Sixty Years Later, How Relevant Are The Geneva Conventions?

Sixty years ago -- on August 12, 1949 -- the four Geneva Conventions of the post-World War II era were published. The first three revised and expanded earlier treaties dating back to the 1860s on the treatment of wounded soldiers, sailors at sea, and prisoners of war. The fourth deals with the treatment of civilians during wartime. But since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, critics have charged that the Geneva Conventions are outdated and ill suited to an era where one side in a war is a militant group rather than the armed forces of a state.

RFE/RL: Why are the Geneva Conventions so important to international humanitarian law today? Are The Geneva Conventions Still Relevant?