Tilman Rodenhäuser
Dr. Tilman Rodenhäuser is a legal adviser at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The views expressed on this blog are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the ICRC. Prior to joining the ICRC in 2016, Tilman has worked with the German Red Cross, the think-tank DCAF, the NGO Geneva Call, and the United Nations, with missions in Africa and the Middle East. Tilman holds a PhD from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and recently published the monograph Organizing Rebellion: Non-state armed groups under international humanitarian law, human rights law, and international criminal law(OUP, 2018). He has also published various articles in renowned international journals and received different awards for his work.
In the last few months, suspicious fires in warehouses and aboard aircraft, the severing of undersea power and Internet cables, GPS jamming, cyber operations against critical civilian infrastructure, and allegations of influence operations and election interference have been depicted as ‘hybrid warfare’ by both politicians and the media. So-called ‘hybrid threats’ or ‘hybrid attacks’, as well as allegations…
Earlier this month, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated that 43.4 million people worldwide are refugees – many of whom flee the over 120 ongoing armed conflicts. While voluntary repatriations are the preferred durable solution for the largest number of refugees who dream of going home – in safety and dignity – one day,…
As digital technology is changing how militaries conduct war, a worrying trend has emerged in which a growing number of civilians become involved in armed conflicts through digital means. Sitting at some distance from physical hostilities, including outside the countries at war, civilians – including hacktivists, to cyber security professionals, ‘white hat’, ‘black hat’ and ‘patriotic’ hackers…
As digital technology is changing how militaries conduct war, a worrying trend has emerged in which a growing number of civilians become involved in armed conflicts through digital means. Sitting at some distance from physical hostilities, including outside the countries at war, civilians – including hacktivists, to cyber security professionals, ‘white hat’, ‘black hat’ and ‘patriotic’ hackers…
March 16, 2020
Tilman Rodenhäuser
For some years, experts have cautioned that the more humanitarian organizations collect data, the more they ‘are exposed to a growing wave of digital attacks and cyber espionage, and have become highly prized targets’. In late January 2020, the issue made headlines: The New Humanitarian reported a ‘sophisticated’ cyber operation…
December 16, 2015
Tilman Rodenhäuser
The Paris shootings and France’s reaction have once again triggered debate on states’ right to self-defense against attacks by non-state actors (see here, here, or here). Discussions normally focus on jus ad bellum issues, such as the ‘unwilling or unable’ test or when a threat is imminent. A question that receives strikingly little attention is…