The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC) project was created in 2007 to provide independent and authoritative legal classifications of situations of armed conflict worldwide. It determines whether situations of violence amount to international armed conflicts, including military occupations, or non-international armed conflicts, thereby identifying the international legal framework applicable to the parties involved.
From 2015 to 2025, the project was hosted on its own platform, an archive of which is available here. RULAC is now integrated into the Academy’s work on civilian harm and compliance with international humanitarian law, in particular the annual IHL in Focus report and the ongoing War WATCH platform.
By providing legally rigorous and transparent conflict classifications, RULAC supports accountability processes, informs humanitarian and diplomatic engagement, and contributes to a shared understanding of how international law applies to situations of armed violence.
RULAC focuses on the legal qualification of situations of armed conflict under international humanitarian law. It assesses whether and when the legal thresholds for international armed conflicts, non-international armed conflicts, or military occupations are met, and identifies the parties to each conflict.
This legal classification defines the body of international law applicable to the conduct of hostilities and the protection of persons affected by armed conflict. It also provides the necessary normative framework for analysing civilian harm and compliance with IHL, ensuring conceptual coherence across the Geneva Academy’s research and policy engagement on armed conflicts.
RULAC applies a rigorous and transparent legal methodology grounded in international humanitarian law and relevant jurisprudence. Its analysis is based on clearly defined legal criteria and thresholds, assessed through publicly available and credible sources.
The project follows a country-based approach that reflects contemporary conflict dynamics. For each country, all situations of armed conflict are assessed together, allowing for a comprehensive and coherent legal classification. Classifications are reviewed and updated in light of factual and legal developments, ensuring accuracy and consistency over time.
All current RULAC classifications are published through War WATCH, where they are presented alongside contextualised information on civilian harm and IHL-compliance assessments. This integration enables users to navigate seamlessly between legal qualification, humanitarian impact, and compliance analysis within a single analytical platform.
RULAC also produces consolidated legal outputs, including a volume bringing together all conflict classifications for a defined reporting period. In addition, the project maintains access to an archived version of the former standalone RULAC portal for historical consultation and reference.
RULAC conducts continuous monitoring and legal analysis of situations of violence worldwide, assessing whether developments meet the thresholds for classification under international humanitarian law. The project tracks both established and emerging situations and updates classifications when required by legal and factual changes.
Beyond legal analysis, RULAC contributes to dissemination and engagement activities, including expert briefings, policy dialogues, podcasts, training sessions, and media engagement. Through these activities, the project ensures that its legal findings inform practice and decision-making among humanitarian actors, diplomatic services, military institutions, and international organisations.
RULAC is carried out by a team of researchers with expertise in international humanitarian law, armed-conflict dynamics, and global monitoring, supported by external consultants providing regional and thematic expertise.
The project is closely connected to the Geneva IHL Lab, through which master’s students contribute to selected country analyses under academic supervision, strengthening analytical capacity while linking research and teaching.
RULAC is funded by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), whose support enables the Geneva Academy to maintain an independent, up-to-date, and globally accessible resource on the legal classification of armed conflicts.