International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in the Global Legal Order

Within Norwegian defence and foreign policy, the establishment of an international legal order and the global rule of law have been identified as key objectives. As articulated in various Norwegian policy documents and statements, these objectives appear to presume (i) that there exists a harmonious and complementary relationship between human rights and humanitarian law, and (ii) that the convergence of the two bodies of law is necessarily a good thing. This policy brief provides a contextual and conceptual overview of the debate on the relationship between human rights and humanitarian law, in order to set out for Norwegian policymakers the full range of approaches to the issue.