The Digitalization of Armed Conflict

Started in September 2020

Context

New military technologies are transforming the nature of modern warfare, raising a legitimate concern that existing laws and regulations will be ‘outpaced’ by technological advancement, widening the scope for rights abuses and impunity.

Objectives

Under the leadership of our new Swiss IHL Chair, Professor Marco Roscini, our research aims to identify specific humanitarian threats and legal lacunae resulting from new military technologies and develop pragmatic law and policy responses.

The joint initiative on humanitarian impact and protection, carried out with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), assesses the continued relevance of IHL in a digitalization context in order to develop law and policy recommendations aimed at mitigating the identified risks and addressing new protection needs. 

Parallel research on disruptive military technologies assesses the impact – and related protection needs – of new military technologies that shape the future digital battlefield in relation to cyberwarfare, cybersecurity and emerging military applications of AI.

NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Glasses before a computerm screen News

Mapping the Societal Risks and Potential Humanitarian Impact of Cyber Operations

27 June 2022

Our new Working Paper Societal Risks and Potential Humanitarian Impact of Cyber Operations provides an up-to-date assessment of existing risks and protection needs in light of contemporary and future military cyber capabilities.

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Cable network photo News

Assessing the Impact of Novel Technologies for Humanitarian Protection in Armed Conflict

10 May 2022

Our new Working Paper provides an overview of the various novel technologies that together form part of the ‘future digital battlefield’ and assesses some of the implications they have for humanitarian protection in armed conflict.

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Portrait of Marco Roscini News

Professor Marco Roscini is our New IHL Chair

6 May 2022

Marco Roscini is a leading expert in international law of armed conflict, the use of force in international law, and international cyber security law and has published widely in the field of international security law.

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RESEARCHERS

Picture of Marco Roscini

Marco Roscini

Swiss IHL Chair and Professor of International Law at the University of Westminster

Professor Roscini's research areas include the international law of armed conflict, the use of force in international law, international cyber security law, nuclear non-proliferation law, and the history of international law.

Chiara Redaelli

Research Fellow

Chiara Redaelli's areas of expertise include international humanitarian law, jus ad bellum, and international human rights law.

Portrait of Anna Rosalie Greipl

Anna Rosalie Greipl

Research Assistant

Her areas of expertise include international humanitarian law, international criminal law, international human rights law, and the challenges raised by new technologies – in particular artificial intelligence – in these fields of international law.

OUTPUT

Assessing the Societal Risks and Humanitarian Impact of Cyber Operations

Our working paper Societal Risks and Potential Humanitarian Impact of Cyber Operations provides an up-to-date assessment of existing risks and protection needs in light of contemporary and future military cyber capabilities. Based on two expert workshops and four other consultations with individual experts held in 2021, the paper identifies the risks, humanitarian consequences and protection needs for conflict-affected populations during cyber operations, assesses whether IHL adequately addresses these and formulates specific legal and policy recommendations to mitigate risks and address protection needs.

Assessing the Implication of the ‘Future Digital Battlefield’ for Humanitarian Protection

Our working paper The Future Digital Battlefield and Challenges for Humanitarian Protection: A Primer provides an overview of the various novel technologies that together form part of the ‘future digital battlefield’ and assesses some of the implications for humanitarian protection in armed conflict. Based on an expert workshop conducted in 2021, the paper identifies areas that need further attention – thus framing the future research of the project – and hints at possible legal solutions.

Mapping Contentious Issues Related to the Application of International Law to Military Cyber Operations

Three working papers published in 2021 map the contentious issues related to the application of IHL to military cyber operations in relation to the protection of societies, the protection of the global information space and the protection of data. By identifying the applicable law and challenges, they lay the groundwork for future research in these areas. The main findings and key points developed in these papers have been presented by the authors in leading international law journals and blogs.

Hearing from the Younger Generation

An undergraduate student essay competition co-organized with the ICRC on the technical, policy and legal measures that states should put in place to avoid, or at least reduce, the risk of civilian harm from military cyber operations during armed conflicts enabled the younger generation to contribute ideas on ensuring the continued relevance of IHL in these contexts. The winning essay, ‘Digital Safe Havens: Sheltering Civilians from Military Cyber Operations’ – written by Isabelle Peart – adapts the little-known concept of demilitarized zones to the cyber context and makes a compelling argument for the establishment of international digital safe havens.

Publications

Cover of the publication

Societal Risks and Potential Humanitarian Impact of Cyber Operations

June 2022

Pia Hüsch and Henning Lahmann

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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Cover of the Publication

The Future Digital Battlefield and Challenges for Humanitarian Protection: A Primer

April 2022

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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cover of the publication

PROTECTING SOCIETIES: ANCHORING A NEW PROTECTION DIMENSION IN INTERNATIONAL LAW IN TIMES OF INCREASED CYBER THREATS

February 2021

Robin Geiss and Henning Lahmann

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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cover of the publication

Protection of Data in Armed Conflict

February 2021

Robin Geiss and Henning Lahmann

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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cover of the publication

Protecting the global information space in times of armed conflict

February 2021

Robin Geiß and Henning Lahmann

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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Past Events

Towards Greater Accountability with Open-Source Information

14 December 2022, 18:30-20:00

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Cyber Operations, Armed Conflicts and International Law

23 June 2022, 17:30-18:30

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Launch Event: Joint Initiative on the Digitalization of Conflict

29 October 2020, 10:00-12:00

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ESIL Lecture: Disruptive Military Technologies

26 February 2020, 14:00-16:00

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Organized by the Geneva Academy and the ICRC, the Advanced IHL seminar for academics and humanitarian policymakers aims to enhance the capacity of academics to teach and research IHL and contemporary issues arising during armed conflict, while also equipping policymakers with an in-depth understanding of ongoing legal debates and their relevance to decision-making.

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From Words to Deeds: A Study of Armed Non-State Actors’ Practice and Interpretation of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Norms

Completed in January 2017

This project aimed at compiling and analysing the practice and interpretation of selected international humanitarian law and human rights norms by armed non-state actors (ANSAs). It had a pragmatic double objective: first, to offer a comparative analysis of IHL and human rights norms from the perspective of ANSAs, and second, to inform strategies of humanitarian engagement with ANSAs, in particular the content of a possible ‘Model Code of Conduct’.

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Screenshot of the RULAC webpage Project

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Started in May 2007

The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts project (RULAC) is a unique online portal that identifies and classifies all situations of armed violence that amount to an armed conflict under international humanitarian law (IHL). It is primarily a legal reference source for a broad audience, including non-specialists, interested in issues surrounding the classification of armed conflicts under IHL.

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Cover page of the third-party intervention Publication

Third-Party Intervention: Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia

published on April 2023

Gloria Gaggioli, Francesco Romani

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