Protection of Civilians

This set of research projects explores the origins and effectiveness of international efforts to reduce civilian harm in wars.

If the sparing of civilians is one of the oldest rules of war, why are so many civilians at risk in armed conflicts? How strong are these norms? How do assumptions about civilians play into efforts to enforce them? How are the rules changing? Is this for the better? Why or why not? My research on civilians has focused on the the strength of the immunity norm to restrain political violence by exploring public opinion, finding that Americans want their leaders to obey the laws of war. But I've also explored how gendered social understandings of the 'civilian' adversely affect the efficacy of civilian protection policy. The association of 'women and children' with civilians - whether by the Obama administration, the Bosnian Serbs, or the humanitarian sector itself - has resulted in failures to protect civilian men and boys and to even recognize their vulnerabilities in war. Third, I've focused on the weakness of the civilian immunity norm to protect civilians from the effects of lawful military operations, or 'collateral damage' - and the efforts by norm entrepreneurs to change this.