Damian Lilly’s scientific contributions

The protection of civilians is a priority in most international peace operations today. There are important differences in the concept, however, in the operations undertaken for example by the UN, NATO, EU and the AU. In particular, a distinction needs to be made between the protection of civilians in ‘peacekeeping’ as compared to ‘peace enforcement’ operations. While in the former a ‘proactive’ approach to protecting civilians is usually adopted, in the latter a ‘reactive’ approach is normally required. These theoretical differences present important implications for those decision-makers mandating the operations as well as those involved in planning and implementing them in the field.