The Crimes of War Project conducts seminars designed to promote knowledge of humanitarian law among journalists, editors, representatives of humanitarian organizations, and other interested individuals. We work with respected members of the media and legal scholars, aiming to give participants a greater ability to use the laws of war in their work – not only in covering armed conflict, including the campaign against terrorism, but also with respect to transitional justice.

Our guiding belief is that a wider knowledge of the legal framework - about the nature of war, the constraints on the use of force, the distinction between combatants and civilians, and the will of nations to work together under an agreed set of principles - enables journalists and representatives of non-governmental organizations to monitor and report on armed conflict more effectively.

Alerting the public to violations of the laws of war ultimately generates action that saves lives by preventing breaches of the law and promoting accountability. This cannot happen unless the agreed standards are widely known, until the public effectively takes ownership of the laws their governments so often flout.

The events we have conducted include:

Institute of Contemporary Arts Talk: Humanitarian Intervention: Who does it help? (London, UK, January 2008)

After the war in Iraq and with pressure growing on Western governments to take action in Darfur, a panel of experts from across the political spectrum debate whether armed humanitarian intervention has ever really helped the vulnerable, and what agendas lie behind the much-vaunted "responsibility to protect".

Speakers: Clare Short MP, Geoffrey Robertson QC, founder and head of Doughty Street Chambers, and author of Crimes Against Humanity; Jonathan Steele, senior foreign correspondent for The Guardian and author of Defeat: Why They Lost Iraq; David Chandler, professor of international relations at the University of Westminster and author of Empire in Denial: The Politics of State-Building. Chair: Anthony Dworkin, executive director, the Crimes of War project and editor of Crimes of War.

Open Society Institute Forum: Crimes of War—What the Public Should Know (New York, November 2007)

Held to launch the new edition of our book Crimes of War 2.0 in the United States, this discussion featured Samantha Power, the Anna Lindh Professor at the Kennedy School, Harvard; George Packer, staff writer for the New Yorker; and Anthony Dworkin discussing the place of the laws of war in contemporary armed conflict. (For an audio recording of the event, click here.)

Do War Crime Trials Do More Harm Than Good?

(London, UK, May 2007)

The Crimes of War Project collaborated with the London School of Economics' Centre for the Study of Human Rights to bring Richard Goldstone and Dr Leslie Vinjamuri together to speak about the role and future of war crimes trials.  Richard Goldstone is a former justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, chief prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and is currently a member of the UN appointed committee investigating allegations regarding the Iraq Oil for Food Program. Leslie Vinjamuri is an assistant professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and consultant to Europe and US based NGOs on issues of transitional justice and US foreign policy.   (Click here for audio recording)

Wars, Cosmopolitanism and Local Contexts

(Milan, Itlay, November 2005)

This two-day conference, organized in conjunction with the National University of Milano-Bicocca, examined the persistence of war crimes and genocide in the era of globalization, and asked what the role of journalists and other public groups could be in confronting them.  Participants included eye-witnesses, scholars, journalists, photographers, artists and film-makers.  (Click here for a full agenda and other information)

Violence Without Law: Testimonies and Reflections on Genocide and War Crimes in a Global Age (Milan, Italy, November 2004)

As part of its continuing collaboration with the National University of Milano-Bicocca, the Crimes of War Project co-sponsored a three—day conference to examine the interplay of cosmopolitan sensibilities and local context in framing the response to crimes of mass violence in the contemporary world, and to explore the different meanings of the concept of the “international community.”  (Click here for a full agenda and other information)

War Reporting and War Crimes in the Aftermath of 9/11 (London, UK, October 2002)
The very concept "War on Terror" has unprecedented consequences for international law-and for the ways in which journalists report armed conflicts. To discuss the importance of international humanitarian law in reporting the war on terror and situations of armed conflict and to introduce the Crimes of War Project to the British public, in collaboration with the journalism department of City University, the Crimes of War Project organized a panel discussion including Janine di Giovanni, The Times, Foreign Correspondent of the Year 2000; Roy Gutman, Newsweek journalist, President of the Crimes of War Project; Jean-Paul Marthoz, Director of Human Rights Watch Europe; and John Owen, City University who served as Moderator. (click here for full transcript)

Conflicts and War Crimes: Challenges for Coverage (Washington, DC, May 2000)
A two-day seminar, examining the laws of armed conflict as tools for investigative coverage, looking at the risks and uncertainties in reporting conflict in the changed international landscape, addressing practical questions such as insurance, safety training, and post-traumatic stress, and reviewing the historical, ethical, and professional issues in war coverage. (click here for two-day agenda and full transcript)