The Genocide Convention imposes obligations on states and individuals not just to punish the crime of genocide but to actively prevent it. Two years into the war in Gaza and over 20 months since the International Court of Justice found it plausible that Israel's actions there could violate the Convention, Carne Ross investigates the possibility … Continue reading Is our Government Complicit in Genocide?
“Other, more benevolent things”: Revisiting Helsinki to prevent the final act of nuclear war
The Helsinki Accords that helped define the European security order for nearly half-a-century emerged not from the victory or the collapse of one state or bloc, but from compromise amid heightened Cold War tensions. On the 50th anniversary of the Accords, as part of our series ‘Stories of People- and Planet-centred Cooperation’, Sean Howard explores … Continue reading “Other, more benevolent things”: Revisiting Helsinki to prevent the final act of nuclear war
Human Security and the Mainstreaming of People in International Relations
For our series of Stories of People- and Planet-Centred Cooperation, we interviewed Zsófia Hacsek of Coventry University about the origins, meaning and impact of the Human Security paradigm. Over three decades, this centring of people and planet has revolutionised thinking about security, but also experienced a backlash from those committed to the ‘national security’ concerns … Continue reading Human Security and the Mainstreaming of People in International Relations
Security and the Politics of Exclusion
If security is such a broad concept, why does security policy so often seek to exclude the most vulnerable from protection? Leonie Mills-Woanya looks at the UK’s approach to international development, border control and policing and finds it consciously polarising and exclusive, not so much from a lack of resources as a lack of political will.
Stick and Twist: The UK bets big on existential competition
The UK has revealed its hand for its new national security strategy, released on 13 March. Or has it? In this new long read, Richard Reeve argues that the UK is placing three big, long bets in its Integrated Review Refresh with major consequences and opportunity costs for tackling the environmental and social crises that threaten us all
Resisting the Policing Bill
The Crime, Policing, Sentencing and Courts Bill has been widely criticised for its attack on travellers’ rights, protest rights and for the deepening the racism of the criminal justice system. Kat Hobbs sets out the problems with the Bill and proposes a solution to retain our rights to protest.
Israel Chooses Violence Once Again
Marwan Darweish and Andrew Rigby discuss the current crisis in Israel and Palestine in the context of 75 years of violence, occupation, protest and resistance. They conclude that equal human rights for all is the only basis on which sustainable peace and shared security can be built.
Who Pays the Price for UK National Security Policy in Saudi Arabia?
For Ameen Nemer, a human rights activist from Saudi Arabia, the UK’s relationship with the Saudi government has come at a cost. Filmed last year, Rethinking Security’s interview with Ameen is released this week, amid increasing public concern about the continuing arms trade between the two nations. In this special blog post, he tells us why it’s time to rethink security.