Humanitarian Dialogue “The Advent of New Technologies on Warfare: Challenges in Respecting International Law”

The advancement of modern technologies has paved the way forward for humanity. Yet, they also have the potential to unleash bloodshed and devastation of an unimaginable scale, particularly when they fall into the hands of terrorists intended to waging war on humanity.

This was highlighted at a humanitarian dialogue on “The Advent of New Technologies on Warfare: Challenges in Respecting International Law” at The Atrium at Orchard Road on 23 November 2016.

More than 50 people gathered for the dialogue featuring esteemed panelists Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, Head of International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, S. Rajaratnam, School of International Studies and Fiona Barnaby, Regional Legal Adviser of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Chew Lip Heng, Head of Operations Control, International Services, Singapore Red Cross moderated the dialogue. Red Cross News shares some insights from the panelists.

Terrorists have leveraged cyberspace for fundraising, hacking of websites, procurement and recruitment. They have the resources to deploy modern technology like projectiles, drones and nanotechnology to launch large-scale attacks worldwide. And sadly, no one country is spared from the threat of terrorism, since the world today is increasingly global and interconnected.

Given that modern technologies like drones lack emotion or judgement call, the scale of devastation can be unimaginably catastrophic, possibly resulting in widespread bloodshed, loss of plausibly hundreds of thousands of civilian lives and extensive destruction of properties.

The challenge that modern technology poses on International Humanitarian Law cannot be underestimated. Modern technology may complicate the challenges faced by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This is especially true given the potentially wider scale of devastation and the difficulty in negotiating with both the terrorists and politicians to ensure compliance with the International Humanitarian Law.

In recent months, the terrorist attacks have been brought closer to home.

In Singapore, six men in Batam together with Syrian-based Indonesian ISIS militant Bahrun Naim were planning a rocket attack on Marina Bay in August this year. Malaysian Yazid Sufaat is now believed to be one of al-Qaeda’s main anthrax researchers. He was also said to be the same person who conceived attacks in the US.

However, large-scale attacks on civilians are never justified.

The challenge is for governments to build up capabilities to prevent such attacks and to work together to destroy terrorists’ nucleus. Laws, including the International Humanitarian Law, are important and pragmatic. Punitive measures need to be put in place for those who flout the IHL laws. However, that cannot be done in silos. Though it’s often easier said than done, governments, and even terrorists themselves, have to play a role in protecting innocent lives by complying with IHL.

Youth Leadership Humanitarian Camp

Militants from the Deldar Army made perpetual calls for attack. Tumultuous bomb blasts exploded in the air, sending chills down the spines of those who heard them. Continuous gunshots reverberated in the background that fateful Friday morning. The fearful cries of citizens of Haddar, held as hostages by Deldar militants, lingered in the vicinity of the Red Cross Training Campsite.

The earlier scenario was part of a RAID CROSS simulation exercise, held at the second Youth Leadership Humanitarian Camp (YLHC) on 24 and 25 November. It simulated the attack between two fictitious cities, Haddar and Deldar.

For eighteen youth participants, the camp provided them with the first-hand experience of being caught in an armed conflict – a situation that all were unaccustomed to.

Besides RAID CROSS, participants also gleaned insights into Humanitarian Education topics through classroom activities, campfire and team building exercises. Topics learnt included lifesaving and evacuation skills, Exploring Humanitarian Law (EHL) and modules from the Youths As Agents of Behavioural Change (YABC) programme by the IFRC.

Participants honed their leadership skills by taking on various key roles and appointments throughout the camp.

At the end of the camp, awards were presented to seven participants who embodied the Movement’s Seven Fundamental Principles.

“My favourite part of the camp would be the RAID CROSS activity. The simulations were well-planned and suited to the actual happenings in the world. The camp also taught me how to be a more effective leader. It is not always easy to be one but the courage to try and carry on is always better than not doing it at all. Overall, it was an enriching experience for me,” Andrew Amadeus Susilo, recipient of the ‘Medal of Independence’ award.

Organised for youths aged between 15 to 18 years old, the camp was aimed at strengthening the leadership capabilities and inculcating humanitarian values among youth leaders. This was achieved by exposing them to the various issues and challenges within the humanitarian field.

Humanitarian Experiential Camp

When some 40 Singapore Red Cross (SRC) adult volunteers and members attended a one-day camp at Red Cross Training Campsite on 26 November, they expected it to be another engagement session to learn more about the work of the Singapore Red Cross. Little did they know that they were about to enter an ongoing conflict zone.

The day started quite peacefully with a series of team bonding activities. They learnt about the Seven Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and Exploring Humanitarian Law (EHL) through brainstorming sessions and classroom activities.

Yet, their quiet Saturday was disrupted when participants entered a simulated Prisoners-of-War (POWs) Camp, where they had to step into the shoes of in-camp prisoners in order to get their lunch.

And the chaos continues.

While moving in groups, participants played the roles of Psychological First Aid providers, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers, war hostages and First Aid providers as they underwent a series of obstacle courses to complete their allocated missions.

Some of the missions that they had to complete included clearing “mines” in a field, rendering First Aid to help wounded soldiers, providing psychological first aid to distressed victims and collecting dry food rations for sustainability.

The heavy afternoon showers towards the end of the day did not hamper the participants’ moods. As the day came to a close, the participants bade their farewells to the facilitators and their newly found friends. They also gained knowledge and a deeper sense of appreciation towards global humanitarian issues.

“When I received the invitation to the Humanitarian Education Experience, I was really excited about registering for it. Yet at the same time, I was worried about the (physical) activities that I might have to do. This one-day camp turned out to be a wonderful experience for me. I got the chance to play different roles in situations of war and conflict. I’ve learnt that we must not only be physically prepared for such violence but mentally as well. Further, as a Volunteer and Member of the Movement, the lesson on the Fundamental Principles serves to remind me of the values that I need to uphold,” shared Aubrey Arguelles, a SRC Member.