ABSTRACT
This international law of war, or ius in bello, is commonly referred to as international humanitarian law. Although partisans played a particular role in occupied areas during World War II, since then guerilla fighters has taken an important role on the stage of combat. Terrorist attacks against civilians violate the most fundamental rule of the laws of war: the prohibition of attacks against civilians. The most effective way to enforce the laws of war is through international criminal law, which relies on the responsibility of the individual perpetrator rather than on apportioning blame to the state. The privatization of war and the growing importance of Private Military and Security Companies raise issues beyond those already discussed earlier regarding mercenaries. The potential damage done through cyberwarfare, which can include serious damage to infrastructure such as the electricity grid, is in its severity already comparable to the use of armed force.
