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Jan Lemnitzer

Assistant Professor, Center for War Studies, University of Southern Denmark

My research looks at how modern international law was created in the 19th century, how it came to be applied across the globe and what that meant for international politics.

I have just published a book called Power, Law and the End of Privateering with Palgrave Macmillan, which explains why the 1856 Declaration of Paris marks a forgotten turning point in this story, inventing the main method we still use today to create new international law. It also highlights how its rules were enforced successfully in the major wars of the second half of the 19th century, before it was dismantled at the beginning of the First World War.

My postdoctoral project is called ‘Why is killing civilians bad? The history of a modern debate, 1848-1915’ and is an inquiry into when and why the idea that killing civilians was not only deplorable but illegal became a global norm. Humanitarian intervention was not invented in the 1990s, but we know very little about its 19th century precedents.

The aim of my research is to find out how this new norm was created and enforced, and why it spread so quickly beyond Europe. While the new rule for protecting civilians was never applied by any imperial power in its colonial policing, it did ultimately spell the end for ‘gunboat diplomacy’. Starting with the outrage against the brutal repression of the 1848 revolutions, I will show how our modern notions of ‘war crimes’ were formed.

Global Geopolitics Series

Is Trump's strike in Syria changing international law?

Apr 12, 2017 15:07 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The US airstrike against a Syrian air force base on April 7 was the first action of the new Donald Trumps administration to attract widespread support, garnering positive responses even from critics. From a legal...

Economy

Australia Inflation Accelerates to 4% After RBA Rate Hike

Australias consumer inflation accelerated in August, although the increase came in slightly below market expectations, while underlying price pressures remained elevated following the Reserve Bank of Australias latest...

Gold Prices Slip as High Treasury Yields Weigh on Bullion

Gold prices edged lower on Wednesday as elevated U.S. Treasury yields continued to pressure bullion, while falling oil prices helped ease concerns over inflation ahead of key U.S. economic data. Spot gold, or XAU/USD,...

Dollar Eases Near Two-Month High as Yen Rebounds

The U.S. dollar edged lower on Wednesday but remained close to a two-month high as traders awaited key U.S. inflation and labor-market data for fresh clues on the Federal Reserves interest rate outlook. The U.S. dollar...

Asian Stocks Rise as Bond Yields Ease Ahead of U.S. Inflation Data

Asian stocks were mostly higher Wednesday as easing global bond yields and softer oil prices supported risk appetite, while investors awaited key U.S. inflation data for clues on the Federal Reserves interest-rate outlook....

BOJ Signals Faster Rate Hikes as Inflation Risks Grow

The Bank of Japan is preparing for potentially faster and more regular interest rate hikes as policymakers seek to prevent inflation from overshooting their target, putting fresh attention on key economic data due this...

Politics

Wicker Urges US to Uphold Taiwan Security Commitments

Republican U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has called on Washington to uphold its security commitments to Taiwan as lawmakers press the Trump administration over delayed military...

TSA Removes Chairs for Airport ID Check Officers

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is removing chairs from airport security checkpoints, meaning TSA officers checking passenger identification will no longer be able to sit while performing the task. The...

US Alcohol Ban Exposes Canada’s Internal Trade Barriers

A new US ban on many Canadian alcohol imports is putting fresh pressure on Canadas brewers, distillers and winemakers, but provincial trade barriers are making it difficult for producers to replace lost American sales at...

US Appeals Court Keeps Trump IRS Case Sanctions in Place

A US appeals court on Tuesday declined to immediately halt sanctions stemming from President Donald Trumps $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, leaving a federal judges restrictions in effect while the...

UN Condemns Myanmar Airstrike That Kills 50 in Rakhine

The United Nations has condemned a deadly Myanmar military airstrike in Rakhine state that reportedly killed 50 people and wounded at least 58 others near the border with Bangladesh. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

DeepSeek, Huawei Partner on Ascend AI Chip Programming Tools

DeepSeek has partnered with Huawei Technologies to develop new programming tools for Huaweis Ascend AI chips, strengthening Chinas efforts to build domestic alternatives to Nvidia hardware. DeepSeek said Wednesday in a...

Apple iPhone 18 Pro Sales Jump 12% in China

Apples iPhone 18 Pro series delivered a strong debut in China, with first-week sales rising 12% from a year earlier and helping the technology giant secure the top position in the countrys smartphone market, according to...

Robinhood Launches AI Agents for Automated Trading

Robinhood Markets is expanding its artificial intelligence capabilities with the launch of Robinhood Agents, a new feature designed to help retail investors analyze markets, develop trading strategies, and execute trades...

Google Pays Publishers for AI Search Content in New Pilot

Google is reportedly paying around 100 digital publishers to provide content for its artificial intelligence-powered search features, marking a notable change in the technology giants longstanding relationship with online...

Trump, Tech Leaders Sign ‘Morally Binding’ AI Safety Accord

President Donald Trump and executives from major technology companies signed a voluntary artificial intelligence agreement in Washington on Tuesday, establishing a set of principles intended to guide the development and...