How it works
The first point gets to the heart of it. Hunger in the modern world is almost never about a country physically lacking food - it's about access: who has the right to pass through, buy, receive and transport it.
The second point is especially devastating because it targets the reserve. A farm gets through a bad year using its reserve; taking that reserve turns a difficult year into a deadly one.
What the law says
Intentionally depriving civilians of objects necessary for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law; certain resolutions explicitly describe using starvation as a method of warfare as unacceptable. Proving intent, however, is extremely difficult.
The difficulty is that almost everything has two possible explanations. A destroyed bridge may be a military necessity or a way to deprive people of food; a delayed convoy may be a security check or a way to block aid. Telling the difference requires documents and time.
That's where the people who document these situations come in. They collect data on market prices, the movement of shipments and children's health - and piece by piece, they build a picture that no single incident can provide.
Historians also urge caution. It can be impossible, even decades later, to distinguish deliberate deprivation from incompetent management and a chain of circumstances - and many cases remain disputed.
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Sources
- International humanitarian law prohibits using starvation among civilians as a method of warfare and destroying objects necessary for survival
- in practice, distinguishing intentional deprivation of access from the consequences of military action or management errors requires systematic data collection