By: Dan Mahanty and Annie Shiel Multinational coalitions have become an enduring feature of American wars, from standing alliances like NATO to the ad-hoc coalitions fighting Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria. Yet, for the frequency with which the US turns to coalitions as a preferred mode of fighting, remarkably little has been done to examine the relationship between…
By: Federico Borello In most conflict zones around the world, the majority of those killed were civilians. Those who survived suffered myriad physical, emotional, and economic hardships. In the Middle East, three permanent members of the UN Security Council – the body charged with maintaining global peace and security – conducted or supported military campaigns…
By: Daniel R. Mahanty and Eric Eikenberry The debate over U.S. complicity in Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe is coming to a head in the Senate, with a series of votes on the Sanders-Lee-Murphy war powers resolution. But beyond this immediate measure, other members of Congress are planning to increase their long-term leverage over weapons sales to problematic…
By: Daniel R. Mahanty and Rita Siemion For all the time and attention that the Defense Department has rightly spent addressing civilian casualties, no single official at the Pentagon has ever been formally charged with overseeing the many challenges involved with proactively preventing civilian casualties and assessing and responding to reports of harm. And while many…
What do you picture when you think of a conflict zone? Many imagine buildings reduced to rubble, displaced families, and armed actors carrying out operations. On this International Day of Non-Violence, I would like to add another image – one that does not solely portray civilians as victims. Think of civilians and armed actors sitting…
Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo took a turn for the worse in 2017 and the New Year is unlikely to bring much relief to Congolese civilians.
Overall civilian casualties in Afghanistan decreased by 6 percent in the first nine months of 2017 compared to the same time period the previous year, with the number of civilians injured falling by 9 percent but the number of those killed increasing by 1 percent, according to a new report from the United Nations Assistance…
The Foreign Policy article penned by Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend in rebuttal to one by Airwars’ Samuel Oakford is the latest shot fired in the ongoing public quarrel between NGOs and the US military over civilian casualties. When talking about civilian casualties in conflict, the Center for Civilians in Conflict believes that constructive dialogue and…
In the coming year, CIVIC’s US program will be focused on seeking answers to a number of questions in an effort to understand and, where possible, help to shape the future for civilians affected by US actions in war.