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World leaders have condemned Russia harshly for weaponizing food in its war on Ukraine. By blockading Ukrainian grain shipments in ports and besieging civilians in the nation’s cities, Russia is using starvation as a war strategy.
As Tufts University scholars Tom Dannenbaum, Alex De Waal and Daniel Maxwell explain, military powers have done this for thousands of years, typically without being held to account. Now, however, international law clearly forbids starvation of civilians as a warfare tactic. “It is time to confront the criminality of this practice,” they assert – and to do it in places like Yemen, Syria and South Sudan as well as in Ukraine.
Also today:
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Grain warehouse destroyed by Russian attacks in Kopyliv, Kyiv province, Ukraine, May 28, 2022.
Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Tom Dannenbaum, Tufts University; Alex De Waal, Tufts University; Daniel Maxwell, Tufts University
Countries have used starvation as a war strategy for centuries, historically without being prosecuted. Three experts on hunger and humanitarian relief call for holding perpetrators accountable.
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Environment + Energy
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Kathryn Crawford, Middlebury
The federal government has new advisories on PFAS, which can put human health at risk in a list of ways, but so far only states are regulating the chemicals.
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John Reilly, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
The road map for a more sustainable future starts with clean energy and fossil-fuel-free transportation.
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Health + Medicine
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Gabriela Suarez, University of Michigan
The latest findings add to the understanding of how social disadvantage such as poverty and low-quality, unsafe housing can affect early child development.
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Politics + Society
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Steven Lamy, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Sandwiched between Russia and NATO ally Norway, both Sweden and Finland have maintained neutrality in global conflicts. That changed in February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
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Science + Technology
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Yaniv Hanoch, University of Southampton; Stacey Wood, Scripps College
From initial coin offerings that are totally fake to fraudsters demanding payments in crypto, scams involving cryptocurrencies are on the rise. Two experts explain why – and how to protect yourself.
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Education
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Elizabeth K. Anthony, Arizona State University
Surveillance cameras, metal detectors, door-locking systems and armed guards have not prevented school shootings. A school safety scholar examines other possible approaches.
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