What is the Geniva Convention and what does it have to do with anything?

The Geneava Convention is the rules of war that countries are supposed to abide by. It outlines Human rights and it distinguishes the differences between a soldier and a criminal. Here's a link regarding POW treatment under these rules.

http://193.194.138.190/html/menu3/b/91.htm

Moe, which countries contributed to the Convention, do you know?

For any who are really interested, here is the full Geneva Convention:

(I)United Nations Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field.

(II)United Nations Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea.

(III)United Nations Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

(IV)United Nations Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I)

Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II)



Number of States Parties to the Geneva Conventions: 190
Number of States Parties to the Ad, Protocol I: 161
Number of States Party to Article 90: 64
Number of States Parties to the Ad. Protocol II: 156
Number of States Members of the United Nations: 191

Between these two lists, you can see who has ratified different parts of it:
1995 and earlier
1996 and later

Ratifiers of Provision I, Article 90
(article 90 basically makes provisions for judging disputes related to accusation of breaking the Geneva Convention)

And, in case you were wondering, Iraq agreed to the Convention in 1956, and the US ratified the Convention in 1955. Neither has agreed to the Additional Provisions, including Article 90.

And, lest I be accused of acting as though we're alone in this war, Australia, Poland, and the UK (the other 3 countries with armed troops involved) have all ratified the Geneva Convention and all of its provisions, including Article 90.

[This message was edited by methos5000 on 03-26-03 at 01:31 PM.]

It's ironic that Iraq signed the convention in 1956. That was the year Hussein's made his failed attempt in a coup against the monarchy of King Faisal II.

Yow, that is a lot to read... I will go through it all one of these days, I promise!
But to sum up (I need it in lay terms, pardon me, I just ain't that bright): Iraq agreed to the original Geneva Convention, right? They didn't think that Muslim law superceded it then, right? But that was under a different government in Iraq, right?
Has Saddam Hussein's government ever said that it agreed with the Geneva Convention or ever ratified any part of it?

...Not that any of this has any bearing on whether or not he should follow the 'rules of war' (there's an oxymoron), I'm just trying to understand it.

I don't know for sure that Iraq has formally agreed to the Geneva Convention since Saddam's coup in 1979, but it is still a member of the UN and has never formally withdrawn from the Geneva Convention.

Sorry I'm late but thanks you guys that was really helpful.