cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/8865304

...

Electric vehicles (EVs) are widely considered to be one of the big winners from the current conflict between the United States and Iran [and the resulting blockade of the Strait of Hormuz], as they allow users to move away from reliance on fossil fuels.

But EVs are exposed to the Strait of Hormuz as the manufacture of their batteries is dependent on sulphuric acid, a key component in the extraction of metals such as nickel and lithium.

Sulphuric acid is vital in the high-pressure acid leach method ​of extracting battery-grade nickel from ore at mines in Indonesia, the top producer of the metal.

It is also used to extract lithium from hard rocks in Australia, the biggest producer ​of the metal, and is also important to produce copper.

...

Sulphur is a by-product of producing crude oil and gas, and refining into fuels, making Middle East countries such as the United ​Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia major suppliers of the raw material that is used to make sulphuric acid.

Sulphur is usually transported by bulk carriers and volumes through the Strait of Hormuz have collapsed since ​the start of the Iran conflict, with data from commodity analysts Kpler showing only 30,000 metric tons made it out in April and 180,000 tons in March.

This was down from an average of 1.27 million tons a month in the three months prior to the start of the conflict, according to Kpler. The loss of Middle East cargoes has sent the price of sulphur soaring, with delivered prices to Asia reaching as high as $880 a ton, up 50% ​since the start of the war.

The higher price for sulphur is feeding through to sulphuric acid and will raise costs for nickel, copper and lithium miners, but of more concern is that supply ​might be constrained.

...

Several mining ⁠executives from Indonesia and Australia attending last month's Asian Battery Raw Materials Conference in Hanoi expressed concern that securing sulphuric acid supplies on a medium-term basis is becoming more challenging.

China's EV and battery storage makers are exposed to any loss of supply of nickel produced using HPAL as well as lithium from Australia.

There are some alternatives to using sulphuric acid in processing metals, but they are not suitable to produce battery-grade nickel, and for copper and lithium they require higher energy inputs to make lower volumes.

While the processing of metals is not yet a crisis point, the longer the Strait of Hormuz ​remains effectively closed the closer that point becomes.

...

...

Electric vehicles (EVs) are widely considered to be one of the big winners from the current conflict between the United States and Iran [and the resulting blockade of the Strait of Hormuz], as they allow users to move away from reliance on fossil fuels.

But EVs are exposed to the Strait of Hormuz as the manufacture of their batteries is dependent on sulphuric acid, a key component in the extraction of metals such as nickel and lithium.

Sulphuric acid is vital in the high-pressure acid leach method ​of extracting battery-grade nickel from ore at mines in Indonesia, the top producer of the metal.

It is also used to extract lithium from hard rocks in Australia, the biggest producer ​of the metal, and is also important to produce copper.

...

Sulphur is a by-product of producing crude oil and gas, and refining into fuels, making Middle East countries such as the United ​Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia major suppliers of the raw material that is used to make sulphuric acid.

Sulphur is usually transported by bulk carriers and volumes through the Strait of Hormuz have collapsed since ​the start of the Iran conflict, with data from commodity analysts Kpler showing only 30,000 metric tons made it out in April and 180,000 tons in March.

This was down from an average of 1.27 million tons a month in the three months prior to the start of the conflict, according to Kpler. The loss of Middle East cargoes has sent the price of sulphur soaring, with delivered prices to Asia reaching as high as $880 a ton, up 50% ​since the start of the war.

The higher price for sulphur is feeding through to sulphuric acid and will raise costs for nickel, copper and lithium miners, but of more concern is that supply ​might be constrained.

...

Several mining ⁠executives from Indonesia and Australia attending last month's Asian Battery Raw Materials Conference in Hanoi expressed concern that securing sulphuric acid supplies on a medium-term basis is becoming more challenging.

China's EV and battery storage makers are exposed to any loss of supply of nickel produced using HPAL as well as lithium from Australia.

There are some alternatives to using sulphuric acid in processing metals, but they are not suitable to produce battery-grade nickel, and for copper and lithium they require higher energy inputs to make lower volumes.

While the processing of metals is not yet a crisis point, the longer the Strait of Hormuz ​remains effectively closed the closer that point becomes.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/8859833

Archived version

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, together with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, will today co-host in Brussels (as part of the Foreign Affairs Council) a high-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children.

The event will gather ministers and senior representatives from around 50 countries and international organisations to further support Ukraine’s efforts to trace, return, and reintegrate children that were forcibly transferred and unlawfully deported by Russia, while ensuring accountability for Russia’s actions. Participants will also discuss ways to step up coordinated sanctions against those responsible for these actions.

...

Earlier in the day, a screening of the documentary After the Rain: Putin’s Stolen Children Come Home will take place, followed by a panel discussion featuring the film’s director, Ukrainian representatives and other distinguished speakers.

The film will also be available for viewing on the European Commission audiovisual portal for one month free of charge here: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-288749

...

Archived version

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, together with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, will today co-host in Brussels (as part of the Foreign Affairs Council) a high-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children.

The event will gather ministers and senior representatives from around 50 countries and international organisations to further support Ukraine’s efforts to trace, return, and reintegrate children that were forcibly transferred and unlawfully deported by Russia, while ensuring accountability for Russia’s actions. Participants will also discuss ways to step up coordinated sanctions against those responsible for these actions.

...

Earlier in the day, a screening of the documentary After the Rain: Putin’s Stolen Children Come Home will take place, followed by a panel discussion featuring the film’s director, Ukrainian representatives and other distinguished speakers.

The film will also be available for viewing on the European Commission audiovisual portal for one month free of charge here: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-288749

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/8859386

Archived version

...

Despite repeated denials from Beijing, Ukraine accuses China of aiding its ally Russia with military goods. Amid broader concerns about China’s dominance of industrial supply chains and the security risks that could entail, Ukraine – as well as Europe, the US and other countries – have increasingly turned to Taiwan as an alternative supplier.

Taiwan’s reputation for excellence in technology and particular expertise in microelectronics, navigation systems and batteries – areas in which western suppliers have struggled to compete – make it a favoured alternative source for Ukrainian drone manufacturers, according to the Snake Island Institute (SII), an independent Ukrainian thinktank.

Taiwan appears ready to meet the moment – with its president, Lai Ching-te, promoting a US$40bn supplementary defence budget that includes funding for drones and the integration of artificial intelligence.

...

Taiwanese drone exports to Europe surged more than 40-fold in 2025, with Poland and Czechia among the largest markets, according to the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET). The trend continues to grow – exports in the first quarter of 2026 have already surpassed last year’s total.

...

Ultimately, localisation remains Ukraine’s primary focus, says Artur Savchii, an analyst at the SII thinktank.

Each year of the war has pushed production further inward: from mainly importing Chinese finished drones to assembling them almost entirely domestically. By last year, Ukraine had more than 100 manufacturers of components on its shores, according to Ukraine’s ministry of defence. Ukrainian companies are also tailoring systems specifically for frontline combat in ways that mass-market Chinese suppliers often cannot, Savchii says.

...

Taiwanese companies remain nimble though; some drone companies have established local facilities in Lithuania and Poland to better serve Ukraine, while a government body to promote the industry has signed memorandums of understanding with five European countries.

As demand for AI-driven drones grows on the frontline, experts and suppliers see potential for deeper Taiwan-Ukraine cooperation. Taiwan’s ministry of economic affairs has pledged to support seven hi-tech companies with about NT$326m ($10m), to develop drone-specific chips.

...

Archived version

...

Despite repeated denials from Beijing, Ukraine accuses China of aiding its ally Russia with military goods. Amid broader concerns about China’s dominance of industrial supply chains and the security risks that could entail, Ukraine – as well as Europe, the US and other countries – have increasingly turned to Taiwan as an alternative supplier.

Taiwan’s reputation for excellence in technology and particular expertise in microelectronics, navigation systems and batteries – areas in which western suppliers have struggled to compete – make it a favoured alternative source for Ukrainian drone manufacturers, according to the Snake Island Institute (SII), an independent Ukrainian thinktank.

Taiwan appears ready to meet the moment – with its president, Lai Ching-te, promoting a US$40bn supplementary defence budget that includes funding for drones and the integration of artificial intelligence.

...

Taiwanese drone exports to Europe surged more than 40-fold in 2025, with Poland and Czechia among the largest markets, according to the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET). The trend continues to grow – exports in the first quarter of 2026 have already surpassed last year’s total.

...

Ultimately, localisation remains Ukraine’s primary focus, says Artur Savchii, an analyst at the SII thinktank.

Each year of the war has pushed production further inward: from mainly importing Chinese finished drones to assembling them almost entirely domestically. By last year, Ukraine had more than 100 manufacturers of components on its shores, according to Ukraine’s ministry of defence. Ukrainian companies are also tailoring systems specifically for frontline combat in ways that mass-market Chinese suppliers often cannot, Savchii says.

...

Taiwanese companies remain nimble though; some drone companies have established local facilities in Lithuania and Poland to better serve Ukraine, while a government body to promote the industry has signed memorandums of understanding with five European countries.

As demand for AI-driven drones grows on the frontline, experts and suppliers see potential for deeper Taiwan-Ukraine cooperation. Taiwan’s ministry of economic affairs has pledged to support seven hi-tech companies with about NT$326m ($10m), to develop drone-specific chips.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/8844453

Archived version

Nathan Law, an exiled leader of the Hong Kong student protest who lives with a £100,000 bounty on his head from the Chinese authorities, was not surprised to discover a spy ring had photographed him entering the Oxford Union for an evening debate in November 2023.

The conviction at the Old Bailey of Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, 38, and Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, 65, for assisting a foreign intelligence service, was a sobering first – no Chinese spies had been convicted in British criminal history before Thursday – but the details that came out in the nine-week trial mainly served to confirm his suspicions.

Law, 32, was already aware he was a target and had taken his usual precautions before and after the debate, at which he had been arguing in favour of the case that China’s rise was a risk. He was, as he always is, studious in checking who was around him. He was picked up in a car to get home. “There is no public information that anything sensitive about my whereabouts has been compromised,” he said of that day.

It was also unsurprising to him that Yuen, the older of the two men convicted, who was said to have orchestrated the spying, worked as a senior manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Bedford Square, Bloomsbury, central London.

...

“In Hong Kong ‘national security’ means like you disagree with the government,” [Law] said. “And that extends to the role of HKETO; it is also used to punish people who disagree with the government. Having a new function, which is like doing espionage work, surveilling dissidents, I don’t think we are that surprised.”

...

In a message in which Wai used a derogatory term for pro-democracy protesters, the court heard that the dual British-Chinese national had boasted he was able to tally up monthly totals of “cockroaches” entering the UK.

“He had access to the system that contains information on us,” said Law. “I think there’s a part of the evidence showing that he used those systems to search for addresses or any other sensitive personal information for me.

“I can only do so much to protect myself. I can try to spot anyone following me and take different routes and do different things to sort of like get rid of them. I can hide my digital footprints. But I can’t not give details to the [British] government, and if their databases are so accessible and there are no safeguards to protect people like us, who are obviously targets of intelligence and secret operations from hostile governments, then that is a worry.”

...

n evidence given last year by Hong Kong Aid (HKA), an NGO that assists asylum seekers in the UK, to parliament’s joint committee on human rights, the threat the Chinese authorities pose to dissidents in the UK when armed with such data stood out.

In 2024, they reported, the addresses of Hongkongers in Britain had been exposed online and anti-immigration protesters were urged to “visit” them. HKA wrote: “The messages from an anonymous user incite anti- immigration activists and groups to physically approach the addresses and potentially create riots, creating a serious security concern,” HKA wrote.

...

The NGO’s helpline had been receiving suspicious phone calls from Hong Kong three times a day, consistently, since 2022, it said. It later found that the number from which the calls were coming was associated with the Hong Kong police. There had been threats made by the Hong Kong national security police to family members of UK-based individuals advocating for democracy. In 2022, the dragging of a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester into the Chinese consulate in Manchester where he was beaten was said to highlight “the People’s Republic of China’s willingness to extend repression on to UK soil”.

...

In January, the UK government approved plans for a new, large Chinese embassy at Royal Mint Court in London, ending years of fraught debate over the security risks it would pose. For Law and others, the risks are just as real right now.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/8844453

Archived version

Nathan Law, an exiled leader of the Hong Kong student protest who lives with a £100,000 bounty on his head from the Chinese authorities, was not surprised to discover a spy ring had photographed him entering the Oxford Union for an evening debate in November 2023.

The conviction at the Old Bailey of Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, 38, and Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, 65, for assisting a foreign intelligence service, was a sobering first – no Chinese spies had been convicted in British criminal history before Thursday – but the details that came out in the nine-week trial mainly served to confirm his suspicions.

Law, 32, was already aware he was a target and had taken his usual precautions before and after the debate, at which he had been arguing in favour of the case that China’s rise was a risk. He was, as he always is, studious in checking who was around him. He was picked up in a car to get home. “There is no public information that anything sensitive about my whereabouts has been compromised,” he said of that day.

It was also unsurprising to him that Yuen, the older of the two men convicted, who was said to have orchestrated the spying, worked as a senior manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Bedford Square, Bloomsbury, central London.

...

“In Hong Kong ‘national security’ means like you disagree with the government,” [Law] said. “And that extends to the role of HKETO; it is also used to punish people who disagree with the government. Having a new function, which is like doing espionage work, surveilling dissidents, I don’t think we are that surprised.”

...

In a message in which Wai used a derogatory term for pro-democracy protesters, the court heard that the dual British-Chinese national had boasted he was able to tally up monthly totals of “cockroaches” entering the UK.

“He had access to the system that contains information on us,” said Law. “I think there’s a part of the evidence showing that he used those systems to search for addresses or any other sensitive personal information for me.

“I can only do so much to protect myself. I can try to spot anyone following me and take different routes and do different things to sort of like get rid of them. I can hide my digital footprints. But I can’t not give details to the [British] government, and if their databases are so accessible and there are no safeguards to protect people like us, who are obviously targets of intelligence and secret operations from hostile governments, then that is a worry.”

...

n evidence given last year by Hong Kong Aid (HKA), an NGO that assists asylum seekers in the UK, to parliament’s joint committee on human rights, the threat the Chinese authorities pose to dissidents in the UK when armed with such data stood out.

In 2024, they reported, the addresses of Hongkongers in Britain had been exposed online and anti-immigration protesters were urged to “visit” them. HKA wrote: “The messages from an anonymous user incite anti- immigration activists and groups to physically approach the addresses and potentially create riots, creating a serious security concern,” HKA wrote.

...

The NGO’s helpline had been receiving suspicious phone calls from Hong Kong three times a day, consistently, since 2022, it said. It later found that the number from which the calls were coming was associated with the Hong Kong police. There had been threats made by the Hong Kong national security police to family members of UK-based individuals advocating for democracy. In 2022, the dragging of a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester into the Chinese consulate in Manchester where he was beaten was said to highlight “the People’s Republic of China’s willingness to extend repression on to UK soil”.

...

In January, the UK government approved plans for a new, large Chinese embassy at Royal Mint Court in London, ending years of fraught debate over the security risks it would pose. For Law and others, the risks are just as real right now.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/8843465

Archived version

Chinese-linked fake news websites exposed more than two years ago as tools of Beijing's overseas influence operations remain active in Japan, the Sankei Shimbun learned on May 1.

The 15 sites, which pose as legitimate news outlets, are believed to be aimed at manipulating public opinion by spreading information mixed with falsehoods and conspiracy theories.

Experts warn that their content could eventually be cited by generative artificial intelligence.

...

Made to Look Local

"The Fujiyama Times," "Nikko News," "Sendai Shimbun," "Fukuoka Express," "Tokushima Online"—websites bearing names that resemble Japanese local media outlets were still publishing articles on Japan, the US, Russia, South Korea, and sports.

They are among 123 Chinese-linked fake news sites listed in a February 2024 report by The Citizen Lab, based at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. South Korea had the largest number of such sites, with 17, followed by Japan and Russia, each with 15.

Most of the articles identified in Japan are written in Japanese, but many contain conspicuously unnatural wording. It's also common for multiple sites to carry the same article.

...

The Citizen Lab dubbed the Chinese operation "Paperwall."

"A network of at least 123 websites operated from within the People's Republic of China while posing as local news outlets in 30 countries across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, disseminates pro-Beijing disinformation and ad hominem attacks within much larger volumes of commercial press releases," its report said.

The report further stated that a public relations company in Shenzhen was involved, noting that the case highlights the important role of private companies in digital influence operations and Beijing's tendency to utilize such firms.

...

But why are these fake sites still publishing content more than two years after their existence was exposed?

"There have been cases overseas where generative AI learns from articles on fake websites and produces answers for users based on biased views or false information," said Ryohei Suzuki, a specially appointed assistant professor at Hitotsubashi University who studies disinformation and influence operations.

He added, "The continued publication of articles as part of the Paperwall operation may also be aimed at manipulating information through generative AI."

Archived version

Chinese-linked fake news websites exposed more than two years ago as tools of Beijing's overseas influence operations remain active in Japan, the Sankei Shimbun learned on May 1.

The 15 sites, which pose as legitimate news outlets, are believed to be aimed at manipulating public opinion by spreading information mixed with falsehoods and conspiracy theories.

Experts warn that their content could eventually be cited by generative artificial intelligence.

...

Made to Look Local

"The Fujiyama Times," "Nikko News," "Sendai Shimbun," "Fukuoka Express," "Tokushima Online"—websites bearing names that resemble Japanese local media outlets were still publishing articles on Japan, the US, Russia, South Korea, and sports.

They are among 123 Chinese-linked fake news sites listed in a February 2024 report by The Citizen Lab, based at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. South Korea had the largest number of such sites, with 17, followed by Japan and Russia, each with 15.

Most of the articles identified in Japan are written in Japanese, but many contain conspicuously unnatural wording. It's also common for multiple sites to carry the same article.

...

The Citizen Lab dubbed the Chinese operation "Paperwall."

"A network of at least 123 websites operated from within the People's Republic of China while posing as local news outlets in 30 countries across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, disseminates pro-Beijing disinformation and ad hominem attacks within much larger volumes of commercial press releases," its report said.

The report further stated that a public relations company in Shenzhen was involved, noting that the case highlights the important role of private companies in digital influence operations and Beijing's tendency to utilize such firms.

...

But why are these fake sites still publishing content more than two years after their existence was exposed?

"There have been cases overseas where generative AI learns from articles on fake websites and produces answers for users based on biased views or false information," said Ryohei Suzuki, a specially appointed assistant professor at Hitotsubashi University who studies disinformation and influence operations.

He added, "The continued publication of articles as part of the Paperwall operation may also be aimed at manipulating information through generative AI."

Archived version

Last year and the year before saw a rise in espionage activity in Poland, “primarily on the part of Russian and closely allied Belarusian special services as well as China”, the Internal Security Agency (ABW) said in a report published on May 6.

As a result, Poland conducted as many counter-intelligence investigations in 2024 and 2025 as it had in the previous three decades.

...

European law enforcement and intelligence officials began noticing these efforts back in 2022 [when] job offers began appearing in online chat groups, usually on Telegram, directed at Russian-speaking populations.

...

Polish intelligence services came up with a name for these isolated agents recruited by Russian intelligence – jednorazowi agenci – or “single-use agents”.

The ABW report said Russian intelligence services were gradually shifting from single-use agents to more “professional” networks to carry out sabotage and other campaigns across Europe.

“’Disposable spies’ are very useful for generating chaos, radicalising public opinion, strengthening intergroup antagonisms, distracting attention and testing the resilience of the state apparatus,” said Arkadiusz Nyzio, a Polish researcher and author of a report on Russia’s use of middlemen to create chaos in Europe.

...

They have also laid out the groundwork for more complex operations on the continent, Nyzio stated.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia has been using such middlemen to create both social unrest and physically destroy targets in Europe. “It’s very cheap, offers a veneer of deniability, and the spread can be huge,” said a Polish official interviewed by The New Yorker.

Russian sabotage efforts have targeted not only Polish military facilities and vital infrastructure but also soft targets like shopping malls and other public venues.

...

In one of the more dramatic incidents, a fire on May 12, 2024, destroyed one of Warsaw’s largest shopping centres, Marywilska 44. Nearly 1,200 boutiques went up in flames, leaving behind a charred landscape although no one was killed. Nearly two years later, the remains of the shopping centre have been razed.

...

From 2024 to 2025, Russia began shifting towards creating complex “sabotage cells” that relied more on “closed structures” like those found in organised crime, the ABW wrote. “Russians prefer individuals with experience in law enforcement,” the report said, citing in particular former soldiers, police officers or mercenaries from paramilitary organisations like the Wagner Group.

...

But the use of single-use spies will not disappear, Nyzio says. From the start, he says, these campaigns have been about “intelligence operations at different levels: employing various methods and tools to achieve various outcomes”.

“We should think of these as complementary cogs in a machine, not as replacements. Disposable spies have arguably helped map out the situation in Europe. The speed and way they were neutralised, as well as the public’s reaction, provided valuable insights into the resilience of the state and society.”

...

Last November, an explosion damaged a major Polish railway line in what Prime Minister Tusk called an “unprecedented act of sabotage”. The incident could have caused mass casualties if a train driver hadn’t noticed an issue with the track and warned others in time.

The fear and paranoia such sabotage can spread is the objective.

“If you say every day, ‘Russia is attacking us,’ then they don’t really have to attack us anymore,” a European intelligence official [says].

...

In the long term, Russia’s objective remains the same as always: to destabilise Poland and create divisions between Western allies, Nyzio says.

“The weaker, more internally conflicted and more at odds with the West Poland is, the better.”

Op-ed by Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Research Fellow, Security Studies at Macquarie University.

Archived version

...

Once primarily the domain of non-state actors, including terror groups, drug cartels and armed gangs, hostage-taking has become a lucrative bargaining chip in the hands of countries like Iran, Russia, China, North Korea and Venezuela. (I was imprisoned by Iran for more than two years on false charges of espionage.)

It has become an unorthodox yet highly effective means of forcing concessions, including prisoner swaps, financial payments and the removal of sanctions.

...

However, very little scholarly research has examined the phenomenon. The data we do have on cases is patchy. This is in part because the governments whose citizens have been taken hostage usually prefer to negotiate in the shadows. We only tend to hear about select cases that attract media coverage.

...

Treating state hostage-taking as a consular issue to be solved via traditional diplomacy hasn’t worked. Bad actors haven’t been deterred; rather the opposite. An innovative new approach is long overdue.

...

Some of the ideas put forward in our research include:

1) Expanded international legal approaches

This includes reframing state hostage-taking as a form of torture and, under certain conditions, even a war crime or crime against humanity.

UN torture rapporteur Alice Edwards argues this would help open avenues for victims seeking justice ... Legal academic Carla Ferstman governments should look to existing models in the US and Canada and consider passing legislation to allow victims of state-sponsored terrorism to sue hostage-taking states in their domestic courts.

2) Stronger government-led responses to hostage-taking

Many countries don’t have a designated office or role within government to coordinate domestic and multilateral responses to hostage-taking.

These positions exist now in the US and Canada. This step was also proposed in a 2024 Australian Senate inquiry into the wrongful detention of Australian citizens overseas. The government has yet to respond to the inquiry.

3) Innovative models for multilateral rapid responses to hostage crises

Several contributors to the journal have proposed new ideas for how states can do this, including former Canadian Justice Minister and Attorney General Irwin Cotler (with international human rights lawyer Brandon Silver) and former hostage Michael Kovrig (with international security and diplomacy expert Vina Nadjibulla).

Their recommendations include:

• developing rapid-response mechanisms to hostage-taking in pre-existing multilateral groupings, such as the G7 or NATO

• strengthening the Declaration on Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations (launched by Canada and now supported by more than 80 nations)

• imposing multilateral sanctions and other tools of economic leverage against states that engage in hostage-taking.

4) Greater investment in post-detention recovery care for both victims and families

Proposals for taking better care of former detainees came from the NGO Hostage International, human rights lawyer Sarah Teich and an Israeli team involved in designing reintegration programs for Gaza hostages.

These proposals include:

• passing legislation to mandate a “duty of care” by governments to former hostages

• developing new strategies for helping former hostages overcome their psychological challenges, based on emerging research in the field.

...