Compassion and International Humanitarian Law

Prima facie, compassion and law seem to belong to two different worlds. However, they are interrelated. Focusing on international humanitarian law, this contribution illustrates the extent to which compassion can be a driver of international humanitarian law, it highlights integral and textual elements of compassion in international humanitarian law, and it discusses compassionate attitudes in the operation of the law. As important as the distinction between compassion and law is, this paper argues that a compassionate lawyer may enhance the effectiveness of international humanitarian law.