In a column some weeks ago, I had tried to explain the difference between Rule of Law and Rule by Law. Under the former, the Law is supreme and all rulers must abide by the law. Under the latter, the rulers are supreme and the law is their servant and servants can be changed any time. Since the idea of settlements and communities took root, humans have adopted rules.
There are rules of war. After the two World Wars, the four Geneva Conventions and their Protocols were adopted and ratified by all 196 States. They constitute the International Humanitarian Law. In a nutshell, they lay down four rules:
Protect the sick, wounded, medical and religious personnel during conflict.
Care for the wounded, sick and shipwrecked during war at sea.
Treat prisoners of war with humanity.
Protect all civilians, including those in occupied territory.
However, these rules were violated with impunity in the wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Libya. They are violated in the ongoing wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas. Rape and pillage are common.
Russia has bombed and launched missile strikes on hospitals, schools and civilian areas in Ukraine. A Russian transport aircraft carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war and nine crew was shot down on January 24, 2024 killing all persons on the plane. Russia has accused Ukraine of an act of terrorism, which Ukraine denied.
In the Israel-Hamas war, Hamas started the present conflict on October 7, 2023. It launched a surprise attack on southern Israel from Gaza killing over 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. Israel’s response during the last four months has been brutal and disproportionate. Palestinians have been forced into the narrow Gaza Strip and 25,000 are reported killed.
Every rule has been violated by the four sides in the two wars. If the rules of war are violated, individuals and states can be prosecuted in the UN Courts. South Africa has dragged Israel to the International Court of Justice for violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza.
Sangam literature (300 BCE) has a beautiful poem on the rules of war: Cows, gentle Brahmins, women, the sick, those who do not have children
Leave for safe places;
A war will take place here
And my arrow will surge forward:
After the King spells out the path of dharma
He will engage in war
I am also wonder-struck by the description by the Tamil poet, Kamban (1180 CE), of the scene of the last battle between (Sri) Raman and Ravanan. Raman addresses Ravanan:
You have lost all your weapons and stand defenceless
It will not be dharma if I fight you now
Go today, and come back tomorrow for war
And I shall fight you.
Rules of Love
There are many books on rules of love. I think there are as many rules as there are books and as there are lovers. Rules of Love seems a popular title of such books.
From The Simple Rules of Love to 8 Rules of Love to The Forty Rules of Love, the catalogue is filled with books on love. I confess that I have not read any of them but there is apparently a vast readership for such books.
I was looking for insightful rules of love and found these:
Don’t waste your love on somebody, who doesn’t value it — William Shakespeare.
One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry — Oscar Wilde.
When we want to read of the deeds that are done for love, whither do we turn? To the murder column — George Bernard Shaw.
When you trip over love, it is easy to get up. But when you fall in love, it is impossible to stand again — Albert Einstein.
These may or may not be intended to be witty, but it is possible to discern some rules of love.
My favorite poet-philosopher had a whole Part on love in his immortal work, Tirukkural (c. 500 CE). The Part on love has 25 Chapters and 250 couplets. Here are some that could help discover some rules:
Between lovers, when the eye meets the eye, there is no use for words.
Abuse will not quell love, it is like believing that oil will douse the fire.
Rules of Politics
In the case of politics, it is well to not confuse the rules of politics with the law on politics. The law is one thing and the rules — the manner in which the game is played — is another thing.
In fact, in some matches, the game is played according to the unstated rules that aim to defeat the stated rules. For example, the law barring defections from political parties is played in a manner that will encourage more defections. Under the rules of politics, the umpire can also play on one side.
There are many such cases where Speakers became players in the game of defections. Moreover, it is a rule of politics that a simple matter must be explained in a complicated way. For more clarity on this rule and to know about the other rules of politics, the ‘go to’ man is Mr Nitish Kumar.
There are rules of war. After the two World Wars, the four Geneva Conventions and their Protocols were adopted and ratified by all 196 States. They constitute the International Humanitarian Law. In a nutshell, they lay down four rules: (Express File Photo) 
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