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Published online 15 December 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.1303
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Comparing the horror of wars
An index of atrocities might help to guide humanitarian intervention in conflicts.
How do the horrors of the civil conflict in Colombia compare with those in Northern Ireland in the 1970s or in the war devastating the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
The shocking nature of such conflicts might make such questions seem callous but a reliable index of war atrocities can help to focus policies and priorities for intervention, deterrence and monitoring.
Madelyn Hsiao-Rei Hicks of King's College in London and Michael Spagat of Royal Holloway College in Egham, UK, have developed a measure they call the Dirty War Index (DWI).
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"the proportion of females killed was significantly higher when Palestinian forces targeted Israelis (40%) than when they targeted Palestinians (3%), or when Israeli forces targeted Palestinians (5%)", she says." When terrorists attack civilians ~50% are females still some time soldier killed in action thats why only 40% The Palestinians don't attack Palestinians civilians and the Israeli forces target only combatants so we get 5%. I guess the 5% are bystanders in both cases.