This work investigates the legal and moral frameworks governing the conduct of hostilities and the limitations imposed upon belligerents during armed conflict. Sydney D. Bailey, a noted scholar associated with the Royal Institute of International Affairs, examines the historical evolution and practical application of international regulations designed to mitigate the severity of war. The text provides a systematic analysis of how treaties, customs, and humanitarian principles attempt to balance military necessity against the protection of non-combatants and the restriction of weaponry.

Experts recognize this text as a concise and focused contribution to the study of international relations and the legal history of warfare. Readers frequently note the academic clarity of the prose, which makes complex legal concepts accessible to those interested in the institutional history of conflict regulation.