ABSTRACT
There is now a complex assemblage, which manifests itself in the UN's policies, frameworks and norm-making work, that rests on the stated goal of protecting civilians. This chapter begins from the position that this assemblage, which terms the UN's protection of civilians (PoC) agenda, relies on a rationalization of human life in the particular form of 'civilian' life. It explores the term 'civilian' with particular attention being paid to how it is understood in international humanitarian law. The chapter examines how protecting civilians is bound up with the relationship between contemporary war and law, or what some authors have termed 'lawfare'. It describes the UN's PoC agenda by exploring how the norm-making work on protecting civilians occurs at the 'macro' and 'micro' levels. The chapter also describes the particular biopolitics and necropolitics of the UN's PoC agenda.
