Civilian Protection in the Twenty-First Century

Description

There has been a significant consolidation of international norms to advance human protection objectives in current global politics. Yet, while civilian protection is at the heart of international humanitarian law and the United Nations global security agenda, armed conflicts today are increasingly fragmented. The current global security environment creates significant ethical and political complexities for the actors operating in this field to protect civilians. This volume interrogates the diversity of practices and the politics of civilian protection at the individual and community as well as the state, non-state, and the international community levels to conceptualize civilian protection in this complex environment.
The book comprises thematic chapters on humanitarian intervention, protection of populations of concern including refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), and international diplomacy, which are enriched with six case studies from Asia and Africa. Combining conceptual debate with empirical evidence, the contributors describe the contexts in which interventions occur and the practical ways in which protection mechanisms have been implemented. This volume offers alternatives that can be adopted to improve and build upon current practices of civilian protection.
About the Editors

Cecilia Jacob is Research Fellow, Department of International Relations, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Australian National University, Canberra.

Alistair D. B. Cook is Research Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Table of contents

PREFACE
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Introduction: New Wine in Old Bottles? Civilian Protection in the Twenty-First Century
Cecilia Jacob and Alistair D. B. Cook

I Contesting Concepts
1. The New Politics of Protection? Côte d’Ivoire, Libya and the Responsibility to Protect
Alex J. Bellamy and Paul D. Williams
2. ‘Responsibility to Protect’: A Study in Consensus-building
Linda Quayle

3. The Rwanda Paradigm: The Responsibility to Protect Displaced Persons
Susan Harris Rimmer

II Asia
4. The Politics of Protecting Religious Minorities: The State and Communal Violence in India
Cecilia Jacob

5. Civilian Protection, Resilience, and Insecurity in Myanmar
Alistair D. B. Cook

6. China’s Dual Approach towards the Protection of Civilians
Lina Gong

III Africa
7. Libya and the State of Intervention
Tim Dunne and Jess Gifkins

8. Protection First, Justice Later? Stopping Mass Atrocities in Northern Uganda
Raymond Kwun Sun Lau

9. Civilian Protection in Darfur: Promise, Politics, and Practice
David Mickler

Conclusion: Conceptualizing Civilian Protection in Global Politics—Frameworks and Possibilities
Cecilia Jacob

INDEX
NOTES ON EDITORS AND CONTRIBUTORS