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The civilianization of armed conflict: trends and implications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2009

Andreas Wenger  and
Simon J. A. Mason
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Abstract

Civilians play an increasingly important and complex role in armed conflicts, both as victims and as perpetrators. While this overall trend towards ‘civilianization’ encompasses all types of present-day conflicts, it is twofold: it takes on a very different nature in high-technology warfare than in the context of low-technology combats that are typical of many civil wars. This article explores these two trends, shows how they merge in asymmetric warfare and outlines key implications for international stabilization and state-building efforts. The present-day conflict landscape is presented from a security policy point of view, placing the ongoing debates on the civilian participation in hostilities in a broader strategic context.

Type
Direct Participation in Hostilities
Information
International Review of the Red Cross , Volume 90 , Issue 872: Direct participation in hostilities , December 2008 , pp. 835 - 852
Copyright
Copyright © International Committee of the Red Cross 2009

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References

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