Critical trust, both ways, as a basis for good supervision

Do supervisors of the police need to rethink their role, and if so, why, to what extent and with whom?

Impediments to implementing the women, peace and security agenda

Big cyber ideas: cyber policy, creativity and inspiration

A group of my friends and colleagues have organized an event to stimulate what we call big ideas in cyber policy. The Big Cyber Ideas Festival will be online and will take place on Friday 26 June.

Reassessing the Role of Youth in Armed Conflict

While the importance of youth empowerment and inclusion in peacebuilding has gained significant traction in policy circles, academic studies capturing the complexity of youth as a transitional demographic with unique transformative potential in post-conflict settings remain relatively scarce.

Drugs in the time of corona: how has the international illicit drug trade been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic?

The global pandemic has had far-ranging impacts on the international illicit drug trade. With broken supply chains, the production, distribution, and use of drugs worldwide has been altered. This post traces recent developments in the global illicit drug trade during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ISIS' Drone Sovereignty

Islamic State's use of images taken by drones draws on vertical imagery to present and reinforce a claim to sovereign power, demonstrating its ability to control territory through the air.

Nationals in Crisis and Diplomacy's Domestic Communication Challenge

All countries have turned into a global no-go zone and in the Covid-19 crisis flying citizens home is an unprecedented logistical operation. Helping people is one thing, but getting through to an elusive public to induce behavioural change, is the hardest part of the consular challenge.

Explaining the legitimacy of pro-Iran militias in Iraq

Should current tensions between the U.S. and Iran lead to an actual confrontation, it is highly likely that this will play out on Iraqi territory. This would be catastrophic for the already war-torn country.

Drug-related homicide: a clustered phenomenon

Drug-related homicide tends to concentrate around specific areas, in particular in big urban centers. Understanding its spatial distribution can help us better understand it and think of ways how to curb this type of violence.