Human Security Centre Human Rights and International Security Research

Operation Southern Spear ultimately reveals a significant and unsettling expansion of US force beyond established limits of international law. By classifying drug trafficking as an armed attack and presenting enforcement measures as acts of self-defence, the Trump administration has eroded the distinction between law enforcement and warfare.

The rampant drug trade in Rio de Janeiro is not the result of an absent state authority, but of the way that authority has been selectively enforced. Criminal organizations and militias have not grown despite the state but sustained alongside its corruption.

Despite the CWC offering the same degree of prohibition and protection as the TNPT, BWC and PNTBT, the degree of selective enforcement has allowed states to operate seemingly beyond regulations.

Despite the legitimate agreement Australia and Nauru drafted, the implementation of this agreement requires extreme scrutiny on behalf of the contracted parties.

Behind the spectacle in the media, AA serves as another extension of the historic anti-illegal immigration policy enacted by the initial Trump administration almost a decade ago. With antagonistic roots found in the migration protection protocols, the legislative groundwork that allowed for the “Remain in Mexico” (RMX) program aimed at strict border enforcement on the Southern US-Mexico border, it became clear that AA was not built in isolation from previous policy decisions.

Recent conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza have led to a marked increase in civilian casualties, highlighting a broader trend in which warfare increasingly unfolds in populated areas with limited regard for civilian safety.

The cross-jurisdictional use of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention in the three states reflects more than a decline in civil rights, pointing directly to an intentional effort by ruling authorities to eliminate dissent and fortify control of critics, all under the guise of safeguarding national security.

The rise of the M23-RDF coalition is not simply the re-emergence of an armed group, but the culmination of a state-enabled insurgency that’s influenced by the continued ethnic tensions stretching back three decades.

The ability to assemble, demonstrate, and advocate for change is a cornerstone of any democratic society, yet restrictive measures such as Bill 1236 create a chilling effect that deters individuals from engaging in activism entirely

The fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime and the rise of a transitional government signals a pivotal shift in Syrian history, but the damage left by decades of systemic oppression and violence will take far longer to repair.