Forcible Protection of Civilians: The International Legal Framework for Peace Operations

Forcible Protection of Civilians provides a thorough analysis of the international legal framework on the use of force for the protection of civilians in the context of peace operations. It explores the diverse legal bases that may underlie UN peace operations and UN-mandated peace operations tasked by the UN Security Council to protect civilians. The book also examines the legal regimes that govern the use of force by peace forces carrying out such operations. To bridge the gap with practice, it further uncovers the relationship between the legal bases, especially protection of civilians (PoC) mandates provided by the UN Security Council, and the legal regimes, especially human rights and international humanitarian law.

The book not only makes a fundamental and timely contribution to international legal scholarship, but also equips practitioners with tools to address complex legal questions on the use of force to protect civilians in peace operations.

Dr. Hanna Bourgeois is a Legal Advisor at the Belgian Ministry of Defence advising on matters of international and European law. She is also a Reserve Officer with the Belgian Armed Forces and the Secretary of the Belgian Group of the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War. Hanna holds a PhD degree from KU Leuven and holds master’s degrees from New York University and Ghent University. She has extensively published, presented, and lectured on peace operations, international law on the use of force, human rights law, international humanitarian law, and public international law more generally.