Although extensive research has been done on the causes of violence against civilians, it is usually directed at explaining why civilians are deliberately targeted or how militaries organize themselves in ways that lead soldiers to endanger civilians. As I show, many civilians are injured or killed by members of armed forces who strive to comply with the norms of war. Some attacks on civilians during ground combat operations in contemporary wars can be explained in terms of the tension soldiers experience between their indefeasible right of self-defense and their uncertainty about the identity and location of civilians on the battlefield. I illustrate this tension and explore its consequences by drawing on interviews with American and British veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This helps to explain the persistence of attacks on civilians even as the American and British armed forces make greater efforts to respect noncombatant immunity.

中文翻译：

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战争的意外后果：在地面作战中对平民的自卫和暴力

尽管已经对暴力侵害平民的原因进行了广泛的研究，但通常旨在解释为什么故意将平民作为攻击目标，或者军队如何组织自身以导致士兵危害平民的方式。如我所示，许多平民受到努力遵守战争规范的武装部队的伤害或杀害。当代士兵在地面作战中对平民的一些攻击可以用士兵无法抗拒的自卫权与对平民在战场上的身份和位置的不确定性之间的紧张关系来解释。我通过与美国和英国在阿富汗和伊拉克战争中的退伍军人进行访谈来说明这种紧张局势并探讨其后果。