By Amy Ertan AI Guidance in the Battlefield (Source)Innovation in the military is key. The technologies that make forces faster, quieter, more informed or more precise, offer tactical, operational and strategic advantages against an adversary. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology offers benefits across the military and is currently being developed and deployed around the world. As with all new technologies, there are security implications to these emerging innovations that, in the case of the military, may directly influence conflict and human life.  This short piece covers three asp ..read more

I’m very pleased to say that my new article on evacuation is just out in Annals of the Association of American Geographers, titled ‘Evacuated to Death’. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24694452.2019.1633904 It continues my wider evacuation mobility work but through a very specific and twisted use of the word, concept and practice (following Elden on Territory). The paper explores how the Nazi’s used evacuation in various ways in the build up to and during the Second World War – from the protective to the most deadly. This means how movements that were called ‘evacuation’ managed t ..read more

Vilnius Summer School attendees (source: Vilnius Summer School) For national security actors in Lithuania, the spectre of Russia plagues the shadows of most conversations. In July 2019, fellow co-editor Nick Robinson and I attended a week-long cyber security course in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius, organized by former-serviceman Dr Erikas Kaukas and energy security advisor Ms Jurgita Jakevičiūtė. Titled ‘Digital Warfare on the Eastern front’, there could be no mistake that Russian cyber-operations would be the dominating topic of our discussions. A Story of Resistance There was a recurring narra ..read more

By Marie Steinbrecher The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) obliges State Parties to designate a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). NPMs are mandated to visit all places of deprivation of liberty to prevent torture and ill-treatment. To date, over 80 States have ratified OPCAT and must allow independent oversight of their detention facilities. OPCAT Ratifications February 2019 (Iceland has since ratified OPCAT) Dark blue: Ratifications Light blue: Signatures Orange: No reaction (Source: OHCHR) What is preventive monitoring? Places of deprivation of liberty may b ..read more

During a recently convened tutorial and workshop for 3rd-year undergraduates on the Geopolitics of Media and Communications course, both Alasdair Pinkerton and I worked with students on how to create their own podcast. Increasingly, podcasts are becoming the new norm for a variety of media outlets (both big and small) as they tap into what is now one of the most effective mediums for broadcasting news, sport, and opinion –  consumed more easily than ever via devices on daily commutes, dog walks or even (as one student told us) whilst trying to sleep. In truth, the podcasting world has exploded ..read more