On the Edges of Conflict

The changing nature of armed conflict since the end of the Cold War and the events of September 11th presents challenges to the normative framework laid out in the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. Humanitarians, the military and civil society face uncertainty on the edges of today’s armed conflict.

In order to tackle these challenges, the Liu Institute for Global Issues and the Canadian Red Cross have joined in a unique partnership combining their policy, legal and operational know-how to engage international and Canadian experts as well as academics in this research project. In this way, the project also aims to build Canadian policy capacity.

The research examines issues of compliance by non-state armed groups; the roles and responsibilities of private military companies; the growing situations of violence in large urban centers; the interplay between human rights law and international humanitarian law; and the blurring of boundaries between military, policing, development and humanitarian activities.

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the Liu Institute and the Canadian Red Cross are planning to host a conference in Vancouver in early 2009 to examine the results of the research as well as to provide policy recommendations and address areas for further research.

This project is supported through the generous contribution of the Glyn Berry Program for Peace and Security, part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Global Peace and Security Fund.

Posted March 18, 2008