ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

This paper analyzes the transformation of armed conflict in the post-Cold War era through the concept of “new wars” and examines its implications for humanitarian crises and international responses. It first explores the theoretical foundations and core characteristics of new wars-including the decentralization of political violence, the strategic targeting of civilians, the blurring of boundaries between war and crime, the politicization of identity, the globalization of war economies, and the erosion of the war-peace dichotomy. These features are then empirically examined through case studies such as Syria, Yemen, and Ukraine, which illustrate the complexity and evolving nature of contemporary conflicts. The paper argues that the changing structure of war fundamentally alters the scale and nature of humanitarian crises, presenting structural challenges to traditional humanitarian principles and practices. In response, emerging strategies such as principled pragmatism, localization, and the humanitarian-development-peace nexus are discussed as innovative frameworks. The paper concludes by offering policy suggestions for middle-power donor states like South Korea, emphasizing the need for ethical, institutional, and strategic reconstruction of humanitarian action in an age of protracted and hybrid conflicts.

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