摘要：This article reviews the role of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in demilitarized countries with a case study of Costa Rica and Panama, two small Central American countries that have constitutionally abolished their armies.The paper addresses the question of whether a country that has not a regular army can in fact be respectful and supportive of the international rules governing armed conflicts.Through a detailed review of national bodies and legislation in both countries, the findings allow the author to conclude that the lack of regular armies or military forces is not a convincing argument to disobey and ignore the norms of IHL.
关键词：International humanitarian law; demilitarization; armed forces; Costa Rica; Panama
