The Civilianization of Armed Conflict

Trends and Implications

Author(s): Andreas Wenger, Simon Mason
Journal Title: International Review of the Red Cross
Volume: 90
Issue: 872
Pages: 835-852
Publisher(s): Cambridge University Press
Publication Year: 2008

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.

Document (Website)