An Unique non-State Actor in International Law: The International Committee of the Red Cross

Abstract

The essay discusses the unique role played by a special non State actor – the International Committee of the Red Cross (hereinafter ICRC) – in the development, implementation and enforcement of international humanitarian law. It argues that the question of international legal personality is not as uncontroversial as it is often claimed to be and that at any rate solving such a question is not absolutely necessary to understand the nature and the role of the ICRC