1949, as well as two more conventions in The Hague in 1899 and 1907.
These conventions established what would be considered on the international stage as war
crimes, defining the rights that would be afforded to non-combatants, as well as what
should even be allowed in warfare at all.
The idea first came into fruition after Swiss businessman Henri Dunant visited soldiers
wounded during the Battle of Solferino in 1859 (a date my high school science teacher
always insisted was the most important in human history, but that’s a story for another
time).
Dunant was shocked and horrified at how little help these soldiers were getting, and so proposed
a humanitarian relief agency to help all injured combatants during a war, which would come
to form the Red Cross.
However this Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement would need help, not necessarily logistical
or scientific, but political.
When Dunant proposed the idea of what would become the Red Cross, he also proposed there
be an intergovernmental treaty recognizing the neutrality of this and other such organizations,
in order to allow them to treat soldiers-- from both sides-- without any hinderance.
This sparked the 1864 Geneva Convention, with 12 European countries signing the agreement,
along with following agreements signed by more and more countries.
Seriously though, he founded the Red Cross and called for the Geneva Conventions?
This guy might be one of the most influential people you’ve also probably never heard
of.
The First Convention answered Dunant’s requests, and naturally laid a lot of the groundwork
for the following conventions, including rulings that the sick and injured must be treated
without regard to any demographic differences, and cannot be subject to extermination, torture,
or experimentation.
It also called for all parties to search for sick and wounded soldiers after a battle had
finished, and to report them to the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross).
The Second Convention had a bit of a nautical theme to it, as it established what exactly
to do regarding naval warfare, notably establishing what a hospital ship is, that saving shipwrecked
personnel is a must, and that neutral parties (i.e. merchant ships or yachts or Swiss ships)
who agree to help out a particular warship cannot themselves be fired on, provided they
still remain neutral.
The Third Convention established the rules on how prisoners of war (POWs) are allowed
to be treated, notably in that they should be fed, housed in a clean facility, and given
links to the outside world, as well as receiving required treatment (namely among female POWs),
only be required to disclose their name, rank, birthdate, and military service number, and
be repatriated when they fall seriously ill or released when the fighting stops (and also
sent home if they so request).
Finally, the Fourth Convention was a pretty big one, as it set forth the rights of civilians
and was also signed literally four years after the most devastating war in human history
had ended, having seen around 45 million civilian deaths.
The Fourth Convention mandates that civilians never be attacked, tortured, or discriminated
against, safe zones and hospitals be set up for vulnerable people, civilians be able to
live as close to their normal lives as possible and an occupied territory’s laws still be
in force (both provided they don’t pose a high security risk), prohibits pillage and
destruction of property, and mandates all medical and religious items be allowed passage
without restriction.
Basically it lifts the burden of war off of civilians as much as possible.
So to quickly recap, the First Convention (signed in 1864) establishes protection for
sick and injured soldiers, the Second Convention (signed in 1906) establishes the rules of
naval warfare, the Third Convention (signed in 1929) establishes protection and fair conditions
for prisoners of war, and the Fourth Convention (signed in 1949) establishes the rights and
protections afforded to civilians and non-combatants, so there you go you can take your exam now.
However, keep in mind that was a super-simplified summary of the four, and the first three were
also modified slightly when the fourth was signed.
In addition there are also the three protocols, Protocol I specifically forbids indiscriminate
attacks, attacks on cultural sites and important infrastructure like dams, and weapons that
can cause civilian suffering long after the fighting has ended (think unexploded landmines
and cluster bombs).
Protocol II basically concentrates all these rules onto parties fighting civil wars (though
do note they don’t apply to things like protests and demonstrations), and finally
Protocol III allows the Red Cross to also use the red crystal as another emblem, which
sounds incredibly minor but seeing as to how their other logos are a cross and a crescent,
you can imagine why those symbols might be a little problematic in certain scenarios.
In total, all four Geneva Conventions have been signed by 196 current sovereign governments,
including every single member of the UN, plus the two UN observer states of Vatican City
and Palestine, plus the New Zealand constituent country of the Cook Islands.
However, since the conventions got their last big patch over a Cold War ago, many today
believe that they may not in fact be up to date (I know right, a document defining the
rules of war that was written in 1949 could possibly be outdated?!).
No but seriously, wars have changed a lot in the last 71 years, what with all the separatist
movements and asymmetric conflicts and terrorist groups and drone warfare and threat of nuclear
annihilation.
In addition, to say that these rules have always been fully respected ever since their
signing… would be a huge lie.
The Conventions have been violated on all sides, however these treaties have still been
a huge success in the international community, and they have helped define what can truly
be considered a war crime, and at the very least tell modern warfare when to calm the
hell down.
Thanks as always for watching, I realize I didn’t exactly go all heavy with the jokes
this time around, but to be fair the underlying subject matter at hand was war, so yeah.
Either way, if you enjoyed this video please give it a like, share it, follow me on social
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