Engagement and disengagement

This blog builds on a recent roundtable examining red lines in humanitarian negotiations, and continues the exploration of the humanitarian relationship with politics and power. By casting a fresh gaze on humanitarian principles, and recognising the social and political agency of humanitarian action, it identifies a place for both cooperation and challenge.

Pets and humanitarian borders

Currently little academic attention is paid to pets and war. This blog explores how the care for animals is rapidly becoming a part of the humanitarian narrative of the attack on Ukraine and provides a starting point for further discussion on this topic.

Agents of change or agents of continuity? Gender and conflict in Ukraine

With the world’s eyes focused on Putin’s war on Ukraine, this war – as any other – is also profoundly gendered. This blog discusses what type of gendered interplay we are seeing in Ukraine as the war unfolds.

Militarisation, racism and Russophobia: What the war in Ukraine produces and reveals

This blog examines the hasty militarisation of Europe in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and points to the humanitarian racism and global rise of Russophobia exposed by the response to the war.

Putin’s aggression in Ukraine and its humanitarian consequences

This blog discusses the humanitarian aspects of Putin’s invasion to Ukraine and the urgent need to engage in humanitarian diplomacy.

Afghanistan: Beyond humanitarian relief

This blog examines why the looming humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan necessitates a broader engagement with the Taliban, and argues that the focus of aid to Afghanistan needs to shift from relief to development assistance as soon as possible.

The evacuation of judges and the future of justice in Afghanistan

This blog examines the evacuation of judges from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover in August 2021 and the impact for the future of justice in Afghanistan.

Do not abandon the Afghan people

A functional Afghan state requires both humanitarian aid and financial support for a considerable time ahead, and previous investments in social service programs should not be wasted, says Arne Strand and Astri Suhrke.

Contingency planning in the Digital Age: Biometric data of Afghans must be reconsidered

This blog examines the security implications for Afghans who have had their biometrics registered by humanitarian or military agencies.

The chants of ‘Allahu Akbar’ in the streets of Afghanistan

As the Taliban’s relentless military campaign escalates, this blog examines how the current phase of conflict has shifted the dynamics of militarised violence from rural areas to populated urban areas.

What is killing humanitarian aid workers?

This blog considers what is killing humanitarian aid workers. Has the humanitarian enterprise got more dangerous? Is eroding trust placing humanitarians in danger?

Collateral damage in court

“Collateral damage” has been a recurring feature of the wars in Afghanistan and the Middle East for the past two decades. This blog post examines the European Court of Human Rights decision in the case of Hanan vs Germany and the impact for civilian victims.

Submit your blog

Submit your blog

We welcome your contributions to the NCHS blog. Please review our blog guidelines below before submitting your blog using this form. While this blog is hosted by the NCHS, the views expressed by individual authors are their own and must not be interpreted as the position of the NCHS.

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Blog guidelines

Who can contribute

We welcome blog contributions from across the humanitarian field, whether you are a researcher, academic, practitioner or postgraduate student.

For example, you may be a researcher wishing to link your studies to current affairs or events, or you may be a research student wanting to share some preliminary research findings. We also welcome contributions from practitioners working in the field wishing to share experiences or reflections on humanitarian issues or practices.

How to contribute

Please use the form above to submit your blog. It is useful if you also tell us how your blog contributes to the analysis or discussion about a particular humanitarian topic or issue.

All submissions should be made electronically and in Microsoft Word (not PDF or any other format). Blog posts should ideally be between 800 and 1,500 words in length. Please do not submit blogs more than 2,000 words.

Please include the names and a short bio for each author (no more than two to three sentences per author). If you use social media, you can also include your Twitter and/or Facebook handles. Also include a title for the blog, as well as an abstract or summary (maximum 100 words).

It is also useful if you include a suitable accompanying photo or image for your blog. Please also provide a caption where possible and ensure you cite the source and have permission to use it.

Blogs are best when they are easily understood by a wide audience. Please write in an accessible way that will be easily understood. Adding hyperlinks to relevant sources and background information is also a useful way to provide the reader with more information or provide further explanation of complex concepts. Add a short list of references at the end of your blog if necessary.

Please let us know if your blog has been published elsewhere. We can in some cases consider posting pieces that have previously been published, however, the author then needs to obtain permission from the original publisher to re-publish the work.

As a contributor, you are responsible for the factual accuracy of your work. You are also responsible for correctly citing other sources. Responsibility for any plagiarism rests with the author.

Blog review process

Please be aware that all blogs submitted for publication undergo an independent and anonymous review process. The reviewer may make suggestions to revise your blog prior to publication.

While this blog is hosted by the NCHS, the views expressed by individual authors are their own and must not be interpreted as the position of the NCHS.