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A number of different theoretical approaches can be used
to frame the issue of children in armed conflict. Certainly,
projects like this one underscore one of the important
problems of international relations (IR) theory; i.e. the
relationship between 'ethics' and 'security'.
As Irwin
points out, scholars and practitioners have debated the nature
of this linkage, "since the time of the Peloponnesian War in
ancient Greece." [Irwin, 2001, p.3] Structural realist
scholars treat "security" as synonymous with the protection of
state borders from external intrusion.
Given the
changes, since the end of the Cold War, in our conception of
what constitutes security, that realist approach no longer
provides an adequate framework for the proposed research.
Structural realists are also generally dismissive of ethical
considerations in IR. Yet, ethical codes lie behind much of
the discourse about children and armed conflict. Thus, another
theoretical approach is needed to guide this research project.
Drawing on Robert Cox's critical realist approach, Joe
Masciulli and I have developed a paradigm that is
human-centered and straddles the fences of human security
constructivist approaches. [Knight, 2001] This paradigm will
be useful as a guiding theoretical framework for the Children
in Armed Conflict project.
For one, it privileges the
individual's security needs over that of the state's,
something that the UNU has promoted in its own human security
programmes. Secondly, it focuses on norm creating and norm
building as a useful way of devising a means of protecting
children affected by war.
Normative change can,
however, be constrained by certain structural conditions -
such as material power, resistant institutions, and stubborn
but outmoded ideas. Since one of the broad goals of the
proposed project is to save children from the scourge of armed
conflict, it would seem imperative that we find ways of
overcoming the structural constraints on establishing
effective and robust child protection
norms.
The Multidisciplinary Nature of the
Research
The above enquiries demand the
expertise of individuals from a variety of academic
disciplines. It is for this reason that we have drawn upon the
experience of scholars representing various academic fields
(Medicine, Nursing, Psychology, Political Science, Economics,
Anthropology and Sociology). The comprehensive knowledge to be gleaned on the impact
of
armed
conflict on children will naturally raise questions about what has
been done to protect these children and how successful those strategies have
been.
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