Armed conflicts asymmetric

Keywords Law of armed conflict International armed conflict Non-intemational armed conflict Asymmetric warfare Guerrilla warfare Soft law... 

From Inter-state and Symmetric to Intrastate and Asymmetric Changing Methods of Warfare and the Law of Armed Conflict in the 100 Years Since World War One... 

In the 100 years following the outbreak of World War I, warfare—both in practice, and how that practice is reflected in the law—has evolved from predominantly State-based symmetric events into predominantly non-intemational armed conflicts, fought by non-State actors, often employing unconventional methods and tactics in order to achieve their aims. The prevalence of these kinds of conflicts in the last decades has led to such conflicts being termed asymmetric wars. 

Since the end of the Cold War, the world has seen an increasing number of asymmetric conflicts in a multipolar world. Non-State armed groups, which themselves are often fragmented, together with the constant emergence of new armed groups raise new hurdles for IHL and related assistance and protection efforts. 

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