Winner of the 1988 Paul Reuter Prize awarded by the International Committee of the Red Cross, this book examines two branches of the international law of armed conflict as they apply to national liberation movements. First, it explores the idea that national liberation movements may legitimately resort to the use of force to secure the right of their peoples to self-determination. Second, it examines the application of the humanitarian law of armed conflict in wars of national liberation. After a brief explanation of the traditional law, the book explores the development of the idea that there is a right of peoples to self-determination in international law. The book then expands upon two corollaries which derive from this idea. The first is that in situations of national liberation struggles the use of force should be regarded as legitimate. The second corollary is that, since peoples have status in international law separate and distinct from that of the states governing them, wars of national liberation are international wars by definition, and the international rules governing the conduct of hostilities should apply.