Review: They Fight like Soldiers, They Die like Children <i>The Global Quest to Eradicate the Use of Child Soldiers</i>

THEY FIGHT LIKE SOLDIERS, THEY DIE LIKE CHILDREN The Global Quest to Eradicate the Use of Child Soldiers Romeo Dallaire Toronto: Random House Canada, 2010. 308pp. $34.95 cloth ISBN 978-0-307-35577-5In 1994, then- Lieutenant General Romeo Dallaire, the commander of the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR), witnessed one of the century's worst atrocities as approximately 800,000 Rwandans - mostly ethnic Tutsis as well as a number of moderate Hutus - were killed. Dallaire offered his own account of his experience in Shake Hands with the Devil. His time in Rwanda spurred him into taking action not only on the issue of genocide prevention, but also in working to stop another horrific practice of modern-day warfare: the use of child soldiers by both government and rebel armed forces in conflicts around the world. Dallaire first encountered child soldiers during his service in the Great Lakes region, and UN peacekeepers elsewhere in Africa have witnessed the same practice, notably in Liberia and Sierra Leone.Dallaire's latest book is a blend of memoir, fiction, and advocacy and awareness -raising, reflecting his work with the Child Soldiers Initiative, which he founded in 2004 in an effort to end the use of children in combat. He reviews much ofthe recent research on how child soldiers are recruited and trained, the functions they serve in rebel groups, and the demobilization process. Throughout, Dallaire pays special attention to the situation of girl soldiers, who have been largely ignored during demobilization processes and who are often overlooked by the research. He draws on the recent explosion of research into child soldiers in order to educate his authence about why armed groups find young combatants useful.The book does not add much to our understanding of why and how young people are recruited into armed groups or the challenges of demobilizing them. But Dallaire's purpose is not, of course, to conduct original research. Instead, he aims to bring attention to the problem of child soldiering. He argues that child soldiers must be viewed as a sustainable, low-technology weapon system of choice, in that they have vital military capabilities, net operational advantages, and tactical effectiveness (149). These are qualities that armed groups value highly. These groups use child soldiers for many reasons: they are more expendable than adults, are very loyal, serve key functions within the armed group (such as providing domestic labour and reconnaissance), and are cheap to maintain. …

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