Caught in the Cold: International Humanitarian Law and Prisoners of War During the Cold War

Despite humanitarian rhetoric, or even genuine concern for making war more humane during the Cold War, international humanitarian law (IHL) was inevitably used as a tool through which one could score political points. This can especially be seen in the case of Prisoners of War (POWs) whose good treatment and release were governed by expediency and usefulness rather than any form of overarching spirit of humanitarianism. This article will look at the way POWs were used and abused during the conflict and how Cold War tensions played out in drafting IHL. It will conclude by looking at how the events of the Cold War affect the way we regard these issues today.