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Women & children make up the majority of refugees & displaced persons & are the primary victims of modern warfare. Although UN resolution 1325, passed in 2001, took great strides toward redefinition of women & acknowledgment of women as active participants & contributors to peace & security issues, an analysis of UN & other international relations documents highlights that the vast majority of reports focus on women & children as a victims of conflict not as potential dynamic actors. Yet in warfare situations the gender gap deepens & increases the physical threat to women, reinforces the most conservative cultural norms, & feeds nationalist discourse. Although women take part in grass roots peace movements & are capable of violence & action, they are rarely found in the policy realm. While much progress has been made to strengthen legal protections for women, enforcement is a greater challenge. Perhaps greater protection would be provided by deconstructing gender roles in post-conflict situations, challenging the static definition of masculinity & femininity & redefining power relations & gender inequality. L. Kehl