The 1994 Rwandan genocide is the most famous example of the power of language. This linguistic parallel between Cameroon and Rwanda is worrying, considering their similar history of discrimination patterns, human rights abuses and political exclusion of minority groups.

As the United Nations Security Council’s mandate under Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security, it has a responsibility to act to resolve the crisis. The possibility of conflict with Bangladesh and the threat of COVID-19 to the refugees illustrates that this crisis is a serious threat to international peace.

Anti-corruption campaigner and leading Russian political oppositionist Alexei Navalny has been poisoned with the nerve agent ‘Novichok’. With the international community now demanding a full and transparent enquiry into the incident, it appears that this is yet another sign that the Kremlin’s grisly method of dealing with dissidents has indeed become an intrinsic facet of state policy in Russia.

The Human Security Centre is alarmed by the apparent decision to reduce the planned fleet of UK Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft from five to three.

The people of Belarus are standing firm in their convictions, and have not given in even when faced with violence and oppression. In order to succeed now, and achieve their goal of a democratic country, they need concrete international support. The days of dictatorial rule and control must come to an end – and the Belarus that people are fighting for must become a reality.

In a previous article from the Human Security Centre on the topic of neutral European states, the concept of neutrality was examined in relation to how Switzerland, Austria and Ireland have put neutrality into practice, including a history of neutrality in each of these countries, followed by an analysis of conventional ground-based military assets. This second article which looks into aerial and naval military assets, and examines how neutrality is practiced as a foreign policy by these three countries.

Human Security Centre (HSC) Senior Fellow Simon Schofield has had a comment piece examining Turkey's foreign policy ambitions published in Reaction. In the article, he outlines how Ankara's conflict with Athens over maritime Exclusive Economic Zone boundaries and sponsorship of jihadists represent the latest manifestation of a Turkish foreign policy approach that risks undermining NATO and the West.

The Government’s tepid response to the Russia Report is unlikely to have made any in the Kremlin lose much sleep. A stronger effort is therefore imperative to deter any future attempts to undermine UK democracy.

On 24 June, the Hague-based Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) announced that Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was being indicted for his role during Kosovo’s war of independence from Serbia. If convicted, Thaci will be the first high-level Kosovar politician to face trial for wartime wrongdoings.

The law of neutrality was codified in 1907. Otherwise known as the Hague Convention, this document sets out the rights and responsibilities of neutral states. Since its writing, two World Wars and the Cold War have challenged neutral states to take steps and ensure their neutrality while giving them the chance to develop unique foreign policies.