With the launch of the E-Youth Library for Mass Atrocities Prevention, the Budapest Centre wishes to offer a collection of news relevant to the subject of Responsibility to Protect.
It includes a wide variety of official documents, research and articles written by various academics, as well as reports prepared by partner organizations on situations at risk.
The library also intends to provide an insight into the activities of organizations working in the field of mass atrocities prevention.
The collection, established by interns of the Budapest Centre, is designed to familiarize young people with some key policies, activities and reflections aimed at addressing the challenges of the four mass atrocity crimes, as well as provide a comprehensive overview of such concepts and the debates surrounding them.
The E-Youth Library is a product by the youth for the youth, which will be systematically updated by the interns of the Budapest Centre in the belief that they best understand the interests and demands of the younger generation, their age-group.
The management of the Budapest Centre hopes that the E-Youth Library for MAP will enrich the knowledge and expertise of the young generation dedicated to the prevention of extreme human rights violations and engage further young people in preventing mass atrocities.
Dear Reader,
if you are young or/and are aware of the needs of the younger generation, you are invited to take part in the update and further shaping and developing of the E-Youth Library. You can find the Library Maphere
All the documents available here have been collected from the following organizations:
Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Canadian Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (CCR2P)
European Institute of Peace
European Network for investigation and prosecution of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes (‘Genocide Network’)
European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO)
Genocide Watch
Global Action Against Mass Atrocity Crimes
Global Centre for R2P
International Criminal Court (ICC)
Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
Ex-Facebook employee on the company's dangerous loophole: 'Autocrats don't bother to hide', The Guardian
Ad Hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAHAI) of the Council of Europe, Council of Europe Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law,
CAHAI International Panel - Democratic governance of AI: challenges and perspectives, Council of Europe Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law
Council of Europe AI&Law Webinar Series #08 - What is the deep impact of AI on Human Rights?, Council of Europe Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law
ELSA - Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Council of Europe Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law
Using Artificial Intelligence to Fight Human Trafficking | Emily Kennedy, TEDx Talks
Protecting Human Rights During the Covid-19 Crisis and Beyond: Digital Pandemic Surveillance and the Right to Privacy, UN Web Tv
Technology and hate speech: friend or foe?. GAAMAC
Delivering Accountability through Innovation and Partnership: Harnessing Technology to deliver justice for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide - UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting. UN Web TV.
"Expert Voices on Atrocity Prevention is a podcast by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. The podcast, hosted by Global Centre Publications Director Jaclyn Streitfeld-Hall, features one-on-one conversations with practitioners from the field of human rights, conflict prevention, atrocity prevention and other related agendas. These conversations aim to provide a glimpse of the personal and professional side of how practitioners approach human rights protection and atrocity prevention. We hope to explore challenges, identify best practices and share lessons learned on how we can protect populations more effectively."
"This podcast aims to discuss the violent Incel movement with three experts. ‘Incel’ stands for involuntary celibate, and the notoriety of this term spiked after the Santa Barbara attacks in the US."
Focus on far-right extremism.
Meet a RAN Practitioner #11 - Guillaume Denoix de Saint Marc, "the founder and executive director of the French association for victims of terrorism. He has been working in the field of terrorism and victims of terrorism for 30 years. The association he founded aims to help victims of terrorism and to prevent radicalisation."
Meet a RAN Practitioner #10 - Alfredo Calcedo, "a psychiatrist at the Spanish Hospital Gregorio Marañón."
Meet a RAN Practitioner #8 - Antje Götz-Bungarten, "a Psychologist at the Bavarian Criminal State Police Office (Germany)."
Meet a RAN Practitioner #7 - Ilham Atrass, "advisor for Institutional Relations and European Affairs in the local government of Castilla-La Mancha, in Spain and RAN LOCAL co-chair."
Meet a RAN practitioner #1 — Kinga Bialek, "a cross-cultural Psychologist at Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research Poland (SIETAR), Poland."
CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY
Guilt and/or Responsibility? "An interview with Michael Rothberg, professor of English and Comparative Literature. He considers questions of guilt, responsibility, contemporaneity, burning issues for all of us. What do we have to do with the past that we did not participate in, we did not do anything but we are still granddaughters and grandsons of perpetrators or victims? What do we have to do with distant sufferings, including wartime rape? In all his works, Michael Rothberg pays special attention to art, to contemporary art that he considers theoretical objects that are important parts of Holocaust Studies as well."
Intangible Cultural Heritage - what is it?, "a podcast about the UNESCO 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH); what it is; how the Convention works, and how communities that hold the heritage are involved."
UN Catch-Up Dateline Geneva – ‘Smart’ killer drones, drought and domestic workers’ worsening plight. "In this week’s 15-minute podcast, we enter the murky world of so-called intelligent drone strike technology and concerns about their proliferation in an interview with the UN Institute for Disarmament Research. Also, an alert over Africa’s third COVID wave, a new UN report likening drought to a new pandemic and a warning over the plight of millions of domestic workers, from the UN labour agency ILO. Also, we’ll have closing comments from regular guest, Solange Behoteguy Cortes".
In Gaza, even the aid teams are in harm’s way, says UN food programme. "An estimated 160,000 people in Gaza now face going hungry as the escalation of violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and across the border into Israel, continues into its second week, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday. In addition to seeing that they get enough to eat, another priority for the agency’s Country Director in Palestine, Samer AbdelJaber, is making sure that his aid team stays safe – because they’re inside the enclave where airstrikes are continuing too, as he explains to UN News’s Daniel Johnson".
After 10 years of war, 'heart breaking’ to see suffering of Syrians: senior UN relief official. "Ten years into the Syria crisis, humanitarian needs are deepening for millions of people, especially women, children, and the elderly, caught up in fighting through no fault of their own. According to humanitarians, over 13 million people across the war-ravaged country are in desperate need of assistance. UN News Arabic's Shirin Yaseen, spoke with Muhannad Hadi, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, on what the United Nations is doing and the urgent priorities now".
Speaking up and confronting hatred, in memory of the Holocaust. "Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated 76 years ago this week, and to mark Holocaust remembrance day in late January, the corridors of UN Headquarters are normally filled with the stories of survivors who come to bear witness. But this year, the annual commemoration programme was held online for the first time ever, due to COVID-19, under the theme “Facing the Aftermath: Recovery and Reconstitution after the Holocaust”. For this latest edition of our Lid is On podcast, Ana Carmo brings you some of those voices of survival, along with the poignant contribution of German leader, Angela Merkel, and leading UN officials, speaking out against intolerance and racism, with neo-Nazism seemingly on the rise".
Seeing, hearing, feeling the reality of child trafficking. "What’s it really like to be a victim of child trafficking? The founders of non-profit, Street Art for Mankind, that fights child trafficking using art from around the globe, are trying to provide the answer. The exhibit, called “UN-ji,” made its way to UN headquarters in New York last month, bringing art, sounds, and smells, to help visitors gain insight into the issue and contribute to ending trafficking for some 150 million victims worldwide".
Checkpoints and searches: the daily reality for Palestinian children at Hebron school. "Not many school commutes involve having to go through checkpoints and body searches, but that’s the daily reality for some 163 Palestinian youngsters in Hebron, a bustling city in the southern part of the West Bank. During a recent visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Reem Abaza, of UN News, went inside the closed zone for this edition of our Lid Is On podcast, to speak with students and teachers from Qurtuba School".
UN News goes inside Gaza’s biggest hospital. "A major escalation in fighting between Hamas militants and Israeli forces across the Gaza border, has placed further strain on medical facilities there that are already overwhelmed. For this special edition of our Lid Is On podcast, the head of our UN News Arabic unit, Reem Abaza, reports from the Al-Shifa Hospital, where dozens of victims of violence are undergoing often years of treatment, in the face of cutbacks and funding crises".
Stopping human traffickers in the Sahel. "In this week’s 15-minute catch-up, we hear from the UN Refugee Agency on efforts to stop human traffickers from exploiting vulnerable people who’ve lost their jobs because of COVID-19, plus the week’s top stories from the UN and comments from regular guests Alpha Diallo and Solange Behoteguy-Cortes – with poetry to boot from Uruguayan scribe Eduardo Galeano".
Myanmar crisis, 10 years of war in Syria. "In this week’s show, we’re covering UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet’s appeal for an end to violence in Myanmar, a call by the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization to boost the COVID-19 vaccine rollout to developing countries, and a new tragedy involving human traffickers and migrants sailing from Djibouti to Yemen. And we’ll be hearing about the plight of detainees in Syria’s prisons and detention centres 10 years since the civil war began - and international efforts to get them out, in an interview with UN-appointed independent rights investigator Hanny Megally. With Daniel Johnson and Solange Behoteguy-Cortes from UN Geneva".
Renewed hope for peace in Libya 10 years after the revolution. "As Libya marks the 10th anniversary of the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, there is cautious optimism for better days ahead. In this episode of CMI’s Peace Talks, we discuss what needs to change so that the next 10 years would be brighter for the country".
Cyber attacks and wars fought with proxies: How can peacemakers respond to hybrid influencing?. "This is CMI’s Peace Talks, our new podcast. In this episode, we take a good look at hybrid influencing that makes conflicts more complex and unpredictable. How can peacemakers respond to challenges posed by hybrid operations?".
Unraveling the relationship between climate change and conflicts. "This is CMI’s Peace Talks, our new podcast. In this episode, we take a good look at the links between climate change and conflicts and discuss what can be done to tackle the problem".
How to support the fragile peace process in Yemen? "This is CMI’s Peace Talks, our new podcast. In this episode, we focus on what is now needed to support the fragile peace process in Yemen".
Genocide Prevention, A Talk with Dr. Gregory H. Stanton. Jason Ian Poblete.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION NETWORK
Resolve conflict: Everyone can win. "Do you need to learn your conflict resolution skills on the go? Have a listen to these free podcasts. Produced in 2020, they’re our most recent addition to this website. To study the skills, it’s best to start with episode 1. But if you are struggling with a conflict right now and need a quick fix, scan the topics and choose the one that calls you. This series is inspired by our text: Everyone Can Win, on handling conflict constructively. Each podcast goes in-depth into one of the 12 skills, the approach you’ll find throughout this website. They are presented by psychologist Helena Cornelius, Conflict Resolution Network’s director. Writers are Helena Cornelius, Shoshana Faire and Estella Cornelius. Christine James joins the writing and production team for this audio series. Our music is by Stewart D’Arrietta".
Six Experts Explain the Killer Robots Debate. “Why are so many AI researchers so worried about lethal autonomous weapons? What makes autonomous weapons so much worse than any other weapons we have today? And why is it so hard for countries to come to a consensus about autonomous weapons? Not surprisingly, the short answer is: it’s complicated. In this month’s podcast, Ariel spoke with experts from a variety of perspectives on the current status of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), where we are headed, and the feasibility of banning these weapons”.
HELSINKI ON THE HILL. Nagorno-Karabakh. “"Helsinki on the Hill'' is a series of conversations hosted by the U.S. Helsinki Commission on human rights and comprehensive security in Europe and beyond. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains one of the world’s most intractable and long-standing territorial and ethnic disputes. Its fragile no-peace, no-war situation poses a serious threat to stability in the South Caucasus region and beyond. The conflict features at its core a fundamental tension between two key tenets of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act: territorial integrity and the right to self-determination. Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh, former U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, joins Helsinki Commission Senior Policy Advisor Everett Price to discuss the history and evolution of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the OSCE's role in conflict diplomacy and the prospects for a lasting peace”.
“RightsCast brings you discussion on a wide range of contemporary and enduring human rights issues from the University of Essex Human Rights Centre. Bringing together diverse voices from all over the world, we apply a human rights lens to better understand current events, to discuss key issues, and to explore how to achieve social change. From grassroots movements to major international affairs, join us each week as we talk to the people behind the stories and seek to create a dialogue around the role of human rights in our daily lives.”
The Al-Khatib Trial: Holding Syrian Regime Officials to Account in Germany
“It is produced by Front Line Defenders, and presents the voices, perspectives and experiences of human rights defenders (HRDs) at risk and focusing on human rights issues across the globe”.
HRDs Defending Digital Space. “In this episode of the Front Line Defenders podcast Rights on the Line, we’ll hear from human rights defenders in Morocco, Sri Lanka, South Sudan, and Brazil talk about the unique online threats to their work and when the significance of digital protection can mean the difference between life and death…”.
Reflecting on the UN Declaration for Human Rights Defenders. “Listen to this episode of #RightsOnTheLinePodcast to hear HRDs reflect firsthand on the importance of - and limitations of - UN Declarations on the 70th anniversary of the UN Declaration on #HumanRights and 20th anniversary of the Declaration on #HumanRightsDefenders”.
Watched & Monitored: Protecting HRDs from Surveillance. “Over the years, surveillance techniques have become more sophisticated. Methods of spying, and the powerful authorities using these methods to monitor human rights defenders, are more and more difficult to detect as digital spyware technology advances. In this episode we speak with HRDs and digital security experts to take a closer look at some of the ways authorities are getting too close. Often when you read reports of phone hackings and spying of human rights defenders, often the name ‘Pegasus’ appears. Pegasus is spyware developed by the Israeli cyberarms firm, NSO Group Technologies. This spyware can be installed on ios and Android phones and is capable of reading text messages, tracking calls, collecting passwords, mobile phone tracking, accessing the target device's microphone(s) and video camera(s), and gathering information from apps. NSO Group has stated that with this spyware, they enable authorized governments to “combat terror and crime.” But despite these claims, the group does not exercise control over the use of Pegasus, which authoritarian regimes can and have used to monitor HRDs”.
THE RIGHTS TRACK. “Sound Evidence on Human Rights”
Becoming a slave: who's vulnerable to being trafficked?. “In Episode 3 of Series 4 Dr Patricia Hynes from the University of Bedfiordshire and Patrick Burland, Senior Project Officer for Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery for the UN Migration Agency (IOM) discuss their research which looks to improve understanding of the causes, determinants and ‘vulnerabilities’ to human trafficking as well as the support needs of people from countries who have experienced trafficking into the UK”.
In the minority: the right to identity, culture and heritage. “In Episode 8 of Series 2 of The Rights Track, Claire Thomas, Deputy Director of Minority Rights Group, talks about upholding the rights of minority ethnic, linguistic and religious communities around the world”.
DECLARATIONS. THE HUMAN RIGHTS PODCAST. “Exploring rights with people who study them, and fight for them”
Human Rights in the Digital Space. “For this week’s episode, we are delighted to welcome Alina Utrata, a Ph.D. candidate in Politics and International Studies and a 2020 Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge, whose research focuses on the influence of technology on state and corporate power. She joins our host Muna Gasim and producer Sam Baron to discuss how Big Tech companies are impeding and restricting our human rights in the digital space, and what type of change is necessary to begin tackling this threat. Their conversation touches on the enormous amounts of power companies such as Facebook can wield on the global stage, and how poor data security can endanger and cost lives”.
#NoRightsNoGames: The Uyghur Genocide & the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games. “This week, host Muna Gasim and producer Sam Baron are joined by Zumretay Arkin, the Program and Advocacy Manager at the World Uyghur Congress, an umbrella organization based Berlin, Germany that advocates for the rights of Uyghur people, an ethnic group from the province of Xinjiang in Northwest China. Despite the severe human rights abuses taking place against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China, Beijing remains the host of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which has vast political and humanitarian implications. Muna, Sam, and Zumretay discuss the atrocities being committed against the Uyghur people, the political power of the Olympics, and how governments, corporations, athletes, journalists, and citizens can take action”.
We Need to Talk: The Climate Crisis with Daze Aghaji. “The topic of conversation this week is the ongoing climate crisis and our urgent need to act. We are joined by the remarkable Daze Aghaji, a university student and high-profile climate justice activist who has fought to combat the climate emergency at an international level. The climate crisis has the potential to impact all aspects of our lives and Daze urges us to tackle the issue, not just on environmental grounds, but on social and cultural levels as well”.
“Call it Genocide”: The Rohingya Crisis in Conversation with Dan Sullivan and Tun Khin. “In the second episode of Season 5, we are joined by Dan Sullivan, the senior advocate for human rights at Refugees International, and Tun Khin, President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK to discuss the situation of the persecuted Rohingya minority in the context of Myanmar’s second general election, an event overshadowed by electoral events in the United States”.
Organ harvesting and trafficking of Chinese minorities. “This episode explores the issue of organ trafficking and transplant abuse in China, with a particular focus on its impact on minority groups. The first part of the podcast gives insight into some of the practical aspects of Dr. Matas’ research on the rapidly growing business. We then consider the ways in which the UK and the rest of the world is implicated in these grave human rights abuses”.
Can Human Rights Solve the Palestinian Question?. “In this episode, we talk about occupation, refugee rights, and the status of Palestine. Are there systematic ways to remedy human rights abuses against an occupied people? How has human rights language been used to facilitate occupation? What can be done? We were joined by Dr Ruba Salih (SOAS), expert on Transnational Migration and Gender, and Odette Murray, who is a lecturer in Law”.
Is Reclaiming Cultural Heritage an Issue of Human Rights?. “What does cultural heritage mean, who can claim it, and what does it have to do with rights? With a significant number of artifacts on display in British museums having been removed from their original owners during periods of colonisation, this episode tackles the intersection between cultural artefacts, and larger issues of justice such as racial inequality, systemic injustice, and property rights”.
The Momentum for Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence in the EU. “A recording of April 26 webinar, the first session of RWI webinar series on The Forthcoming EU’s Directive On Human Rights Due Diligence. This event focused on Where does it come from? What may it lead to? What are the limits of due diligence as a tool to protect human rights in global supply chain?”.
Are Human Rights Really Universal? “This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But is it really universal? A growing number of states are claiming that human rights are incompatible with their culture. In this episode of On Human Rights, Jamie Bowd sits down with Professor Emeritus in International Law at Stockholm University and the Swedish National Defence College and former board member at RWI, Ove Bring to discuss how historical examples of human rights practices around the world have contributed to the modern understanding of human rights.”
JUSTICE MATTERS PODCAST. Harvard Kennedy School. CARR Center for Human Rights Policy.
“From exploring the ethics of artificial intelligence to identifying underlying sources of systemic discrimination, Justice Matters Podcast investigates a wide array of human rights issues at home and abroad. Join our host, Sushma Raman, as she and our guests confront, challenge, and explore human rights matters with a multidisciplinary lens”.
A Hopeful Approach to Human Rights. “Kathryn Sikkink and host Sushma Raman describe why there is evidence for hope in the human rights movement”.
Holding Global Leaders to Account. “How can we ensure accountability when international criminal law is violated? Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, former President of the ICC, joins host Sushma Raman to discuss accountability and justice in the global arena. How do we approach seeking justice for past atrocities while building a more just and peaceful future? And in an era of widespread disinformation, what happens when people lack trust in the very purveyors of justice? Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, former President of the ICC, joins host Sushma Raman in this month's episode of Justice Matters”.
Fighting the Hate. “President and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Margaret Huang, joins host Sushma Raman to discuss the Center's tremendous growth, along with its challenges in the road ahead”.
Talking Progress and Challenges with UN High Commissioner Bachelet. “In celebrating the 71st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, discusses the progress and challenges of the movement in her home country of Chile and around the world”.
The Politics of Documentation: Narrative and the Rohingya Crisis. “In the latest episode of Justice Matters, Carr Center's Executive Director Sushma Raman interviews Carr Center Fellow Matthew Smith. Smith is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fortify Rights. In this episode he discusses the Rohingya crisis, the importance of documentation, and the role of power in constructing narratives around human rights”.
Ethics and Privacy in the Age of AI. “In the latest episode of Justice Matters, Mark Latonero, Carr Center Technology and Human Rights Fellow, and Research Lead for the Human Rights and AI on the Ground Initiatives at Data & Society, discusses ethics, privacy, and human rights implications around the use of artificial intelligence”.
Advancing Human Rights Policy and Practice. “Sarah Margon, Washington director at Human Rights Watch, discusses how the organization addresses human rights violations, authoritarianism, and policy changes from the local to global level”.
Human Rights in the Face of Emerging Technology. “In the latest episode of Justice Matters, Vivek Krishnamurthy, Senior Fellow at the Carr Center, discusses the complex challenges of the human rights movement in the face of emerging technology and artificial intelligence”.
Tackling the Migration Crisis. “Carr Center Executive Director Sushma Raman talks with Professor Jacqueline Bhabha about refugees, war, persecution, the stateless, and immigration. No human being is illegal. What are our obligations and duties towards migrants and refugees? How do we approach DACA given our political climate? And how do we lay this groundwork through a lens of human rights?”.
Analyzing the Technological Revolution. “Steven Livingston examines the technological revolution: Both its implications for good, as well as its impacts on human rights outcomes. In our third episode, we interview Senior Fellow Steven Livingston on using new technologies to promote human rights, understanding that there are both costs, and benefits, to these advances”.
One hour to escape: the race to get out of a Gaza tower before an Israeli airstrike. “A warning call told residents of al-Jalaa apartment block that their homes were about to be destroyed. This is the story of the frantic evacuation that followed – told through recordings made by the people who lived there”.
How the Taliban took Afghanistan. “The departure of US forces was followed by a rout of Afghan government forces. Now, after 20 years of western intervention, Afghanistan is back under the control of the Taliban”.
The Pegasus project part 1: an invitation to Paris. “What happened when a powerful phone hacking tool was sold to governments around the world? Part 1 of a major international investigation introduces our new Today in Focus host, Michael Safi”.
The Pegasus project part 2: cat and mouse. “For 10 years the Israeli surveillance company NSO has been helping governments steal secrets. Today we look at how a small team of cyber-detectives helped expose them”.
The Pegasus project part 3: cartels, corruption and cyber-weapons. “In the latest part of our mini-series, Michael Safi hears from Nina Lakhani on how 15,000 Mexicans including journalists and politicians appeared on a list of possible targets for surveillance”.
Bashar al-Assad’s decade of destruction in Syria. “Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, has presided over a devastating civil war that has caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Martin Chulov describes a man who came back from the brink of defeat to strengthen his grip on a country deeply scarred by war”.
Life inside Gaza during 11 days of bombardment. “Guardian journalist Hazem Balousha describes living in, and reporting from, Gaza, under heavy bombardment until a ceasefire began on Friday, while historian Rashid Khalidi discusses the history of the Palestinian struggle for statehood”.
Are Israel and Palestine on the brink of another war?. “Oliver Holmes, the Guardian’s Jerusalem correspondent, discusses what has prompted the worst unrest in Israel and Palestine since 2014”.
We need to talk about … the impact of artificial intelligence. “In this monthly podcast, Guardian supporters share their experiences and put questions to a panel of journalists and industry experts. This episode focuses on the rise of artificial intelligence in business and wider society. How will this evolving technology affect our lives, and how might the threats be ameliorated?”.
Afghan Peace Talks Series - Ep.1: Interview with Ms. Fawzia Koofi.
Afghan Peace Talks Series - Ep.2: Interview with Ms. Negina Yari.
PRIO's PEACE IN A POD.
”How can we explain peace and conflict in the world? What do security and insecurity do to a region and its people? How do different kinds of violence affect people, and how do societies tackle crises – and the threat of crisis? The Peace Research Institute Oslo brings you expert opinions on the headlines, personal stories from the field, and cutting-edge research in this weekly podcast”. Available on all podcast platforms.
The Taliban's Rise, Fall, and Rise Again. “ Before the Taliban regained control of the country this year, before they were the target and adversary of US military force, the Taliban were the governing force in Afghanistan. And before that, they were a transnational group of religious students. To give context to modern-day Afghanistan and the political developments there, PRIO researcher Kristian Berg Harpviken provides a brief history of the Taliban on today’s episode”.
Israel and Annexation: The Future of the West Bank. “Summer 2020 has shown that Israel is serious about annexing the West Bank. It's a choice that would have major implications for Palestinians, but also for the relationship between Israel and its allies. Jørgen Jensehaugen talks about the historical context of those recent developments, and what the future might hold. Jørgen's book is "Arab-Israeli Diplomacy under Carter: The U.S., Israel and the Palestinians".
Gendered Aspects of Fieldwork in Conflict Contexts. “Marie Sandnes is a doctoral researcher at PRIO researching the G5 Sahel joint force and counterinsurgency in Mali. Her research requires interviewing relevant actors, often members of the military, and because she focuses on Mali, her fieldwork is heavily based there. In this episode she talks about the pros and cons of being a woman in a male-dominated military research area, the first aid training she went through, and what she loves about being in the field”.
What Comes Next for Women in Afghanistan?. “November 16-20 PRIO will co-organize Afghanistan Week alongside the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee, Chr. Michelsen Institute, and Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue. Ahead of those events featuring many speakers from Afghanistan and around the world, we get a short intro about what the last 20 years have meant for women in Afghanistan, how women are involve in the peace talks today, and whether it is feasible there will be a peace agreement that doesn't diminish women's rights. If you want to watch the livestreams during Afghanistan week, go to https://afghanistan.no/en/afghan-week/ for more information. We'll hear from politicians, journalists, academics, and activists from Afghanistan, Norway and beyond”.
Women, Peace and Security in the UN Security Council. “When Sweden was on the UN Security Council, it managed to push forward a women, peace and security agenda. That's a big part of what PRIO Senior Researcher and Gender Research Group Coordinator Louise Olsson has spent the last few years looking at. Now, Norway is poised to start its turn on the UNSC. What can small states like these accomplish, especially when it comes to women's rights? If you haven't yet listened to episodes 10 and 11, you might want to hear those first before coming back to this one, since they give a good background to the UN and Resolution 1325”.
Art, Conflict, and Land Rights in Myanmar. “How do individual deeds, in times of radical uncertainty and flux, inspire collective action? That's what PRIO's TRANSFORM project wants to find out. One of the cases TRANSFORM looks at is Myanmar. During fieldwork, an artist was brought along to talk with Daw Bawk Ja Lum Nyoi, a Kachin land rights activist from Northern Myanmar. That conversation and fieldwork was turned into a short animation. Today Indigo interviews both the researcher and the artist to understand their process and unique experience together”.
Humans and War: Is It in Our Evolution?. “Have humans evolved psychological adaptations to war? That's what Henrikas Bartusevičius will look at in his cutting-edge research project "Adapted to War". Henrikas will investigate whether humans have evolved psychological adaptations to war. To do that, he’ll have to work across disciplines, conducting lab experiments and surveys. We discuss how he became interested in this topic, and what it could mean for how we understand human behaviors.”
Drones, Security, and Surveillance. “Drones seem to be everywhere in the news, but what do they actually mean for civilians in everyday life? And how do the military and police use and relate to them both as tools and as threats? Most importantly, what can they tell us about a wider security context? Here, Bruno Oliveira Martins and Andrea Silkoset also discuss how coronavirus has affected civilians lives from a security context, a surveillance context, and a technology context. You can also expect more research on this topic from Bruno with his newly-funded project "RegulAIR: The integration of drones in the Norwegian and European Airspaces".
Coup in Myanmar: Protest, Art, Technology. “On the morning of February 1, Myanmar awoke to a shock: the military had deposed the democratically elected party, the National League for Democracy. Leader Aung San Su Kyii is under arrest, and as citizens have taken to the streets and social media to express their emphatic dissent, police have begun ramping up the force used against protestors. The country has a long and complicated history of protests, coups, and fights for control. To understand this latest development, three PRIO researchers. Marte Nilsen, Trude Stapnes, and Stein Tønnesson, share a multi-faceted look at the situation.”
Afghan Peace Talks on Life Support. “The Afghan Peace Talks started in September 2020, and with a second round having started in January it’s an interesting time to get an update on the process. PRIO Research Professor Kristian Berg Harpviken analyzes how the talks have gone thus far, and what can be expected moving forward”.
Predictable Surprises: Finding the Next Conflict. “Conflict prediction has traditionally involved statistical models and large amounts of data to yield information about where violence will take place. There are challenges with that approach though, and PRIO researchers want to improve conflict forecasting. They're trying a new approach with Conflict Cartographer”.
The Human Choices of Artificial Intelligence at War. “When we imagine artificial intelligence in warfare, we might think of films like Blade Runner and its replicants, or Terminator’s Skynet. But in reality, some artificial intelligence usage is already occurring, and contrary to the films, we should be more concerned about the humans involved. The "Warring with Machines” project at PRIO focuses on the people who serve in combat settings with AI-enabled machines. The project aims to yield moral guidelines for AI technology use in three settings: kinetic (physical) combat operations, cyber operations, and strategic planning”.
Migrant Smuggling's Human and Political Effects. “The term "migrant smuggling" might call to mind boats of refugees in the Mediterranean or trucks driving over the US-Mexican border. But migrant smuggling is complicated, and can take many forms. PRIO Research Professor Jørgen Carling has recently looked at how migrant smuggling is experienced by the migrants themselves, and how politicians and nation states use migrant smuggling as an example when making points about their immigration policy”.
Jihadism's Rise and Spread. “Jihadism turns up not infrequently in the mainstream media. Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS – these are all jihadi groups. The word jihad simply which means struggle, and can be interpreted both as an internal struggle within oneself or as a more general struggle in the outside world. So what else do these groups actually have in common? On this episode you'll hear from Mona Kanwal Sheikh and Dino Krause, two experts on transnational jihadist networks, will explain how these groups work together and apart”.
Climate Change = More Asylum Seekers? It's Not That Simple. “Five years after the European migration and refugee crisis, displacement remains a pressing issue worldwide. According to the UNHCR, the global number of forcibly displaced people passed 80 million during 2020 – the highest estimate ever recorded. Several factors have contributed to this increase, including a rise in political violence and instability, and extreme weather events. But when it comes to calculating how many might be moving due to climate change, there are challenges. Scientific literature hasn't provided a satisfactory answer. In a new article for Nature Communications, Sebastian Schutte, Jonas Vestby, Jørgen Carling and Halvard Buhaug seek to fill this gap and address factors for asylum migration to the European Union”.
Taliban Takeover: What Happened?. “The past week has been a shock for Afghanistan and the world watching. In a matter of days, the Taliban took over regional capitals one by one, entering Kabul on Sunday, August 15. How could this have happened? Was it foreseeable – and preventable? Research Professor Kristian Berg Harpviken shares some initial thoughts on today’s episode”.
Coup in Myanmar, Seven Months Later. “Just over seven months ago, on February 1st, 2021, the world witnessed a shockingly audacious military coup in Myanmar, in which the democratically elected National League for Democracy was deposed. Today I’m talking again to these three researchers, getting their impressions and updates after seven months”.
Technology's Power in Myanmar. “In the last few years, technology has played a huge role in Myanmar’s politics and life in the last few years. Research Professor Stein Tønnesson explains how Facebook and Telenor in particular went wrong – and right – in the country, and what lasting effects those companies have had”.