WORLD ROUNDUPHow Will AI Change Cyber Operations? | Appeasement Is Underrated | The Militarization of Latin American Security, and more
· UN Court Rules German Military Aid to Israel Can Continue
The UN top court has opted not to implement emergency measures limiting German assistance for Israel. Nicaragua had filed charges that German arms supplies to Israel were enabling acts of “genocide”
· The Militarization of Latin American Security, Then and Now
Countries are turning to their armed forces to tackle domestic instability. That might have worked a century ago, but the circumstances have changed
· Why No “Plain Statement Rule” Bars a President’s Prosecution for Murder
It’s simple: the supposed “plain statement rule” doesn’t exist
· How Will AI Change Cyber Operations?
The U.S. government somehow seems to be both optimistic and pessimistic about the impact of AI on cyber operations
· Xi Believes China Can Win a Scientific Revolution
Beijing’s techno-nationalist policies are more geopolitical than economic
· Appeasement Is Underrated
Rejecting diplomacy by citing Neville Chamberlain’s deal with the Nazis is a willfully ignorant use of history
UN Court Rules German Military Aid to Israel Can Continue (DW)
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered its preliminary ruling on Tuesday, saying it would not implement emergency measures to stop or limit Germany from providing weapons and other assistance to Israel for the conflict with militant-Islamist Hamas in Gaza.
Nicaragua had brought the charges, claiming that Germany’s actions breached the 1948 Genocide Convention by allowing violations of international humanitarian law in the Palestinian territory.
The broader case is likely to take far longer, but Tuesday’s ruling means the court saw insufficient urgent imperative to try to intervene after a preliminary hearing.
The Militarization of Latin American Security, Then and Now (Luis Schenoni and Raul Madrid, Lawfare)
In the past few years, governments in Latin America—the most violent region in the world in terms of homicide rates—have increasingly militarized their approach to fighting crime. Prompted by the success of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, leaders facing outbursts of gang violence have moved to strengthen their militaries and involve them directly in combating armed gangs. Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, for example, recently sent the military into Ecuador’s streets and prisons to fight criminal gangs, an approach that received support from the public in a referendum in April 2024. The presidents of Brazil, Mexico, and Paraguay have also recently deployed their armed forces in the fight against narcotrafficking and organized crime, and Argentina’s Javier Milei is considering a similar move.
These leaders are drawing on a romanticized and outdated view of the military as the provider of order and progress in the region—a perspective that dates to the 19th century when these states formed and their governments consolidated power. In a recent article in International Security, we analyze how South America went from the most violent region in the world in the 19th century to a stable one at the beginning of the 20th century, a dramatic shift made possible by countries strengthening their militaries and other security forces. However, while this securitized approach was effective in the past, it may not be a sustainable solution today.
As a rule of thumb, states must strengthen their militaries and security forces to deter and combat domestic political violence, as well as to ensure the effective control of legitimate force within their territories. This was the case in South America, where the expansion and professionalization of the military at the turn of the 20th century significantly reduced revolts by non-state actors. Our data show that
