The Crimes of War Project is a unique collaboration of journalists, lawyers and scholars that seeks to raise awareness of the laws of war among the media, governments, the human rights and humanitarian aid communities, and the general public.

Born out of the experiences war reporters in post-Cold War conflicts, the Project is an attempt to explain war crimes in lay terms using the existing framework defining crimes. The originators of the Project believe that the little understood, and under used, body of law known as international humanitarian law —the laws of war— provides such a framework, and can serve as a means for understanding the violence and excesses of modern armed conflicts.

The Project, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is currently based at American University in Washington, D.C. The core Project aim is to expand on the themes in the book, Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know, by coordinating a number of awareness raising and educational activities. These will include:

• World Wide Web Site This Site is designed to compliment the book by updating its contents with commissioned articles and photography that examine current armed conflicts and other international issues in light of international humanitarian law. It will also serve as a forum for debate and a resource on the law for journalists, diplomatic, human rights, and humanitarian relief personnel, lawyers, scholars, and the general public.
• Training Seminars The Project will organize training seminars that will bring together journalists, academics and legal experts to learn about the laws of war and ethical issues in war coverage.
• Presentations and Exhibits The Project will develop and coordinate speaking engagements and presenations on humanitarian law and war reporting, and, potentially, photography exhibits.
• Courses in Humanitarian Law The Project will coordinate the development of curricula for university-level journalism schools and civics/social studies courses in high schools.