The end of the Cold War dramatically changed the focus of world politics, the Geneva Conferences, the nature and conduct of warfare and the relevance of international humanitarian law. The rise of the Cold War informed the conception of international humanitarian law. (Barsalou, 2008, p. 19). During the cold war, response to humanitarian crises was routinely used to support foreign policy objectives (Ferris, 2016, p. 174) rather than assisting those in need. But with the Cold War ending, the focus and development of laws and policies as well as locations, ideologies and theologies had to shift. International humanitarian law (IHL) needed to catch up to the new norms of warfare. New norms of warfare would soon include the rise of women soldiers, to include the sharp rise of women in military leadership; the rise of child soldiers, either force or by choice; non-state warring parties and terrorists; new concepts of torture and detainees; and refugee flow.