Memory and War

Online launch of the 910th edition of the International Review of the Red Cross

How do we remember armed conflict?

Australian Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross present the Memory and War edition of the International Review of the Red Cross in a free public webinar from 5:30pm to 7:00pm on 26 August 2020.

The Memory and War edition of the Review unpacks the ways individual and collective memories of armed conflict impacts the lives of those affected, and looks at some commemoration and remembrance practices implemented by authorities and communities.

This webinar will feature live presentations from the Managing Editor of the Review (Ellen Policinski) and the author of one of its articles (Cédric Cotter) reflecting on how ICRC Presidents draw on both their own experience and the organisation's history to make arguments about international humanitarian law and promote the ICRC's work, and a keynote presentation by Michael Bachelard (Investigations Editor, The Age) reflecting on his experience in documenting armed conflict as a journalist.

The webinar will also include recorded reflections from a variety of speakers providing perspectives from both civilian and military personnel who have experienced armed conflict first hand, those who study the long term impact of armed conflicts on communities, humanitarians who have worked in armed conflict, and those who have prosecuted crimes committed in armed conflict.

The presentations will be followed by a Q and A session.

Ellen Policinski is the Managing Editor of the International Review of the Red Cross. She has been a member of the Review's editorial team since 2014. She previously worked in the legal department at the ICRC delegation in Washington. Prior to joining the ICRC, she worked on IHL dissemination at the American Red Cross at its headquarters in Washington, DC. She was also a law and policy consultant at the Washington-based NGO Center for Civilians in Conflict. She has an LL.M. from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, and a J.D. from the University of Villanova Law School.

Cédric Cotter is a researcher at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He is in charge of researching and writing analyses of ICRC’s past actions in order to enhance in-house knowledge and to inform the organization’s current activities and decisions. He worked for the ICRC in various positions at headquarters before joining the University of Geneva as a research associate from 2012 until 2016. He has authored around 20 publications on various issues related to the history of humanitarian action, the First World War and international humanitarian law. His book was awarded the 2017 prize of the Institut national genevois for publications on history. Cédric holds a PhD in history from the University of Geneva.