Logotyp: till Försvarshögskolans hemsida

What explains restraint in armed conflict? Existing research has largely conceptualised restraint as the absence or limitation of violence, or as compliance with international law. When explaining why restraint occurs, most studies have concentrated on strategic or normative considerations, often giving less attention to technical, tactical, or contextual factors. This dissertation advances this literature by conceptualising restraint in its own right, as a form of behaviour that emerges from the interaction of instrumental, normative, and material rationales. It explains why and how restraint is exercised, rather than simply measuring its presence or degree. The first three essays examine variation in landmine use in the Philippines and Colombia drawing on largely untapped humanitarian demining datasets, extensive archival materials, and fieldwork. They show that restraint cannot be reduced to a single determinant, but emerges from the interplay of patterns of civilian support and community organisation, legitimacy concerns, organisational norms and identities, as well as tactical, logistical, and environmental constraints. Building on these findings, the fourth essay develops a broader theory of restraint in armed conflict and proposes a theoretical framework that captures both different rationales behind restraint and the varying degrees to which restraint becomes embedded. Altogether, the dissertation explains when and how actors limit violence, and how such limitations may coexist with, or even enable, violent behaviour. As such, it provides new analytical tools for understanding patterns of violence in armed conflict, with implications for civilian protection, military strategy, humanitarian engagement, and post-conflict recovery.