Archive for January 2022
The Global Nature of Border Disputes: Recent and Centuries-Long Disagreements
By Dan Kent It is well-known that most modern nation-state borders were drawn relatively recently, resulting from the aftermath of World War II and the decline of European colonization worldwide. However, what is less well-known is the broad extent to which these borders are today, in many places, still deeply unsettled. These disputes span the…
Read MoreAn End to the Korean War: Not Anytime Soon
By Jasmine Choi In December 2021, South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced South Korea and North Korea’s agreement to officially end the Korean War “in principle,” a decision endorsed by the United States and China. The 70 year-long Korean War ended in July 1953 with an armistice. However, the two countries have technically still been at war…
Read MoreAmbassador Series: Permanent Representation of the Kingdom of Belgium to the United Nations in Geneva
Main takeaways: Belgium is highly committed to its role in the UN-system and remains a firm believer in and supporter of multilateralism. Belgium supports that EU Member States should speak more with one voice in the UN system to reinforce political credibility. Human rights remain a major priority for Belgium in Geneva, and it is…
Read MoreI&T Initiative: How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Global Conflict?
Main takeaways: Short definition of Artificial Intelligence: “[t]he theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages” [Mary B: 2018] Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used in different stages of a conflict, prevention, mediation and rebuilding. It can help…
Read MoreCOP26: Challenges, opportunities & implications
Main takeaways: Before COP leaders raise emissions ambition to narrow the gap to 1.5C & agree to a global finance package to support it. The window of opportunity to limit the permanent temperature increase of 1.5 Degrees is closing and the COP in Glasgow is the moment when countries update their plans for reducing emissions.…
Read MoreWhy the EU should(n’t) accede to the European Convention on Human Rights?
Main takeaways: The accession is still desirable since there are now two parallel systems with the CJEU and the ECtHR interpreting the same rights, this leads to inconsistency and fragmentation Some gaps need to be addressed, such as the accountability gap Two problems with the principle of mutual trust and the jurisdiction over the CFSP…
Read More