The history of the distinction between international and non-international armed conflicts -- The distinction between international and non-international armed conflicts -- Direct foreign military intervention in civil wars -- Indirect foreign interventions in civil wars -- Representation of states and reclassification of ongoing armed foreign interventions due to a governmental change -- International organisations and foreign interventions in civil wars -- Case study: The armed conflicts in Yemen (2015-ongoing).

"Civil wars have formed the vast majority of all armed conflicts since the Second World War. These civil wars have often been accompanied by the intervention of foreign states in favour of one or more of the parties. Such interventions raise various general questions regarding conflict classification in international humanitarian law (IHL), which are important because the relevant law that applies is shaped by whether a conflict is classified as international or non-international. This book provides a thorough examination of the theoretical basis of classification of conflicts in IHL, with special focus on the legal impact of armed foreign intervention in civil wars. The author examines issues concerning conflict classification and examining recent civil wars with foreign interventions, such as the Libyan civil war (2011), Mali civil war (2012-2015) and the ongoing civil war in Yemen, and identifying potential solutions to different lacunae in this field."-- Back cover.