Armed actors

2004 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Armed Actors

The Colombian Private Sector in Colombia’s Transition to Peace

2019 ◽  
pp. 255-278
Author(s):  
Angelika Rettberg
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Profit Motive ◽  
Civil Action ◽  
The Many ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Armed Actors

During the Colombian civil war, businesses undertook both civil and uncivil actions, but the civil action of a “pro-peace coalition” was among the many factors moving the conflict toward its (uneasy) settlement in 2016. This chapter documents the civil action efforts of a pro-peace coalition, explores how support for these efforts changed over time—particularly in the last two attempts to negotiate peace, in Caguán (1998–2002) and in Havana, Cuba (2012–2016), and focuses on the motivations behind them. Contrary to simplistic analyses, it demonstrates that the profit motive alone cannot explain business strategies in contexts of conflict and peacebuilding. Contextual factors, the type of organization, and access to politics are important in understanding how business factions respond to armed conflict, including those participating in civil action within the “pro-peace coalition” and those aligning themselves with armed actors. The explanation of Colombian business strategies to address armed conflict holds lessons for understanding business-led civil action in other countries.

scholarly journals Shifting targets: the effect of peacekeeping on postwar violence

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 979-1003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinne Bara
Keyword(s):  
Civil Wars ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Security ◽  
Modus Operandi ◽  
Spatial Approach ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Security Gap ◽  
Armed Actors ◽  
International Interventions

Existing research shows that peace after civil wars is more stable with peacekeepers present. Yet, violence persists in many postwar contexts, and although postwar violence is often strategic and closely linked to the faultlines of the preceding war, we know little about the impact of peacekeepers on such violence. What we know, moreover, focuses on the former combatants, while this study shows that the majority of deaths in postwar violence are inflicted by other armed actors. This is a challenge for peacekeepers who – for mandate or capacity reasons – usually focus on the warring parties. I argue that the impact of peacekeepers on postwar violence hinges on the extent to which they fill a public security gap after war, since responsibility for violence not covered by a mission’s mandate lies with the often dysfunctional security agencies of the state. To test this I use a novel spatial approach to generate data that captures the manifold manifestations of violence across different postwar contexts. I find that only UN police – with their broader effect on public security – mitigate postwar violence generally. UN troops have some impact on civilian targeting by former combatants but no such effect could be identified for violence by other armed actors. The findings highlight the importance of peacekeeping police at a time when the modus operandi and capacity of UN police have been questioned, but also the importance of accounting for a multitude of violent actors when analysing the impact of international interventions more generally.

The Analysis of Conflict: A Micro-Level Perspective

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Verwimp ◽  
Patricia Justino ◽  
Tilman Brück
Keyword(s):  
Global Perspective ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Civilian Population ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Core Message ◽  
Armed Actors

This article introduces a special issue on the micro-level dynamics of mass violent conflict. While most analyses of conflict typically adopt a regional, national or global perspective, often using country-level data, this special issue takes an explicit micro-level approach, focusing on the behaviour and welfare of individuals, households and groups or communities. At a fundamental level, conflict originates from individuals' behaviour and their repeated interactions with their surroundings, in other words, from its micro-foundations. A micro-level approach advances our understanding of conflict by its ability to account for individual and group heterogeneity within one country or one conflict. The contributors to this special issue investigate the nature of violence against civilians, the agency of civilians during conflict, the strategic interaction between civilians and armed actors, the consequences of displacement, the effectiveness of coping strategies and the impact of policy interventions. The core message from these articles is that in order to understand conflict dynamics and its effects on society, we have to take seriously the incentives and constraints shaping the interaction between the civilian population and the armed actors. The kind of interaction that develops, as well as the resulting conflict dynamics, depend on the type of conflict, the type of armed actors and the characteristics of the civilian population and its institutions.

The Principle of Distinction Between Civilians and Combatants

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nils Melzer
Keyword(s):  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Civilian Population ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Armed Actors

This chapter examines the provisions of international humanitarian law (IHL) concerning the distinction between legitimate military targets and persons protected against direct attacks. It explains that the practical application of the principle of distinction in contemporary armed conflicts has become increasingly difficult because of a number of factors. These include the growing asymmetry of military confrontations, the intermingling of armed actors with the civilian population, and the increasing involvement of civilians in the conduct of hostilities.

scholarly journals Human Shields: Complementary Duties under IHL

AJIL Unbound ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 110 ◽  
pp. 317-322
Author(s):  
Beth Van Schaack
Keyword(s):  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Legal Rules ◽  
Military Necessity ◽  
Armed Actors

The phenomenon of human shields challenges core tenets of international humanitarian law (IHL), including its careful dialectic between the imperatives of humanity and military necessity. Although the principles of distinction, precaution, and proportionality are well established in the abstract, consensus remains elusive when these concepts are applied to situations involving human shields, who blur the boundary between civilians and combatants. And while the prohibition against using human shields is absolute, it is too often honored in its breach in today's asymmetrical conflicts. Indeed, resort to human shields has become attractive precisely because it exploits protective legal rules to the detriment of those principled armed actors who value—and thus strive for—IHL compliance. These parties, in turn, are struggling to adapt their operations to a practice that has become “endemic” in the modern battlefield.

Congo provincial governance deficit may deepen unrest

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Election Law ◽  
Content Type ◽  
People's Party ◽  
Armed Actors

Subject Congo's ruling coalition and the provinces. Significance Amid a deepening political, institutional and economic crisis, the ruling Presidential Majority (MP) -- like President Joseph Kabila's People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) -- appears to be losing its grip on the provinces. Provincial governors in the Congo have a long-standing reputation for self-enrichment and nepotism. However, there are signs that provincial governance is not only deteriorating further, but increasingly slipping out of Kinshasa's control. This is resulting in heightened levels of corruption and intimidation -- and increasing popular unrest. Impacts Minimum vote thresholds in the draft election law, which small parties see as a PPRD power grab, may further erode unity within the MP. Domestic unrest may spike as 2017 ends, with protests marking the expiry of the December 31 election deadline. Popular despair at deteriorating governance is likely to increase sympathies for local anti-government armed actors.

scholarly journals Aiding Activism? Humanitarianism’s Impacts on Mobilized Syrian Refugees in Jordan

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rana B. Khoury
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Humanitarian Crisis ◽  
Syrian Crisis ◽  
Syrian Conflict ◽  
Armed Actors

A common narrative of the Syrian conflict suggests that it began with a grassroots uprising and devolved into a violent war between armed actors, leaving civilians to become victims or warriors. A more careful consideration of developments in and around Syria uncovers evidence of continued unarmed mobilization among civilians. Indeed, refugees in neighboring countries like Jordan are deeply engaged in humanitarian, developmental, and political endeavors. In this study, qualitative research and a unique survey together demonstrate that Syrians in Jordan have engaged in abundant activism on behalf of the Syrian cause. Still, the overwhelming militarism and humanitarianism that have characterized the Syrian crisis have had their impacts: activist organization is constricted and configured by security imperatives and, paradoxically, by the aid regime assisting civilians in the conflict. In turn, activism has evolved from grassroots mobilization to a formal and aid-based response to a humanitarian crisis.

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