The deportation of children during war goes to the heart of important and far-reaching human rights conventions. But bringing perpetrators to justice will be a long and complex process.
Centuries before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the expulsion of individuals or even entire nations was used as a targeted instrument of war.
As Russia’s war in Ukraine illustrates, the use of lethal automated weapons, or LAWS, can always be justified. Their ability to desensitize their users from the act of killing, however, shouldn’t be.
Friendly fire incidents have always been a feature of war, but the array of different countries’ equipment makes it very challenging for Ukrainian troops in the field.
The language question in Ukraine goes back centuries. It is deeply rooted in the history of old empires and Ukraine’s position as the borderland between the West and the East.
Ecological damage, risk of nuclear accident and the economic fallout from war all affect countries well beyond the conflict zone. How should the world deal with these borderless threats?
The setting was grand, so too was the plan. But behind the peace plan put forward by China and welcomed by Russia, is the question, what do both nations seek?
Talk of peace in Ukraine has taken a backseat to a media narrative promoting the continuation of the war. It’s time to pursue other ways to end the conflict – such as reconciliation.
The International Criminal Court’s charges against Vladimir Putin are likely to have a minimal impact on him, but it does signal that wartime atrocities have consequences — and the world is watching.
The Genocide Convention says the forced transfer of children could constitute genocide if the intent was to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.
Dangerous war games, such as the Russian interception of a US drone over the Black Sea, have the potential to trigger real conflict. But there is no international law governing such behaviour.
Xi may speak with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week to push China’s peace plan for Ukraine, but we shouldn’t expect radical change in its foreign policy overnight.