Outrages committed during violent conflict and as part of the 'war on terror' are not only an affront to human dignity, they also violate the Geneva Conventions.

Looking at high-profile cases of repeated and open abuse of the Conventions, the book reveals how attempts to undermine the Geneva Conventions as incompatible with the age of 'global terror' will create a less secure and more volatile world. From normalising torture in Guantanamo, to new technical and tactical developments that challenge the standing of the conventions, the contributors reveal how even individuals in the most powerful countries face the prospect of a horrifying vulnerability.