Gender-based hate crime as an early warning indicator of escalating violence and armed conflict
The spectrum of misogynistic violence between incels (‘involuntary celibates’) and non-State armed groups using extreme violence against women is based around the desire to restore ‘traditional’ gende...
30 Nov 202112min
Walking the talk on SGBV: an implementation checklist to narrow the gaps
Thirty years ago today, 23 women launched the ‘16 Days of Action’ against gender-based violence.[1] Each year, this campaign begins on the 25th of November (International Day for the Elimination of Vi...
25 Nov 202113min
Proximate ‘human shields’ and the challenge for humanitarian organizations
The term ‘human shields’ describes a method of warfare prohibited by international humanitarian law (IHL), during which the presence of civilians or the movement of the civilian population, whether vo...
18 Nov 202111min
Human shields under IHL: a path towards excessive legalization
Human shields constitute part of the reality of contemporary armed conflicts, primarily fought in urban contexts. As such, they pose a host of complex legal issues, notably for destabilizing the tradi...
16 Nov 20217min
AWS: what the law says – and does not say – about the human role in the use of force
Intergovernmental discussions on the regulation of emerging technologies in the area of (lethal) autonomous weapon systems (AWS) are back on track in Geneva after more than a year of COVID-19 related ...
11 Nov 202111min
The holy grail of virtual diplomacy: how to achieve trust
The ‘Great Move’ to communication in the virtual world has been underway for some time. Spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have switched to the medium of a screen, raising questions as to...
4 Nov 202110min
A plea for COP26: don’t forget people affected by conflict
Communities enduring conflict are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Paradoxically, they are also among the most neglected by climate action. It is increasingly urgent to act. The climate crisis...
27 Okt 202110min
A pragmatic perspective towards minimizing the civilian harm of offensive cyberspace operations
Within a complex and growing threat landscape, the cyber arms race is ramping up, underscoring the need for reasonable and realistic constraints on the development and use of cyberweapons. To minimize...
21 Okt 202114min
