Charli Carpenter
@charlicarpenter.bsky.social
only-slightly-mad scientist, int’l law prof, author of books on civilians & war. fears tyrants & nukes; welcomes spiders & refugee children. loves whitewater.
My somewhat more optimistic take on the @UN #NPT Review Conference is out at World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social. www.worldpoliticsreview.com/non-prolifer...
It’s Not All Doom and Gloom for Non-Proliferation
The latest Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty ended without agreement. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t accomplish anything.
worldpoliticsreview.com
It was a great honor to meet Tyler Prize laureate Toby Kiers at her award gala recently. Here, I write about Kiers' fungi research & advocacy - and how symbioses between social & natural sciences can spur global governance for hidden issues. www.worldpoliticsreview.com/kiers-tyler-...
This Year’s ‘Nobel Prize for the Environment’ Offers Lessons for Climate Activism
Toby Kiers’ work not only has important implications for tackling climate change but also provides insights for mobilizing action to do so.
worldpoliticsreview.com
Toby Kiers' keynote speech at the Tyler Prize award ceremony is incredible - a light-show of her network data on myochorizal fungi. What an inspiring scientist and issue entrepreneur. Am writing today about her vision for global governance of the underground. www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3o3...
Tyler Prize 'State of the Environment Address' with Toby Kiers.
YouTube video by Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement
youtube.com
Trump's latest tweet which appears to call not just for war crimes but for all out genocide against the entire Iranian people. Anyone in a position to participate in such crimes should refuse. Here's why and how. Please share widely. www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trump-us-ira...
What’s at Stake for U.S. Troops Ordered to Commit War Crimes
Lower-level perpetrators will be the most vulnerable to prosecution for war crimes committed in the Iran war.
worldpoliticsreview.com
Iran’s use of cluster munitions against Israel looks like evidence of international law’s irrelevance. But as WPR columnist @charlicarpenter.bsky.social writes, a closer look suggests the opposite may be true.
Will the Norm Against Cluster Munitions Survive the Iran War?
A closer look at the legal reality and political rhetoric suggests that Iran’s use of cluster munitions won’t necessarily weaken the norm against them.
worldpoliticsreview.com
This Doha Debates roundtable, in which I participated, was recorded last November - still relevant? Give it a listen and tell me what you think. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXSq...
Doha Debates: Is humanity hardwired for war?
YouTube video by Al Jazeera English
youtube.com
If you missed my UMass @sbs-umass.bsky.social webinar on international law and Iran today, you can read a summary of my key points here: www.worldpoliticsreview.com/us-israel-ir...
Does the Lawlessness of the Iran War Matter?
An overarching question is whether the laws of war even matter when powerful states seem able to do as they please with little consequence.
worldpoliticsreview.com
Interested in international law and the US/Israel/Iran war? I'll be speaking on a @sbs-umass.bsky.social webinar with some great colleagues next Tuesday March 10 at 4pm - come join us: www.umass.edu/news/article...
SBS and HFA to Host Virtual Panel Discussing Iran War on March 10 | UMass Amherst
The webinar, “War with Iran: International and Domestic Implications,” will take place at 4 p.m. on Zoom and is free and open to the public.
umass.edu
Academic friends, UMass PoliSci is recruiting teaching faculty in International Relations as well as other fields of political science. Please share widely!
Lecturer 100% - 3 Full-time Positions - Political Science Department - Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
Title: Lecturer 100% - 3 Full-time Positions - Political Science Department Executive Area: Academic Affairs College/School/MBU: Social & Behavioral Sciences Department: Political Science Work Loc...
careers.umass.edu
I'll be speaking today at 4pm on this webinar about international law and the Venezuela raid that captured Maduro. Register here to join and listen: www.umass.edu/news/article...
UMass Amherst Experts to Examine Law, Politics of US Intervention in Venezuela | UMass Amherst
The public is invited to attend the Jan. 20 webinar which will feature faculty members from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
umass.edu
Some reasons why civilized countries don't do 'law enforcement' missions with high explosives and blackouts www.worldpoliticsreview.com/us-venezuela...
Whether War or Police Action, the U.S. Strike on Venezuela Was Illegal
In claiming its attack on Venezuela was a law enforcement operation, the Trump administration actually raised the bar on harms to civilians.
worldpoliticsreview.com
At World Politics Review (@wpr.bsky.social) this week, I explain more about how we can know that norms against nuclear non-use are getting stronger rather than weaker in an era of nuclear brinksmanship www.worldpoliticsreview.com/nuclear-weap...
The Nuclear Taboo Is Actually Getting Stronger
Far from collapsing, the nuclear taboo remains strong and by some indicators is getting stronger as a result of developments in international law.
worldpoliticsreview.com
In my latest @foreignpolicy.com piece, I trace how the nuclear taboo is increasingly grounded in international humanitarian law rather than the non-proliferation regime. foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/20/n...
Why the Nuclear Taboo Is Stronger Than Ever
Fears of proliferation and the crumbling of an earlier nuclear order could actually be accelerating international norm-building.
foreignpolicy.com
More positive news from @umassamherst.bsky.social Human Security Lab: www.militarytimes.com/opinion/comm...
4 in 5 US troops surveyed understand duty to disobey illegal orders
As National Guard troops head to DC, a new survey reveals service members’ understanding of the distinction between legal and illegal orders.
militarytimes.com
One of the most powerful drivers in Israel's shift on food aid is the Israeli military pressuring Netanyahu to stop forcing them to carry out manifestly unlawful orders. International law at work. www.worldpoliticsreview.com/israel-aid-g...
Global Outrage Isn’t the Only Thing Driving Israel’s Shift on Aid to Gaza
Israel loosened restrictions on aid entering Gaza, suggesting it is more vulnerable to political pressure than it has been in recent months.
worldpoliticsreview.com
Military-trained Americans want much stronger nuclear safeguards, worry about unilateral Presidential launch authority, says new UMass Human Security Lab / You Gov poll in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists thebulletin.org/2025/07/mili...
Military-trained Americans’ trust in the president’s nuclear launch authority dropped during Iran Crisis. Here’s why it matters.
A recent study discovered something unexpected: The US military's confidence in the president having sole authority to launch a nuclear weapon went down when Trump authorized missile strikes on Iran. ...
thebulletin.org
My latest column on why Trump should double down on, not pull out of, UN peacekeeping: www.worldpoliticsreview.com/un-peacekeep...
U.N. Peacekeeping Can Help Trump Advance His ‘Back to Basics’ Agenda
The U.S. under Trump is undercutting U.N. peacekeeping while saying it values those missions. It should step up its involvement instead.
worldpoliticsreview.com
The nature of the US-El Salvador deportation scheme means that Trump could be indicted by the International Criminal Court. @charlicarpenter.bsky.social explains how it could happen:
Trump’s Deportations to El Salvador Are a Case for the ICC
The nature of the U.S.-El Salvador deportation scheme means that Trump could be indicted by the International Criminal Court.
worldpoliticsreview.com
One does not simply break the rules-based international order. On the American Prestige podcast this week, I talk with Danny Bessner and Derek Davison about why. Subscribe to this excellent podcast and listen here. (Non-paywalled version available in comments.) open.spotify.com/episode/7w6K...
Bonus - Is the Rules-Based Order Dependent on the US? w/ Charli Carpenter (Preview)
American Prestige · Episode
open.spotify.com
As I head with students to the UN's nuclear ban treaty conference next week, I'm excited at my lab's emerging research findings: this treaty's very existence can and does change minds about the lawfulness of nuclear use. @nuclearban.bsky.social
World Politics Review@wpr.bsky.social · last yr.The nuclear weapons ban treaty shows the power of international legal standards, even—and perhaps especially—without great power support, @charlicarpenter.bsky.social writes.
My brother Lt. Col @ehcarpenter.bsky.social's new book about his time as a peacekeeper in South Sudan is topping the charts at Amazon! A great resource for classrooms, scholars and the general public interested in world affairs… and he's about to start a book tour as well: bit.ly/3QmwT9H
Blue Helmet: My Year as a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan
Blue Helmet: My Year as a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan [Carpenter, Edward H., Bardalai, Gen. Apurba Kumar] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Blue Helmet: My Year as a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan
amazon.com
Guys! Here is a great new website where you can find lots of ways to get involved in protecting our human rights and fundamental freedoms. Filter by location, issue and type of event and find ways to keep the pressure on Trump to follow the constitution. Happy Monday! www.buildtheresistance.org
Build The Resistance
buildtheresistance.org
an early sign that institutions will hold after all? www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01...
Trump Administration Rescinds Freeze on Federal Grants and Loans: Live Updates
nytimes.com
Civilian protection may sound like a bleeding heart issue, but the military gets tons of strategic benefits for its civilian harm mitigation dollar. Here’s why the DOD’s Center for Civilian Protrction is a bad candidate for Trump’s chopping block: www.worldpoliticsreview.com/us-military-...
The U.S. Military Should Focus More on Protecting Civilians, Not Less
A leaked memo suggests the U.S. military’s Civilian Protection Center could be the victim of budget cuts. If anything, the center should be expanded.
worldpoliticsreview.com
my latest column in World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social: the death of the Rules-Based Order is being somewhat exaggerated
The Rules-Based Order Is Less Dependent on the U.S. Than Biden’s Critics Think
Biden often failed to uphold the rules-based order he vowed to protect. But that order doesn’t operate merely at the whim of the great powers.
worldpoliticsreview.com
@hsecuritylab.bsky.social's new report says Zelensky should lift the ban when martial law renews in August; @StateDept & @NATO should encourage this. Why? For humanitarian and strategic reasons. To find out more, read this THREAD (if you're still on Twitter):
Tweet by @charlicarpenter
“THREAD: Over 500 days in, civilian men remain trapped inside #Ukraine's by presidential decree. @ZelenskyyUA should lift the ban when martial law renews in August. @StateDept & @NATO should enc...
twitter.com
Over 500 days into the Ukraine war, Zelensky's travel ban on civilian men is not just hard on civilians, but unnecessary and counter-productive. New report out from @hsecuritylab.bsky.social
Human Security Lab Launches New Report Calling for End to Gender-Selective Travel Ban in Ukraine War...
Ukrainian women are particularly opposed to continuing the travel ban, according to the latest Human Security Lab survey.
humansecuritylab.net
New @HSecurityLab survey shows majority of Ukrainians continue to oppose @ZelenskyyUa's travel ban on men 18-60. Only 42% are in favor of retaining the ban, 58% split between "Let Men Choose" or a "Different View." http://bit.ly/44uw4AM
Survey Shows Continued Opposition to Ukraine’s Travel Ban on Men — HOME
Women are particularly unlikely to support continued restrictions on men, and especially likely to suggest alternative policy options.
bit.ly
