The Laws of war are a universal set of rules made by the International humanitarian Law that regulates the conduct of war by balancing aspects of the war and mainly weakening the enemy. The main purpose of these rules is to maintain humanity in armed conflicts through saving lives and reducing suffering. They are based on various principles, which are proportionality, honor, and humanity
The principle of proportionality protects those not participating in the war and the injured. Particularly, they advocate that civilians should not be targeted and the things essential for their survival should not be destroyed. Further, the law of war provides that medical workers should not be barred from doing their job. They are free to treat anyone regardless of the side they stand in the conflict.
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In addition, the principle of honor prohibits torture and wrong treatment of detainees. They should be given food, water, and allowed to communicate with their loved. It demands for fairness and mutual respect of the detainees.
Under the principle of humanity, the rules of war limit the use of weapons that do not have the ability to distinguish between civilians and fighters. It also prohibits indiscriminate attacks such as dropping explosives in a residential area where no forces are involved in the attack.
On the other hand, the Laws in war are rules set up when the war is in progression in an attempt to end the conflict or after the war to prevent future occurrence. These laws are usually agreed on by the military or government involved in the conflict in order to rectify the cause of the conflict. An example is after the terrorist attack of 2001, Bush administration declared a worldwide war on terror that led to laws such as new security legislation and covert military operations
Both sets of laws are equally important for they both ensure the safety of civilians and they are similar. However, the Laws of war tend weigh more since they are rules that have been set unlike the laws in war.
