In conducting our research on the intimacies of remote warfare we have drawn on a network of think tanks, NGO’s, academics and journalists, making grateful use of their experiences, insights and skills. Listed here is a selection of experts we have collaborated with or whose work has been of special value to our research over the past years.
Airwars is a collaborative, not-for-profit transparency project aimed at tracking, assessing and archiving international military actions and related civilian harm claims in conflict zones such as Iraq, Syria and Libya. The organization makes innovative use of open source investigation techniques, establishing itself as a leading authority on conflict and violence as it affects civilian communities. Airwars has attended and supported a number of the events organized by the Intimacies of Remote Warfare project. Airwars researchers have also been a source of valuable insight and information on the human cost of remote warfare.
PAX is a non-profit, non-governmental peace organisation working on conflict and human rights related themes around the world. The Protection of Civilian Team has offered vital input on various occasions, participating in various events but also providing unique insights on the measures that can be taken by military actors to alleviate civilian harm. The organization has a broad, international network.
Amnesty International is a well established non-profit, non-governmental human rights organization. Amnesty’s advocacy experts, researchers and crisis response advisors have provided unique and valuable input for our research based on their diverse experiences. Of special interest has been the Rhetoric vs. Reality project (2019), a collaborative effort by Amnesty and Airwars to report on the civilian casualties inflicted by the international Anti-IS coalition during the Battle for Raqqa.
Bellingcat is an independent international collective of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists using open source and social media investigation to probe a variety of subjects. Amongst others, its members have helped developed the techniques used by organizations like Airwars to monitor civilian harms claims. The collective’s journalistic investigations provide valuable insight in the ‘shadow-side’ of remote warfare, bringing to light human rights violations and clandestine interference by (Western) states in conflicts around the world. Bellingcat has also given workshops on open source investigation for our university staff and students.
Corruption Watch is a global anti-corruption NGO, with a special focus on the arms trade, that details and exposes the impact of bribery and corruption on democracy, governance and development. CEO Andrew Feinstein and Director of investigations Paul Holden attended the Intimacies of Remote Warfare conference (2017), participating in panel discussions and giving an interactive workshop. Andrew Feinstein was involved in making the documentary Shadow World, which sheds light on the arms industries that help perpetuate conflict by rendering it a lucrative business for a select few.
The Oxford Research Group (ORG) is an independent think tank that conducts research and is engaged in advocacy to pioneer new, more strategic approaches to security and peace building. The think thank has helped coin and develop the concept of remote warfare, working with academics, journalists, policy makers and military experts. The Remote Warfare Programme continues to produce insightful reports on the various aspects of remote warfare, identifying and mapping the challenges associated with this new approach to warfare. Researchers from the ORG have attended and contributed to various events organized by the Intimacies of Remote Warfare Project, and Jolle Demmers and Lauren Gould have likewise contributed to conferences and publication of the ORG.
Distinguished Peter Wall Professor and Professor of Geography, Derek Gregory has focused his attention on what he has called ‘modern war’, exploring the new specialities of contemporary warfare. Of special interest when studying the intimacies of remote warfare is Gregory’s work on concepts like the everywhere war and killing space, but also his ideas on what he calls deadly embrace, which contrasts the distance and intimacy of war. Besides providing inspiration and useful analytical concepts to understand the fundamental reconfiguration remote warfare implies, Gregory was one of the key-note speakers at the Intimacies of Remote Warfare conference (2017).
Nick Turse is an award-winning journalist and author, who has written extensively on US military interventions in the Middle East and Africa. In both his reporting and his books, Turse gives insight into the lived reality of contemporary conflicts but also offers critical analyses of the recent strategic shifts in Western military interventions. In his recent work for The Intercept and Vice News Turse has focussed on the large, but often invisible US military presence in Africa. As such, Turse’s investigative reporting has been crucial for the project’s study on the expansion of AFRICOM across Africa.
Officially Correspondent Forgotten Wars, Lennart Hofman has travelled around the world to cover conflicts in amongst others Syria, Myanmar, the Philippines, Mali and Yemen. His work offers valuable firsthand accounts of many conflicts that sunk below the ‘public radar’. In his current work he has shifted his focus slightly to unraveling and understanding the different component parts of modern warfare. Much of his work addresses themes that are relevant to understanding the intimacies of remote warfare including autonomous weapons, armed drones, special forces and the often invisible loss of human life. Hofman has attended and contributed to events hosted by the Intimacies of Remote Warfare project and has co-authored articles with project team members.
Intimacies of Remote Warfare