Abstract:
The existential catastrophe faced by the population of the Gaza Strip currently looms large in the foreign policy and security debates. The plight of civilians there is particularly acute. Yet, severe crises persist elsewhere too - from Ukraine and Sudan to Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti - where protracted violent conflicts continue to cause grave suffering among civilians. This grim reality is underscored in the United Nations Secretary-General's latest annual report, released in May. At the same time, conventional mechanisms for international conflict resolution are failing in an increasing number of contexts. In light of this, it is crucial to systematically track evolving conflict dynamics and to revise approaches to the protection of civilians accordingly.