The Intimacies of Remote Warfare is an evidence-based research programme that aims to inform academic, public and policy debates on the intimate realities of remote wars waged by advanced militaries.

The programme investigates the politics, operations, technologies, and political economy of remote warfare, as well as its impact on civilian harm and blowback. IRW engages with key stakeholders to participate in expert round tables, co-create knowledge, and formulate policy recommendations. It shares its findings through academic journals and books, op-eds, podcasts, documentaries, public events, a summer school, and (social) media outlets.

See our website The Intimacies of Remote Warfare for an overview of past and current research and impact activities and output.   

• dr. Lauren Gould
• Linde Arentze

For the After the Strike research project (2020-2022) dr. Lauren Gould (principle investigator) and Prof dr. Jolle Demmers teamed up with NGO Pax for Peace and Iraqi NGO Al-Ghad to conceptualize and investigate the civilian harm effects of a 2015 Dutch airstrike in Hawija, Iraq. This airstrike was one of the 35.000 mission carried out by the US-led Coalition against ISIS across Syria and Iraq. 

Combining OSINT and interviewing 159 respondents in Hawija, this project was the first to clearly define the direct and reverberating civilian harm effects of this airstrike, highlighting the compounding impact of remote bombing in rebel-held urban centres more broadly. After the release of the report, it is now officially recognised that 85 civilians were killed by the blast and many more injured.  

The research culminated in journal articles, a research report, popular science book, documentary, numerous podcast episodes and public events, and the research findings are central evidence in a civilian court case of the Hawija victims vs the Dutch state.

From 2020 -2024, Lauren also led a consortium of civil society partners (including Amnesty, CIVIC, Pax and Airwars) in a Transparency Road Map process with the Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD). This process has led to the establishment of a Protection of Civilian team and Civilian Casualty Reporting Portal at the MoD, and new transparency and accountabilities policies vis-à-vis civilian harm in the Netherlands. 

• dr. Lauren Gould

• Erin Bijl and Saba Azeem
• Pax for Peace