In December 2024, UN members will vote on a worldwide Cybercrime Convention negotiated since 2019. While the convention is problematic, this Spotlight shows why a conditional acceptance nonetheless seems the best way forward. For this purpose, we first present the different meanings of cybercrime and outline the existing regulatory framework. We then examine the UN negotiations and the possible human rights implications of the convention, showing that it reflects the contestation of human…

The recently published Emissions Gap Report 2024 warns that international ambitions must be dramatically raised or the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal will be gone soon. The current COP 29 conference is unlikely to deliver, however, and with new emission records for 2024 just confirmed and climate impacts intensifying, there is an increasing push for more contentious ideas, such as geoengineering the fragile West Antarctic Ice sheet. While there are several technical and environmental concerns,…

The upcoming U.S. elections signal a potential shift in U.S.-Korean relations. While Kamala Harris would likely continue President Biden’s focus on sanctions and deterrence, Donald Trump might just as easily revive diplomatic talks as cause another flare-up of tensions on the Korean peninsula. Meanwhile, South Korea is concerned about U.S. security commitments and currently debating whether to pursue its own nuclear deterrent. The Washington Declaration reaffirms U.S.-South Korean…

Elected on a progressive platform promising respect for human rights, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva faces the critical challenge of breaking the cycle of state violence and the use of excessive lethal force by public agents. Yet despite the administration being a third of the way through its term, government efforts to curb appear to be stuck in a state of inertia. This blog post examines the problems and opportunities facing Lula’s administration today.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has echoed in Northern Europe and in the Arctic, where Russia is one of the most influential actors. The region’s security landscape has been significantly transformed after Finland and Sweden, two countries that had previously preferred cooperation with NATO over full membership, joined the Alliance. Because Finland shares a common land border with Russia, its decision was met internationally with reserved understanding. Sweden, however, is in a comparatively…

The robots are coming! In 2024, no week has passed without eye-catching headlines stating that “the robot wars have […] begun” as part of “a new revolution of warfare.” As robots are increasingly integrated into society, they are also being introduced into the military. In the land domain, military robots are not necessarily humanoids, a la iRobot, but are often uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs). Looking closely, it becomes clear that we are quite far from the controversial notion of ‘fully…

Isolating Russia is a key element of the West’s response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. However, this strategy has only been partially successful. After more than two years of fighting, Russia has found ways to circumvent economic sanctions and political exclusion. This year’s BRICS+ summit, to be held in Kazan in October, is likely to illustrate this development. Russia will host a summit of the highest political and economic importance, bringing together leading powers from…

The United States has long been the most vital ally for Ukraine in terms of military aid, economic support, and pressuring Russia through sanctions and diplomatic initiatives. Consequently, both Kyiv and Moscow look primarily to the United States when it comes to the international politics of the war. Due to the outsized role of the United States in this conflict, commentators have predicted that the course of the war would shift if Donald J. Trump would be elected US president on 5 November.…

The upcoming US presidential elections will serve as a stress test for election administration. Election denialism, (violent) threats and harassment, and concerns about foreign influence have shaped previous electoral environments. The 2022 midterm elections provided insights into the resilience of the electoral process and the state of implementation of a substantial new legislative package that was introduced after the 2020 presidential elections. While some challenges remain, the electoral…

World leaders and international civil society will gather in New York on 22-23 September 2024 for the UN Summit of the Future. The Summit is an event where world leaders meet and address current international issues and challenges to find consensus on how to create a better and safer present and future. This blog article takes issue with how the climate-gender-conflict nexus is (not) discussed in the lead-up to the summit. Reviewing the summit documents, I argue that the (draft) Pact for the…