When humanitarianism dictates disarmament policy: Controversy over the definition of antipersonnel landmines under the 1997 Antipersonnel Landmine Ban Treaty
Item
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Title
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When humanitarianism dictates disarmament policy: Controversy over the definition of antipersonnel landmines under the 1997 Antipersonnel Landmine Ban Treaty
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:50421f3b4685:10278
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identifier
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10344
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Creator
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Kumagai, Naoko,
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Contributor
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Susan L. Woodward
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Date
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2009
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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International law | anti-personnel landmines | humanitarian advocacy groups | humanitarian discourse
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Abstract
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This research seeks to examine the discursive influence of humanitarian advocacy groups on a government's decision about the balance between military necessity and civilian protection, with the case of the dispute over the definition of anti-personnel (AP) mines under the 1997 AP Mine Ban Treaty. Between the two main disputed definitions, humanitarian advocacy groups have advocated the effect-oriented definition over the design-oriented definition since the former covers and prohibits anti-vehicle (AV) mines with potential AP effects. Based on the recognition of the state's reluctance to accept any external interference in armament policy and the two potential defects of humanitarian advocacy groups, insufficient access to the decision-making process and insufficient availability of military and technological information on weapons, I posit that the humanitarian advocacy discourse, which highlights the cruel impact of such mines on civilians, is more effective than the technological advocacy discourse, which disputes governments' theoretical argument for the functional reliability of controversial AV mines.;First, the quantitative study on the twenty-six developed states with liberal democracy as of 2002 demonstrates the strong impact of the military stake in AV mines on government definition of AP mines. Second, a qualitative comparative study of two governments from each definition group, Austria and Canada from the effect-oriented definition and Germany and France from the design-oriented definition, during the period from 1998 through 2002, confirms the weak influence of technological advocacy discourse. Lastly, the qualitative text analysis of two governments with the design-oriented definition of AP mines, France and Germany, during the period of 2003 through 2005, demonstrates the positive correlation between the humanitarian discourse and a government's adoption of the effect-oriented definition of AP mines. Still, the rationalist alternative explanations based on the German government's technological capacity to produce more advanced AV mines leave the extent of effectiveness of humanitarian discourse unconfirmed. A new finding from the successful case of Germany, the importance of the utilization of international norms as a factor to make the humanitarian discourse more effective, suggests further research on the detailed conditions and mechanism for successful humanitarian advocacy discourse.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Political Science
