Armed Conflicts: Implications for Organizations

Armed conflicts are situations in which two or more parties engage in systematic acts of violence against each other, generally for the purpose of achieving an objective such as claiming territory, obtaining natural resources, or otherwise advancing an overarching political interest. Such situations may include acts of terrorism, but armed conflicts often include objectives beyond that of intimidation or coercion through unpredictable, fear-provoking incidents. Armed conflicts include both declared and undeclared war between or among internationally recognized countries, civil war or violent disputes within countries, and conflicts between sovereign state actors and within-country insurgents or militias.

Governments and military organizations play a central role in armed conflicts, as they typically create the political objectives of war and carry them out, respectively. Organizations not acting in a ...