Two wrongs don’t make a right: Reflections on reciprocity and its impact on the path to peace

Abstract This article explores the enduring tension between the human impulse for reciprocity and the legal prohibitions against it within international humanitarian law. It argues that reciprocity’s “negative” application in armed conflict – justifying violations because an adversary has committed the same violations – creates destructive cycles of violence that undermine both humanitarian protections and the long-term prospects for peace.