#Armed Conflicts

[without-ado]

"Only the dead have seen the end of war." —Plato

[awarree]

armed conflict, duty calls.. we are not psychopaths, we only protect our women and children.. so train, be ready.. life for freedom.. FREE PALESTINE

[rwby-redux]

What is the Atlas Military like in Redux?

I mean, technically speaking, it’s not actually the “Atlesian military.” People often call it that since the general is the headmaster of Atlas Academy, but it’s not all that accurate. The correct name for it is the “global” or “world military,” since it’s a joint peacekeeping operation dictated by Remnant’s 17 world leaders.

Some historical context:

After the Mistrali-Mantic Alliance officially surrendered in 10 IB, the leaders of Remnant’s four great powers convened at the Island of Vytal. This meeting, later called the Vytal Summit, was to discuss reparations, concessions, government restructuring, and international laws that all countries would abide by.

One of the main talking points was, “What do we do with our armed forces?”

Understandably, people were reluctant to fully disband their militaries, since international tensions were still a bit high. No one wanted to create a scenario where one country complied, only to then be left vulnerable and at the mercy of its neighbors. And even if that weren’t the case, Grimm remained an active threat—perhaps now more than ever, since their global activity dramatically spiked over the last ten years. Many settlements fell to them during the Great War—Periit, Kuebiko, Amervaile, the Yrrose cities.

It was an all-around unpleasant situation.

King Ozark, Vale’s last reigning monarch, was the one who suggested a specialized Grimm-killing task force. After all, most of the countries in attendance already had something like it back home: Vale’s knights, Mistral’s rangers, Vacuo’s outriders. Huntsmen, as they were later called, would be the world’s answer to the Grimm: specialized fighters, jointly educated and trained to protect people, regardless of national borders. Huntsmen would be a preemptive measure, a way to routinely deal with Grimm and keep their numbers low.

But here's the thing: Huntsmen are by default meant to fight Grimm, not people. And the Great War wasn’t caused by monsters—it was caused by man.

It’s worth pointing out that the formation of the academies did help significantly decrease international tension, by rallying people against a common enemy. But Huntsmen couldn’t fully dispel generations’ worth of imperialism, nationalism, and genocide. There was the lingering fear that groups of people might try to kickstart another war.

That’s where the world military comes in.

Repurposed from the ranks of Mantle’s armed forces, the world military was created as a final, last-ditch measure to deal with disputes manufactured by people. Its purpose is to intervene in conflicts too large or aggressive to be handled domestically.

In order for the global military to be mobilized, it requires a unanimous vote from all 17 world leaders—the four councilors of each kingdom, and the leader of Menagerie. There’s an exception to this rule, which states that if a country is violating international law, then the military can be deployed with a unanimous vote sans that of the country at fault.

Hypothetically, let’s say Mistral tried to reinstate slavery within its borders, and word got out. The World Council is obligated to hold a meeting with Mistral’s council and try to find a peaceful solution. If Mistral’s government refuses and continues to violate international law, then the other world leaders can vote to mobilize the military. In a case like this, only a 13/17 vote is needed, since Mistral’s council has forfeited their right to vote. It’s never gotten to this point in the last eighty years, thankfully. International relations have been pretty stable, all things considered. There have been a few smaller conflicts where the military did get deployed, but they weren’t on the scale of wars. But that’s a topic for another day.

The head of the military, as mentioned earlier, is the headmaster of Atlas Academy. Academy headmasters are unique in that their council positions aren’t democratically elected, unlike the other three council seats. Instead, headmasters are chosen from amongst their peers. This means that James’ position was only solidified once Ozpin, the Haven headmaster, and the Shade headmaster voted him into power. It’s a quirk which has its share of detractors. That being said, there is a reason why this “design flaw��� exists, and it was very much deliberate on Ozark’s part.

The “main” base of operations for the military is the Island of Vytal, where the eponymous Fort Vytal was built. There are also a handful of other outposts located across Remnant, like Fort Nubuck (which is situated on Bycast Island, within Argus). Resources for these outposts are supplied by all five countries.

Nowadays, the military’s more or less in perpetual standby mode. It hasn’t seen a lot of action in a long time—which means that it’s doing its job correctly.

[defencecapital]

Russia-Ukraine conflict is world's first commercial space war, starting point of future Star Wars

By N. C. Bipindra The employment of space assets for military purposes has recently seen an uptick. The Russia–Ukraine war is the most significant space-related development since 2022, given the wide-ranging use of space-based assets by both the warring sides. A Space Threat Assessment by an American think-tank has also concluded that there has been an unparalleled level of transparency on the…

[unpardeojosmarrones]

Film No. 5: Pizarro

Fecha de estreno inicial: 26 de abril de 2015

Director: Simón Hernández

País: Colombia

El comandante Pizarro, el hombre que cambio las armas por la paz. Líder del movimiento revolucionario M-19, mismo que posteriormente se transformaría en una guerrilla colombiana. Un sueño colectivo y una vida truncada, todo esto y más se presenta en este bello documental en manos de las personas que lo conocieron, acompañaron su proceso y no menos importante ,de su hija María José, la voz narrativa.

[todayworldnews2k21]

Polio Vaccination Campaign in Gaza Misses Thousands of Children

A child receiving his second dose of the polio vaccine at a health clinic in Gaza City. Credit: UNICEF/ Eyad El Baba by Oritro Karim (united nations) Friday, November 08, 2024 Inter Press Service UNITED NATIONS, Nov 08 (IPS) – On November 6, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the second round of polio vaccinations in the Gaza Strip has been completed. A total of 556,744 children…

[protecteducationday]

Attacks on schools and learners are attacks on children’s rights and their futures.

Every student and teacher should feel safe at school. But for millions, that's not a reality.

September 9th, International Day to Protect Education From Attack 2024.

[saxafimedianetwork]

Egypt – The Latest Wedge Exacerbating Somalia's Divisions

#Somalia's govt is fuelling divisions by centralizing power & confronting opposition. Foreign support (#Egypt) against #Somaliland & #Ethiopia is amplifying this trend, with some regions preferring Ethiopian protection from #AlShabaab.

Continue reading Egypt – The Latest Wedge Exacerbating Somalia’s Divisions

[terrorismvictimsday]

Terrorism and the organized crime in Sahel.

Terrorist groups and organised crime organisations usually interact in three ways: they can coexist, cooperate, or converge into a single group. Terrorist groups are more likely to engage directly in criminal activity than cooperate with organised crime. There is a clear correlation between the impact of terrorism and the level of organised criminal activity. This correlation is particularly strong in certain areas, like the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa. The nexus between organised crime and terrorism in the Sahel is characterised by activities such as cattle and livestock rustling, artisanal gold mining, drug trafficking, kidnapping, and ransom demands. Terrorist groups integrate organised criminal operations by co-opting illicit economies, taxing both criminal and unregulated legal enterprises, and providing security for criminal groups and the transportation of illicit goods. Areas with contested territorial control typically experience higher levels of violence, including terror attacks. Terrorist organisations like JNIM in the Sahel often increase violent attacks, kidnappings, and ransom activities during phases of territorial expansion or competition. Once they establish control, these activities usually decrease. For example, in Mali, cattle rustling has significantly increased due to escalating conflict and a campaign by IS-Sahel in late 2022 to expand their territory. In Burkina Faso, gold mining has been a major factor in JNIM’s expansion as they seek to extend influence into gold mining regions. Kidnapping has surged in the Sahel, with incidents increasing from 78 in 2017 to over 1,000 in 2023.

[worldhumanitarianday]

2024 ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment - Economic and Social Council, 30th plenary meeting.

The 2024 ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment (HAS) will take place from 25 to 27 June in New York. The theme for the 2024 HAS is "Putting humanity first in the face of conflicts and climate change: strengthening humanitarian assistance and respect for international humanitarian law, and promoting effectiveness, innovation and partnerships".

Watch the 2024 ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment - Economic and Social Council, 30th plenary meeting!

[peacekeepersday]

Part II - United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS 2024).

Geopolitical tensions, the climate crisis, global mistrust and the dark side of technology, which Secretary-General António Guterres has called the "looming threats of the 21st century", are affecting the well-being and livelihoods of communities worldwide and the planet itself. National and United Nations Police are on the frontlines of averting and addressing these transnational threats.

The United Nations Police contribute to the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative and A4P+ priorities by building and supporting or, where mandated, acting as a substitute or partial substitute for host-State police capacity to prevent and detect crime, protect life and property, and maintain public order and safety in adherence to the rule of law and international human rights law.

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Objectives:

A common vision and concrete commitments to further equipping the United Nations Police - UNPOL to effectively contribute to A4P and A4P+ priorities. Awareness of interlinkages between national and United Nations policing to increase global security.

Collective appreciation of the role of national and United Nations policing in overcoming systemic challenges affecting peacekeeping.

Joint understanding of the needs of the United Nations Police, including related to safety and security, and concrete Member State and Secretariat commitments to meet demands.

A common roadmap to realize the Secretary-General's vision of "a transformed United Nations police that is people-centred, modern, agile, mobile and flexible, specialized, rights-based and norm-driven", and that is also innovative, data-driven and tech-enabled.

United Nations Headquarters

UN Web TV

Watch (Part 2) United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS 2024)!

[thoughtlessarse]

More armed conflicts took place worldwide in 2023 than any other year since the end of the Second World War, according to a new study. Last year saw 59 conflicts, the Peace Research Institute of Oslo (PRIO) showed. A total of 28 armed conflicts were registered in Africa, followed by Asia with 17, the Middle East with 10, Europe with three and the Americas with one. However, the number of countries that experienced conflicts declined from 39 in 2022 to 34. The number of deaths in combat also halved to around 122,000 over the previous year, according to data collected by Sweden’s Uppsala University from NGOs and international organisations. Nonetheless, that number remained the third highest since 1989 against the backdrop of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. While the number of combat deaths decreased last year, the accumulated number for the past three years is the highest for a three-year period in 30 years. “Violence in the world is at an all-time high since the end of the Cold War,” said Siri Aas Rustad, PRIO researcher and the main author of the report covering trends during the period 1946-2023.

continue reading

[awarree]

resistance

[internationalwomenday]

Women under Foreign Occupation (CSW68 Side Event).

The panel discussion will evaluate different dimensions of the challenges that girls and women face specially those under foreign occupation and dwell upon possible pathways to ensure the protection and promotion of their rights.

The objective of the panel discussion is to raise awareness regarding violations of the fundamental rights of women in situations of foreign occupation, specifically:

Sexual attacks, including rape, intimidation and exploitation, often perpetrated as a weapon of war;

Arrest and incarceration, including of male family members;

Denial of food, shelter and medical help;

Privacy intrusions, including in house searches;

The abduction, detention and torture of children;

Trauma suffered due to security operations, torture and intimidation; and

The indiscriminate bombing of homes, dwellings and places of refuge.

Launch of the Women under Foreign Occupation (CSW68 Side Event).

[informationatlas]

The International Institute for Strategic Studies in London published the latest edition of its authoritative annual Armed Conflict Survey, and it paints a grim picture of rising violence in in many regions, of wars chronically resistant to broking of peace. The survey — which addresses regional conflicts rather than the superpower confrontation between China, Russia, the US and its allies — documents 183 conflicts for 2023, the highest number in three decades.

[unpardeojosmarrones]

Film No. 1: Ciro y yo

Fecha de estreno inicial: 25 de enero de 2018

Director: Miguel Salazar

País: Colombia

La vida de Ciro resume la historia de Colombia, quise iniciar este blog con este documental porque me parece que es un acercamiento a los rostros del conflicto armado de mi país, es capaz de despertar la otredad y es una experiencia cinematográfica que combina el realismo trágico con la investigación periodística y el relato histórico.