The protection of civilians is a highly topical issue at the forefront of international discourse, and has taken a prominent role in many international deployments. It has been at the centre of debates on the NATO intervention in Libya, UN deployments in Darfur, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and on the failures of the international community in Sri Lanka and Syria. Variously described as a moral responsibility, a legal obligation, a mandated peacekeeping task, and the culmination of humanitarian activity, it has become a high-profile concern of governments, international organisations, and civil society, and a central issue in international peace and security. This book offers a multidisciplinary treatment of this important topic, harnessing perspectives from international law and international relations, traversing academia and practice. Moving from the historical and philosophical development of the civilian protection concept, through relevant bodies of international law and normative underpinnings, and on to politics and practice, the volume presents coherent cross-cutting analysis of the realities of conflict and diplomacy. In doing so, it engages a series of current debates, including on the role of politics in what has often been characterized as a humanitarian endeavour, and the challenges and impacts of the use of force. The work brings together a wide array of eminent academics and respected practitioners, incorporating contributions from legal scholars and ethicists, political commentators, diplomats, UN officials, military commanders, development experts and humanitarian aid workers. As the most comprehensive publication on the subject, this will be a first port of call for anyone studing or working towards a better protection of civilians in conflict.

Table of Contents:
Jan Ellison: Foreword Part I Conceptual and Historical Foundations 1: Hugo Slim: 1. Civilians, Distinction and the Compassionate View of War 2: Scott Sheeran and Catherine Kent: Protection of Civilians, Responsibility to Protect, and Humanitarian Intervention: Conceptual and Normative Interactions 3: Ralph Mamiya: A History and Conceptual Development of the Protection of Civilians 4: Stian Kjeksrud, Jacob Aasland Ravndal, Andreas Øien Stensland, Cedric de Coning and Walter Lotze: Protecting Civilians: Comparing Organizational Approaches 5: Haidi Willmot: The Evolution of the United Nations Collective Security System Part II Legal Framework 6: Andrew Clapham: Protection of Civilians Under International Human Rights Law 7: Jamie A Williamson: Protection of Civilians Under International Humanitarian Law 8: Erin Mooney: Displacement and the Protection of Civilians under International Law 9: Mona Ali Khalil: Legal Aspects of the Use of Force by United Nations Peacekeepers for the Protection of Civilians 10: Siobhan Wills: International Responsibility for Ensuring the Protection of Civilians Part III- Politics and Practice 11: Jean-Marie Guéhenno: The United Nations and the Protection of Civilians 12: Ben Kioko and Lydia Wambugu: The African Union and the Protection of Civilians 13: Ambassador Bruno Stagna Ugarte: Security Council Diplomacy on the Protection of Civilians: A Convoluted History 14: Fiona Blyth and Patrick Cammaert: Using Force to Protect Civilians in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations 15: Stian Kjeksrud: The Utility of Force for Protecting Civilians 16: Michael Keating and Richard Bennett: The Contribution of Human Rights to Protecting People in Conflict 17: Sara Pantuliano and Eva Svoboda: Humanitarian Protection - Moving beyond the Tried and Tested 18: Lise Grande: The Problems and Dilemmas of Helping to Build Protection Capacities 19: Aditi Gorur and Nils Carstensen: Community Self-protection