Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- pt. I. Conceptual and historical foundations -- Civilians, distinctions, and the compassionate vie of war -- Protection of civilians, responsibility to protect, and humanitarian intervention : conceptual ad normative interactions -- A history and conceptual development of the protection of civilians -- Protecting civilians : comparing organizational approaches -- The evolution of the UN collective security system -- pt. II. Legal framework -- Protection of civilian under international human rights law -- Protection of civilians under international humanitarian law -- Displacement and the protection of civilians under international refugee law -- Legal aspects of the use of force by United Nations peacekeepers for the protection of civilians -- International responsibility for ensuring the protection of civilians -- pt. III.Politics and practice -- The United Nations and the protection of civilians -- The African Union and the protection of civilians -- Security council diplomacy on the protection of civilians : a convoluted history -- Using force to protect civilians in United Nations peacekeeping operations -- The utility of force for protecting civilians -- The contribution of human rights to protecting people in conflict -- Humanitarian protection -- moving beyond the tried and tested -- The problems and dilemmas of helping to build protection capacities -- Community sef-protection -- Conclusion.

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 center 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 organizations, 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 endeavor, and the challenges and impacts of the use of force.