At its most basic, Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) refers to ‘civilians protecting themselves and other civilians, without the use or threat of violence,’ co-editor Ellen Furnari explains in her introduction.
Fellow co-editor Randy Janzen lists three broad categories of UCP: creating space for nonviolent activism (for example, North American activists accompanying human rights defenders in South and Central America in the 1980s); traditional peacekeeping; and protecting communities where violence is endemic.
‘The thought that unarmed practitioners could offer protection in the physical sense might seem ridiculous to most people because they have little exposure to anything other than physical force when it comes to managing threatening situations,’ John Reuwer notes.
However, he argues, UCP begins to look much more attractive when you consider all of the costs of violent action, such as the often high human and financial costs, and the possibility of retaliation leading to an escalation and widening of the conflict, ultimately making civilians more vulnerable.
In contrast, Furnari sets out a number of advantages that UCP has over violent intervention, including good local relationships and knowledge, not being seen as a physical threat to combatants, and independence from governments.
While I would have liked to have seen more detailed case studies, several examples of UCP are covered: projects in South Sudan, re-integrating ex-combatants back into Colombian society, and attempts to transform armed policing in the United States.
On the Pacific island of Bougainville, 14 traditional military peacekeeping missions had failed to end a 10-year civil war before a joint Australia-New Zealand UCP initiative from 1997 – 2003 had considerable success. (Soldiers Without Guns, a 2019 documentary about the operation, is available on YouTube.)
As the publisher’s name suggests, this edited collection is very academic and often quite dry, with no shortage of theory. Nevertheless, it remains an interesting introduction to what feels like an important, under-discussed subject, including among left-wing and anti-war groups.
The book’s university origins does mean it has a very good bibliography, and some chapters are more accessible than others – check out Reuwer’s inspiring contribution discussing some of the barriers to building a ‘peace army’ (envisaged by Gandhi) that could undertake large-scale peacekeeping missions.
One thing missing is any reference to the climate crisis and those doing the difficult work of protecting the natural world in the Global South.
With Global Witness estimating that at least 1,910 environmental defenders were killed between 2012 and 2022, the practice of UCP will surely become even more relevant in the years and decades ahead.