Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Wed, Sep 09, 2026 05:36 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

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

Oil Prices Rally as Brent Nears $100 on U.S.-Iran Escalation

Oil prices extended their rally during Asian trading on Wednesday, with Brent crude approaching the key $100-per-barrel level as escalating U.S.-Iran tensions fueled concerns over Middle East oil supplies and shipping...

Asian Stocks Mixed as AI Chip Rally Meets Oil Surge

Asian stocks traded mixed on Wednesday as semiconductor shares extended gains on strong artificial intelligence demand, while rising oil prices and escalating Middle East tensions fueled concerns about inflation and higher...

Asian Stocks Mixed as Korean Chipmakers Rally

Asian stocks traded mixed on Tuesday as strong gains in South Korean semiconductor shares boosted the regions technology sector, while rising oil prices, higher U.S. Treasury yields and expectations for tighter monetary...

Canada Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Goods Take Effect

Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion worth of U.S. goods early Tuesday, escalating its trade dispute with the United States after negotiations between the two countries collapsed last month. Prime Minister...

Iran Threatens Gulf Energy Assets as U.S. Tensions Escalate

Iran warned Monday that it would retaliate against further U.S. attacks, threatening American oil and gas interests across the Gulf as renewed hostilities raise concerns over global energy supplies and shipping through the...

Politics

US Forces Destroy Five Iranian Oil Tankers After Missile Attacks

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers on September 8 following attempted missile attacks on a U.S. Navy warship over the previous two days. The military action marks...

Iran Says It Captured US Underwater Drone Near Strait of Hormuz

Irans Revolutionary Guards said Tuesday that its naval forces captured a U.S. uncrewed submarine near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the growing role of autonomous underwater drones in modern military...

Xi, Putin Reaffirm Ties With North Korea on Founding Anniversary

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed their countries close strategic relationships with North Korea as Pyongyang celebrated the 78th anniversary of its founding, North Korean state...

FDA Names Permanent Drug and Biologics Center Chiefs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday named permanent leaders for two major Food and Drug Administration centers responsible for overseeing drugs, vaccines and other biological products, as the agency...

Trump Administration Removes Confederate Memorial Criticism From Arlington Website

President Donald Trumps administration has removed language criticizing the Confederate Memorial that once stood at Arlington National Cemetery, according to archived versions of the cemeterys website. The deleted material...

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

Qualcomm Stock Jumps on Amazon AI Chip Deal

Qualcomm Technologies (NASDAQ: QCOM) shares surged 9.5% after the chipmaker announced a multi-generational partnership with Amazon to develop custom silicon and high-speed optical connectivity technology for artificial...

Google Revamps EU Search Results to Meet DMA Rules

Alphabets Google has introduced major changes to its search results in Europe as it seeks to comply with European Union antitrust rules under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Google said Tuesday that the overhaul represents...

Australia Plans New Rules Giving Users Control Over Social Media Feeds

Australia has proposed new social media regulations that would give users greater control over the content appearing in their feeds, expanding the governments efforts to strengthen online safety and regulate major...

Anthropic Drops $6 Billion Decart AI Acquisition Talks

Anthropic has reportedly abandoned plans to acquire artificial intelligence startup Decart AI after exploring a potential transaction valued at roughly $6 billion, according to Bloomberg News. The maker of the Claude AI...

Huawei Launches Mate XT2 Foldable Phone in China

Huawei unveiled its latest flagship foldable smartphone, the Mate XT2, on Monday as the Chinese technology giant looks to maintain its dominance in the countrys premium smartphone market amid growing competition from Apple...