It doesn’t make any sense to me that leaders of countries can declare war with total immunity from its violence, unless they’re actually fighting themselves, which in most cases they are not.
They have nothing to lose when they declare war, so why should they be allowed to put all of us at risk?
How can the Laws of War be changed to hold politicians accountable for their actions and make them think long and hard before engaging in wars? Maybe alternatively, all politicians including the president/PM/leader should have to serve in the military as well.
I guess the logic behind those rules is to maximise the chance for negotiations to be successful. If both countries are in chaos because their leaders keep getting killed, who are you going to negotiate a cease fire with?
Of course, this is assuming all other rules (only targeting military infrastructure, minimising civilian casualties, etc) are followed, which pretty much never happens.
I do agree with your point that the elites are way too isolated from the consequences of war, which makes them way too hawkish for their own good.
Yeah that makes sense, but there are multiple people who can negotiate a ceasefire.
In times of war there should be a second and maybe third in command who must stay separate from first in command and each other. They are immune from being killed by laws of war. First in command is always fair game.