Experts & Staff

Anthony Dworkin

Senior Policy Fellow

Areas of expertise

Human rights; democracy; justice; North Africa (especially Egypt and Tunisia); war crimes; drones and counterterrorism; US foreign policy

Languages

English, conversational French

Biography

Anthony Dworkin is senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. He leads the organisation’s work in the areas of human rights, democracy, and justice.

Among other subjects, Dworkin has conducted research and written on European and US frameworks for counterterrorism, the European Union’s human rights strategy, and the pursuit of justice in the international response to mass atrocities. Since 2011, he has also followed political developments in North Africa after the Arab uprisings, with a particular focus on Egypt and Tunisia. Before joining ECFR in 2008, Dworkin was executive director of the Crimes of War Project, an NGO that worked to raise public and media awareness of the laws governing armed conflict. He co-edited the book Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know (2nd ed., 2007) and wrote extensively for the project’s website about war crimes and contemporary conflict, in addition to conducting training sessions on the laws of war and international justice in several countries.

Dworkin has written and spoken widely on questions related to human rights, democracy, and justice. He is a contributing editor for the British magazine Prospect and has written for several other publications, including the Financial TimesThe Guardian, the International Herald Tribune, the Washington PostEl País, the New Statesman, the Times Literary SupplementForeign Policy, and World Politics Review. He has been a member of the Terrorism/Counterterrorism Advisory Committee and the London Advocacy Advisory Committee of Human Rights Watch. Dworkin has also worked as a producer and reporter for BBC Current Affairs.

Bin Laden’s Death – The End of the Global War on Terror?

The killing of Osama bin Laden will have a significant impact on both al-Qaeda and the fight against Islamic terrorism by the US and its allies. President Obama now has the task – and the opportunity – to rethink how the US is conducting that fight.  

Scoring Europe’s Southern neighbourhood

European countries are playing a central role in the Libyan intervention, and the EU is looking to help the transitions in Tunisia and Egypt. But before Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire, setting off the sequence of protests, how well did Europe perform when dealing with its southern neighbourhood last year?

Don’t abandon Tunisia

Tunisia's democrats have made an amazing start, after launching the wave of popular uprisings that are continuing to rock the Arab world. But they worry that the world will forget them as they embark upon the massive project of rebuilding a new Tunisia.

Europe must stand behind Egypt’s democrats

Europe went through its own year of democratic revolutions in 1989, yet its reaction to events in north Africa has lacked passion and purpose. European leaders meeting for a summit in Brussels must seize the opportunity to commit themselves to a strategy that puts them firmly on the side of democracy in the Middle East.

Drone Attacks: Why New Wars Need New Rules

Obama’s increased use of drone attacks has left many people on both sides of the Atlantic unsure how to react. A new approach, based on human rights principles, is needed to assess their permissibility.

The International Criminal Court: A Time for Consolidation

Eight years ago countries across the world backed the launching of a permanent International Criminal Court to bring those who commit mass atrocities to justice. The ICC is up for review, starting on 1 June in Uganda. The biggest question on the table is: should the ICC have jurisdiction over the crime of aggression?

Publications

Articles

Israel, Hamas, and the laws of war

European leaders agree that Israel has the right to defend itself as long as it complies with international law. It is time that they recognise the limits those laws set

Shapes of Multilateralisms Collection

This collection of nine insightful essays illuminates the strategies employed to advance European interests and values within this evolving global polity of overlapping cooperative frameworks

Multilateral health: Developing a habit of pandemic preparedness

A lack of coordination among the world’s states hindered the global response to covid-19. The same problem is now disrupting international efforts to put in place a more effective system to prepare for future pandemics

The battle for Tunisia’s democracy

Tunisia’s president seems unwilling to compromise with his political opponents. But the EU can help set limits on his behaviour through a combination of financial assistance and public statements.

International law and the invasion of Ukraine

Countries that have condemned Russia’s actions are not only trying to protect Ukraine and its citizens, but also defending the principle that relationships between states should be shaped by legal principles

Specials

Podcasts

Events

In the media