Civilian Protection in Conflict and Post-Conflict Zones

This course addresses the issues of civilian protection in zones of armed conflict. It explores three key themes: the nature of contemporary forms of conflict and its investments in civilians; the experiences of civilians in conflict zones and their capacity to shape those experiences; the responsibilities and efforts of the international community to seek the protection of civilians in and after conflict. To this end, this course will begin by examining traditional and non-traditional approaches to conflict and conflict analysis, including the realist and liberal traditions, democratic peace theory, cosmopolitanism, literatures on new wars and complex emergencies, and debates on humanitarian intervention. It will then examine the impact that different conflicts have upon civilians. It will apply an identity politics lens to understand how the civilian experience is shaped by gender, age, ethnicity, religion, and location. It will also debate what is required for civilian protection, how it is best implemented, and by whom. The course then turns to an examination of the international community's work in providing civilian protection- in particular it will focus on the work of the UN and major NGOs and INGOs, and the militarised responses of global coalitions such as NATO.