This chapter starts by relating the relationship between the law of armed conflict and human rights law as reflected in contemporary jurisprudence of the international courts. The impracticability of current interpretations of this relationship is then explained. After briefly considering the sources of international law and how the notion of lex specialis might assist the development of a new, practically applicable understanding, the chapter proposes an alternative framework for the application, respectively, of law of armed conflict and human rights law norms. The suggested framework is then applied to the conduct of hostilities and to Article 5 tribunals, while examples of matters that should be jointly regulated by both bodies of law and matters that should be regulated by human rights law alone are considered in turn. The effect of emerging approaches to warfare is considered and the relevance of stagnation in treaty law development is assessed.