The paper examines how the war in Ukraine is impacting the Ottawa and Oslo Conventions. It discusses how Finland, Poland, and the Baltic Republics withdrew from the agreements between 2024 and 2025. They did this because of strategic needs and self-defence, as a response to the threat from Russia. The article reconstructs the legal basis for these decisions, highlighting the regulatory implications and tensions between national sovereignty and international obligations. The article also explores the role of the military industry and the global production of anti-personnel mines. Despite the predominance of Asian companies, the widespread use of this type of weapon in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the US supply to Ukraine represent two dangerous precedents that risk undermining the legitimacy of international humanitarian law and the process of universalising ICW treaties.

The “Battle of the Sexes” (BoS) game is often used to illustrate the challenges of coordination in competitive situations. However, when reading Luce and Raiffa (1957), who introduced this game, one notices that the narrative they propose does not perfectly align with the payoffs they uses. What happens if the payoffs are modified to better reflect their narrative? How can the game be modified to yield other equilibria, thereby allowing to interpret a wider range of real-life coordination problems? By explicitly introducing an utility function, we propose a general framework that addresses these questions and broaden the educational message that is conveyed.

The crisis of the modern paradigm of justice has given rise to a new imago Iustitiae: the restorative justice. This essay examines several genealogical trajectories underlying this new model, which first emerged in theoretical discourse during the 1980s. The analysis explores restorative justice as both a theoretical and practical approach that radically departs from the purely retributive function of punishment. It is oriented toward the reparation and reconstruction of relational and social bonds, placing the victim at the center of the process. In particular, the essay reconstructs two collateral but illuminating trajectories that contribute to a more complex understanding of restorative justice. First, through feminist literature on vulnerability, a notion of the victim is delineated — one that is intimately connected to the restorative justice revolution. Second, the relationship between neoliberal governmentality and restorative justice is examined.

This contribution examines the issue of family reunification for Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (UFMs), focusing on the key challenges in Italian and European legislation. Specifically, it analyzes the implementation of Law No. 47/2017 and the Dublin III Regulation, highlighting the procedural complexities arising from the absence of standardized protocols and the fragmented responsibilities among different authorities. The study underscores the need for enhanced training programs for voluntary guardians and professionals in the sector to improve case management and ensure the minors’ best interests. Ultimately, the analysis calls for stronger institutional coordination and more efficient service integration to guarantee the effective protection of UFMs’ rights.

This article examines the complex realities of international mobility along the Balkan routes, focusing on the consequences of the European Union’s border externalisation policies for the lived experiences of people on the move. Drawing on an ethnographic approach grounded in participant observation and fieldwork conducted with an independent movement in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the study explores how borders function not merely as geographic demarcations but also as political, social, and class constructs. Firsthand testimonies reveal systematic pushbacks and border violence, including the widespread use of torture and dehumanising practices on the Croatian- Bosnian border. The article further offers sociological reflections on the concept of state and border violence, alongside political considerations regarding accountability in the management of the EU’s external borders.

This article explores the complex relationship between the appropriation of cultural heritage manifestations – such as cultural objects – and the preservation of a people’s identity, addressing the challenges posed both in periods of armed conflicts and in peacetime scenarios. It examines the historical evolution of international legal frameworks designed to protect cultural heritage, focusing on key instruments pertinent to the UNESCO legal regime and with emphasis to cultural objects. The paper highlights how the looting and the destruction of these assets during wartime, particularly during the World Wars, have left a lasting legacy of cultural loss. It also investigates the continuing challenges of protecting cultural heritage expressions in peacetime, where illicit trafficking and the illegal appropriation of cultural objects persist. Through this analysis, the article sheds light on the ethical and legal dilemmas surrounding restitution, emphasising the importance of recognising diverse cultural heritage expressions as fundamental aspects of identity and reparation. It concludes by addressing the role of international organisations such as UNESCO in fostering a global dialogue on cultural restitution, highlighting the need for a balanced approach to preserving both the physical and cultural integrity of heritage in an increasingly globalised world. The study maintains a primarily legal character and rests on a firm theoretical standpoint, based on the analysis of bibliography and international documents.

In this paper, I present Stories that Reconnect (StR), an emerging methodology designed to sustain cultures of peace in times of polycrisis. Taking an autobiographical approach, I offer a reflective account of the birth of StR during my work as facilitator and trainer. StR emerged from the need for connection, the call to be honoring pain, and the commitment of making hope—even amidst increasing violence and polarization. First, I situate StR within the current polycrisis through the lens of Theory U and frame peace as envisioned by Johan Galtung and Elise Boulding. I illustrate the three key frameworks—Focusing, the Work That Reconnects, and Theory U—that shape StR’s approach, language, map, and matrix. StR unfolds within an aesthetic space, where social arts enable the co-sensing of present reality and its highest future potential. At the heart of the process lies a call to connection, compassion, and courage—enhancing the capacities for empathy, self-empathy, staying-with, imagination, and creativity; through practices such as grounding, storylistening (deep listening), and collective story creation. This paper lays the groundwork for peace education training, and reconciliation processes, acknowledging that this work—like a motion-blurred photograph—is fluid, ever-evolving, and deeply rooted in lived experience.

Climate change (CC) is a triggering factor for several environmental disasters and extreme phenomena, which progressively intensify as the planet’s temperature rises. The consequences of these events impact populations differently, highlighting a series of injustices and inequalities, in addition to potentiating the occurrence of violent conflicts. CC, therefore, in addition to a widespread environmental crisis, appears – as well – as a matter of international (and national) security. The analysis proposed, hence, traces the relationship between climate, justice, and conflict, arguing that for achieving a climate neutral future, it is necessary to promote a peace-oriented transition. In this scenario, the legal order emerges as a fundamental instrument, especially through climate litigation actions – such as the Brazilian “green agenda”, which is examined as a case study. The article argues that the path towards a more adaptive society must be approached from a climate justice perspective: to ensure resilience and to promote environmental peace, all peoples need to be included as a part of the transformation.

The present work analyses the interconnections between economic, social, and environmental risks, identifying capacitating pathways to anticipate, address, manage, recover from, and adapt to adverse repercussions resulting from environmental risks. To identify capacitating pathways, a methodological approach based on a case study has been adopted, focusing on the specificities of the Emilia-Romagna region, chosen due to the environmental risk of the May 2023 flood. The methodology integrates the analysis of secondary statistical data with five semi-structured interviews conducted with qualified informants. This allows for an in-depth exploration of economic, social, and environmental risks, as well as the resources available to individuals and communities. The analysis of testimonies has highlighted the fundamental role of active participation through organized groups in increasing social capacities to counter risks from extreme weather events. The examined citizen committees not only provide immediate and tangible support but also play a crucial role in reaffirming social cohesion during periods of crisis.

The 1979 International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (with Annex) established an international system covering maritime search and rescue operations. Frontex is the European Border and Coast Guard Agency which nowadays plays a significant role also in European Union maritime search and rescue activities. For such reasons, this paper surveys if and how far the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (with Annex) is applicable to Frontex maritime search and rescue activities. Firstly, the origins and the following amendments of such Convention will be reviewed, along with the key role and tasks of Frontex in the maritime search and rescue fields. Secondly, the European Union Regulations about Frontex will be analysed in relation to the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue. Lastly, the ‘Adriana’ case will be considered, in order to see the surveyed issues in praxis.