Here you will find our own research output and a variety of other thematically relevant publications, blogs, events and podcasts we have been inspired by in our investigations into the Intimacies of Remote Warfare.
Associate Professor Patricia L. Sullivan discuss her findings on how state violence varies based on the type of security assistance and the institutional environment in the recipient state.
Unveiling the ethical implications and accountability challenges surrounding armed drones, this NRC analysis provides a comprehensive assessment of the decision to equip unmanned aerial vehicles with weaponry.
A podcast on how the US responds to claims of civilian harm caused by US airstrikes and how civilians are left with lots of questions instead of answers.
Authors Emily Knowles and Jahara Matisek discuss that a shift is needed to a peacebuilding approach when providing SFA in weak states.
The New York Times reflects on obtained footage by the U.S. military revealing their disastrous error in killing 10 civilians
This episode of the Civilian Protection Podcast focuses on the legacy of civilian harm in Afghanistan.
A documentary about the realities of remote warfare and how civilians risk their lives every day to save the lives of others.
Michael J. Boyle discusses and warns for the different costs and consequences of remote warfare such as blowback.
Author Stephen Witt writes an engaging account on the history of the Turkish Bayraktar drone and its exceeding capabilities compared to its rival’s drone systems
Re-watch the packed RE-AIM session discussing the realities of autonomous warfare via the link.
IRW is hosting a session at the RE-AIM summit in the Hague, February 15th.
IRW researchers talks to the Belgium media about their book on remote warfare, civilian harm and democratic control.
On episode 68 of the Asymmetrical Haircuts podcast, IRW’s Lauren Gould dives into the ripple civilian harm effects of the Dutch 2015 airstrike on Hawija, Iraq.
Join IRW researchers in the Tivoli for the launch of their latest book and a lively debate on remote warfare, civilian harm and democratic control
Dr. Machiko Kanetake reflects on IRW’s ‘After the Strike’ report and the way its findings should influence debates in international humanitarian law.
In its latest book publication, IRW brings together researchers, politicians, NGOs, lawyers, and victims of the 2015 Dutch F16 bombing of Hawija to reflect on remote warfare, civilian harm and democratic control.
In an op-ed in Het Parool, IRW’s Jip van Dort and PAX’s Erin Bijl argue that a modest part of the increased Defence budget should be invested in the creation of victim compensation funds.
On Tuesday 14 June from 20:00 to 21:30 CEST, dr. Gould will lecture on the ‘remote warfare paradox’ and her successful efforts to expose the civilian harm effects of the 2015 Dutch airstrike of Hawija at the Instituto Cervantes, Utrecht.
While the war in Ukraine rages on, the Dutch state seems to be laying the political foundations for the armament of its military drones. In an op-ed in Het Parool, IRW’s Lauren Gould and Jip van Dort reflect on the shortcomings of this political process.
The recordings of the sold-out live event in De Balie with, among others, Pulitzer Prize winner Azmat Khan are now available online.
IRW and partners reflect on the recent policy changes they helped shape
One day after the Dutch armed forces made the first test-flight with a brand new MQ-9 Reaper, the Dutch House of Representatives will vote on a resolution to allow for its armament. IRW argues a more thorough debate is required.
IRW, PAX and Al-Ghad are proud to share their report on the direct and reverberating effects of the 2015 Dutch aistrike on Hawija, Iraq
Utrecht University’s Intimacies of Remote Warfare programme (IRW) and their societal partners PAX and Al-Ghad expose the reverberating civilian harm effects of remote warfare in their report ‘After The Strike’.
On April 13, a team of researchers of IRW, PAX and Al-Ghad will present and discuss their findings during a live event at De Balie, Amsterdam
On March 25 to 27, the Disruption Network Lab organizes its 26th conference: The Kill Cloud. Through various panels and workshops with veterans, whistleblowers, and professionals, attendees will dive deeper into the real-world implications of networked warfare, drones, and artificial intelligence. The conference takes place in Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin, and will be streamed live for
In ‘Als de Bom Valt’, Danny Ghosen travels to Hawija to let the victims of the 2015 Dutch airstrike share their story.
Dr Gould discusses Zegveld’s case in the NOS podcast ‘Met het Oog op Morgen’.
IRW’s Dr. Lauren Gould was interviewed for an article in The Independent about the negative effects of states failing to take responsibility for civilian casualties.
In a series of New York Times publications, Azmat Khan exposes the true human toll of American airstrikes.
Event: Dr Lauren Gould, Project Leader of IRW, speaks about ongoing research on the 2015 Dutch airstrike of Hawija at the PAX Protection of Civilians Conference
Research report from Maha Al-Buhar on how the Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes in Yemen are interpreted and contested by civilians on the receiving end.
How was the 2015 bombing on Hawija experienced and interpreted on social media? A team of students from Utrecht University collaborated with IRW and PAX to answer this question. Their findings are now available in a research report.
The latest article in The Conversation by IRW co-founders Dr Lauren Gould and Prof Dr Jolle Demmers alongside Dr Nora Stel.
This article by IRW Dr Lauren Gould and Dr Nora Stel was recently published by Security Dialogue.
Dr Lauren Gould contributes to a panel discussion on the 2015 Dutch bombardment of Hawija for the annual PAX Protection of Civilians Conference
PAX tells Airwars what they observed and heard while walking through Hawija and talking to the victims of the 2015 Dutch airstrike that killed 70 and destroyed over 400 buildings.
Don’t miss IRW’s Lauren Gould and Jolle Demmers on the latest episode of the #WarPod!
Don’t miss PAX’s launch of the book ‘On Civilian Harm’ including the panel discussion featuring Lauren Gould.
In this post, we provide the statement from the consortium of civil society organisations, including IRW, which reflects on the “Roadmap Process” with the Dutch MoD.
Nike Wenthol and Marrit Woudwijk reflect on the latest judicial developments regarding Srebrenica and reflect on what lessons can be learnt.
Today marks 6 years exactly since the Dutch airstrike on Hawija. Researchers at IRW Isa Zoetbrood and Guusje Bloemen together with Ali Maleki, research consultant at PAX for peace, introduce our joint ongoing research with local partner Al-Ghad that investigates the civilian harm effects of the airstrike.
Contemporary warfare is becoming increasingly defined by distance. Instead of deploying large numbers of boots on the ground, many Western and non-Western states rely on support and training for local actors, employment of private military contractors and remote weaponry for airstrikes and surveillance This is remote warfare, the dominant method of military engagement employed by
The Remote Warfare roundup is a bi-weekly digest of unfolding news, op-eds and reports relevant to remote warfare.
In his latest op-ed published in the daily paper Trouw, Jip van Dort raises a rather sinister question: What exactly do we (or are we allowed to) know about the dark side of warfare, specifically about civilian casualties?
Watch Intimacies of Remote Warfare project founder Prof. Jolle Demmers tackling the big questions surrounding remote warfare and call for more transparency in her recent talk for Stadium Generale.
In a recent article for the Human Security Centre, IRW’s Jack Davies argues that SOF lack political oversight and legal accountability.
IRW works with the Dutch MoD to review the way in which it deals with, reports on and accounts for civilian harm as a consequence of Dutch military efforts.
Marrit Woudwijk wins MA thesis prize for her research into how Syrian refugees perceive Dutch F16 bombings.
PAX position paper calling for a broader understanding of civilian harm.
Chapter from Demmers, Gould and Snetselaar in the book, “Spaces of War, War of Spaces,” published by Bloomsbury
Airwars reports on the Netherlands’ new civilian harm reporting procedures.
A collaborative project with Airwars at the Utrecht University Centre for Global Challenges.
Advance preview from the forthcoming book “Remote Warfare: Interdisciplinary Perspectives” on how the democratic desire for zero-risk war lowers the threshold for military engagement.
Airwars commemorates civilians killed in conflict for UN Protection of Civilians week.
Project Leader Lauren Gould is interviewed on NPO Radio 1 about transparency and civilian harm in Dutch military actions.
The Dutch Ministry of Defence claim that they cannot know how many civilian casualties occur in their remote wars to evade accountability and public outcry. This is what Lauren Gould en Nora Stel write in their Dutch op-ed for the NRC.
Unfortunately both the form and content of the data that is now published by the Dutch Ministry of Defence is not what is needed to be able to excersise democratic control, state Airwars Stichting, PAX and the The Intimacies of Remote Warfare-programma.
Lennart Hofman and Marrit Woudwijk explore the ‘lesser truth’ of the remote warfare waged by the Netherlands in Syria, as interpreted by Syrian refugees in the Netherlands.
Research report from Marrit Woudwijk on truth construction surrounding remote warfare and the case of the US-led Anti-ISIS Coalition in Syria
Seminar on Civilian Harm in Remote Warfare, held 6th December 2019
NRC Daily Podcast interview with journalists Kees Versteeg and Jannie Schippers discussing the Hawija airstrike.
A powerful record of civilian harm in the Battle of Aleppo
An assemblage approach is taken to understand how and why the members of European Forum on Drones act in dynamic alliances of states, institutions, organisations, groups, expert individuals, discourses, treaties, laws and regulations to govern the use of armed drones
Research report from Nora Kindermann on frame resonance, narratives and the danger of blowback from airstrikes by the international anti-ISIL coalition.
Reporters at US media outlets strongly believe that civilian harm should be a central component of broader war coverage. Yet non combatant casualties from US airstrikes were often poorly covered during the conflict against so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
Op-Ed in Trouw by Jolle Demmers and David Snetselaar.
Jacobsen and Saugmann examine the operationalisation of international law through Red Card Holders in collaborative military interventions.
Film screening about the aftermath of the Battle for Mosul, held 10th April 2019
Amnesty International and Airwars compare the rhetoric of remote warfare with the realities.
Panel discussion on the remote war waged in Iraq and Syria, held 17th December 2018
Panel discussion on the remote war waged in Iraq and Syria, held 17th December 2018
Bonds charts the rise of ‘humanitized violence’ in the war against ISIS.
Op-Ed in Trouw by Jolle Demmers and Lauren Gould.
Gregory on the human impacts of technological warfare.
This documentary from Schuchen Tan examines the use of open-source intelligence for monitoring and investigating conflict.
Intimacies of Remote Warfare