Next week, representatives of the 193 State Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) will gather for their Fifth Review Conference (RC-5). Alexander Ghionis writes that State Parties should pursue agreements on individual issues likely to command consensus rather than seeking to adopt a watered-down consensus final document.
What do emerging and disruptive technologies like AI mean for the role of humans in war? How might AI-augmented human-machine interaction affect the role of human command in war? And what might an AI commander look like? James Johnson explores these topics and assesses whether or not we are moving towards a situation where AI-enabled autonomous weapons start making strategic decisions, as opposed to humans, during conflict.
As progress on disarmament is stagnating, nuclear risk reduction may hold the key to keeping the pillar alive. Maren Vieluf writes that nuclear weapons states must step up and work tirelessly on risk reduction measures to fulfil their NPT commitments.
Responding to a recent commentary by ELN Director Sir Adam Thomson, Yahueni Preiherman, co-chair of the YGLN, argues that using the language of a new “Cold War” is unhelpful in understanding current and evolving geopolitical tensions. Instead, he argues that the current Russia-West China-US tensions are less the result of an ideological clash and more reflect an adversarial security dilemna.
After President XI’s visit to Moscow, we asked our network members for their thoughts on what this means for the war in Ukraine and global politics more broadly. Is China ramping up its support for Russia or acting as a calming influence on a potential future junior partner? Read the piece to see our members’ contributions in full.
As Xi Jinping has made a much-publicised visit to Moscow this week, ELN members have been assessing the implications for European security, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the wider faultlines in global geopolitics. In this article, originally published in Danish by the Berlingske newspaper, Mogens Lykketoft provides context on the visit and argues the US and China need to rein in their rivalry in the interests of the rest of the world.