Does International Humanitarian Law Play Any Role in Demilitarized Countries? A Policy Analysis of Costa Rica and Panama
Keywords:
International humanitarian law, demilitarization, armed forces, Costa Rica, PanamaAbstract
This article reviews the role of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in demilitarized countries with a case study of Costa Rica and Panama, two small Central American countries that have constitutionally abolished their armies. The paper addresses the question of whether a country that has not a regular army can in fact be respectful and supportive of the international rules governing armed conflicts. Through a detailed review of national bodies and legislation in both countries, the findings allow the author to conclude that the lack of regular armies or military forces is not a convincing argument to disobey and ignore the norms of IHL.
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Revista de Relaciones Internacionales por Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivar 4.0 Internacional