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Jennifer Rooke

@jenrooke.bsky.social

260 followers 320 following 58 posts

Former US Air Force intelligence officer. Surveillance practitioner turned critic. #AffirmativeEthics #AntiMilitarism #AntiRacism #BanWeaponizedAI #QuestionSuperiority

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Jennifer Rooke @jenrooke.bsky.social · May 19

Available now! A great collection of scholars, artists...and me. Grateful to the editors, Thomas Bächle and Jascha Bareis, for the invite to contribute as a former practitioner.

Bristol University Press @brisunipress.bsky.social · May 19

“This book lays bare a chilling paradox: Autonomous Weapon Systems are products of the same technical rationality proposed for their control.” Tero Karppi, University of Toronto

Publishing #OpenAccess:

buff.ly

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Airwars @airwars.bsky.social · 11d

1/ Since March 2025 Airwars has documented a number of alleged civilian harm incidents in Gaza in which a previously unknown munition was used by Israeli forces. Dozens of civilian casualties were reported.

We have so far published three of these cases:

bsky.app/profile/muni...

Open Source Munitions Portal @munitionsportal.bsky.social · 11d

1/ In recent months, we began documenting remnants of an unknown Israeli munition being used in Gaza. Its use has allegedly resulted in civilian casualties. To date, Israel has not publicly declared the munition’s existence.

Here’s what we know so far:🧵

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Teresa Heffernan @tjheffernan.bsky.social · 12d

Having followed the AI industry for over a decade, which began as the extropian cult, I am so grateful to @edzitron.com for his brilliant break down of the AI bubble: "sold by career charlatans with their reputations laundered by a tech and business media."

www.wheresyoured.at/the-case-aga...

The Case Against Generative AI

Soundtrack: Queens of the Stone Age - First It Giveth Before we go any further: This is, for the third time this year, the longest newsletter I've ever written, weighing in somewhere around 18,500 wo...

www.wheresyoured.at

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Elke Schwarz @elkeschwarz.bsky.social · 12d

The ethical duty to refuse an unlawful order will become really important it seems ...

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12d

Hegseth: "We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also don't fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement."

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Frank Slijper @frankslijper.bsky.social · 12d

Spain prohibits transit of US military aircraft and vessels carrying arms, ammunition, or equipment destined for Israel through its bases at Rota (Cadiz) and Moron de la Frontera (Seville), sources familiar with the functioning of the US-Spain Joint Committee confirmed.
www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/sp...

Spain bans transit of US arms shipments to Israel via Rota, Moron bases

'Rota and Moron are not a backdoor,' sources familiar with functioning of US-Spain Joint Committee confirm - Anadolu Ajansı

www.aa.com.tr

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Zecharias Zelalem @zekuzelalem.bsky.social · 14d

THREAD: this investigation took up over half my year, but it's here in @thecontinent.org:
A Djiboutian drone strike in January was depicted as a army operation targeting rebels. It was actually a massacre of civilians. The bloodshed & coverup implicating Ethiopia, Djibouti, France & Turkiye.
#OSINT

The Continent 27 SEPTEMBER 2025 | ISSUE 215
15
INVESTIGATION
The Djiboutian massacre
Ethiopia won’t acknowledge
Djibouti drones killed eight people on the other side of its
border with Ethiopia. Djibouti claimed they were terrorists.
Ethiopia said nothing. This investigation found that some of
the dead were Ethiopians, revealing another episode in Addis’s
tendency to let its neighbours kill its citizens with impunity.
Crossing the line: Djibouti’s bombs landed inside Ethiopia, killing civilians – not armed fighters.
zecharias zelalem
On 30 January this year, a drone manned
from Djibouti dropped a bomb on a
funeral gathering in Siyaru, a remote,
semi-arid village near the Ethiopia
Djibouti border. As rescuers rushed in, a
second bomb dropped. And then a third.
At least eight people were killed,
including three children. Several
others were injured. Given the village’s
remoteness, the incident might have
gone unreported if graphic images of
the dead hadn’t spread across Ethiopian
social media.
A statement from the Djibouti’s
defence ministry said the drone struck
rebel fighters from the Front for the

Restoration of Unity and Democracy
(Frud), a Djiboutian political party with
a military wing. It has been fighting for
Afar interests in Djibouti since the 1990s.
The Afar are a community split by the
colonial border separating Ethiopia,
Djibouti, and Eritrea.
“Eight terrorists were neutralised on
site,” said a Djibouti military statement.
“Unfortunately, collateral damage
among Djiboutian civilians in the area
has been documented.”
International media, including Voice
of America, Agence France Presse, and
Radio France Internationale reported
this version of events.
Now, new findings from an open
In recovery: Mariam Mohammed Abdullah was
injured in the drone strike.
source investigation by The Continent
reveal a different reality.
The bombs landed inside Ethiopia,
not in Djibouti, and civilians – not armed
fighters – were killed. That distinction
matters. It shows Ethiopia is once again
tolerating a foreign military targeting its
own citizens, as it did with Eritrea during
the Tigray conflict.
A transparent lie
Even before the ink could dry on the
Djiboutian military’s statement, The
Addis Standard and human rights groups
in Djibouti were emphatic that the strike
had actually occurred inside Ethiopia’s
Afar region. But Alexis Mohamed, an
adviser to Djiboutian President Ismaïl
Omar Guelleh, rubbished these reports
in now-deleted social media posts.
The Continent got to work to figure out
what really happened. Over the course
of eight months, we collected eyewitness
testimonies, interviewed human rights
activists in Ethiopia and Djibouti, and
examined images and footage from the
strike. Our findings align with those of
Djiboutian activists, who pinpointed
Siyaru in Ethiopia’s Afar region as the
site of the strike.
The ammunition residue found on the
night of the strike confirms the bomb
was manufactured by Roketsan, a state
run weapons manufacturer in Türkiye.
Former US army explosives expert
Trevor Ball identified t…

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Thomas Gregory @tom-gregory.bsky.social · 16d

"A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that some types of wounds – such as burns or injuries to legs – were more common among civilians in Gaza than among US soldiers fighting in recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan".

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Civilian injuries in Gaza similar to those of soldiers in war zones, study finds

Wounds such as burns or leg injuries are more common in Gaza than among US soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan

www.theguardian.com

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Thomas Gregory @tom-gregory.bsky.social · 17d

“Reparations are not just about money; they are a formal recognition of the harm and a vital final step toward a full stop for survivors. When this crucial component is absent, the so-called ‘accountability process’ reveals itself as little more than an elaborate exercise in futility”

aje.io/mf9pm7

‘Killed us twice’: Families of US drone victims seek reparations in Somalia

In letters seen by Al Jazeera, US AFRICOM admits to killing civilians in air raids, but refuses ‘condolence payment’.

aje.io

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Kumi Naidoo @kuminaidoo.bsky.social · 18d

@mariaressa.bsky.social ’s call at UNGA could not be more urgent.

The time for AI self-regulation is over.

200 Nobel laureates, former heads of state, and industry experts just signed a statement: "We urgently call for international red lines to prevent unacceptable AI risks"

Maria Ressa at UNGA 80th anniv: 'Information integrity is the mother of all battles'

YouTube video by Rappler

youtu.be

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Frank Slijper @frankslijper.bsky.social · 27d

Brave Israeli army refusers defy harsher backlash to protest genocide
Facing longer prison terms and greater public hostility, a new cohort of conscientious objectors insist refusal is both a moral duty and an act of hope.
www.972mag.com/israeli-army...

Israeli army refusers defy harsher backlash to protest genocide

Facing longer prison terms and greater public hostility, a new cohort of conscientious objectors insist refusal is both a moral duty and an act of hope.

www.972mag.com

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Boyd van Dijk @boydvandijk.bsky.social · 27d

critical intervention by Or Bassok - "banality of evil in the Gaza war is not embodied in malicious individuals but in routine work of jurists who authorized orders for air strikes that have led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians while relying on IHL."

www.haaretz.com/magazine/202...

They studied law, opposed Netanyahu – and now approve Israeli army's mass killings in Gaza

For Years, the Israeli Army's Military Advocate General's Corps Sought to Assure the World, and Itself, That Its Legal Oversight Prevented Worse Outcomes in Wartime. Today, That Claim Rings Hollow

www.haaretz.com

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Janina Dill @janinadill.bsky.social · 26d

The three most damning paras in the UN Report alleging that Israel is perpetrating genocide in Gaza: Siege starvation, attacks on health care, direct targeting of children as patterns that cannot be explained except if group destruction is one animating purpose.

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Jens Hälterlein @jenshaelterlein.bsky.social · 29d

"The war in Gaza demands a fundamental rethinking of long-held assumptions in international law including whether military lawyers actually serve to constrain the military from committing war crimes, or whether they make such crimes easier to commit by granting them a stamp of legality & legitimacy"

They studied law, opposed Netanyahu – and now approve Israeli army's mass killings in Gaza

For Years, the Israeli Army's Military Advocate General's Corps Sought to Assure the World, and Itself, That Its Legal Oversight Prevented Worse Outcomes in Wartime. Today, That Claim Rings Hollow

www.haaretz.com

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Jennifer Rooke @jenrooke.bsky.social · Sep 11

Darren Byler has detailed Silicon Valley's key role in his 2021 book, In the Camps. His interviews with Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Hui who have disappeared in these camps are chilling. Well worth reading!

globalreports.columbia.edu/books/in-the...

Jennifer Rooke @jenrooke.bsky.social · Sep 8

"[T]his article addresses how the law is being used, discursively, to make ethical & moral judgements about battlefield practices ... by employing dehumanising language to justify the mass killings of Palestinians in Gaza. For the term 'savage' implies a legal/moral judgement ...'"

Boyd van Dijk @boydvandijk.bsky.social · Sep 8

fascinating new piece in Humanity on the 'dark side of IHL' and Gaza - by Victor Kattan and Rémi Fuhrmann

muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

Reposted by Jennifer Rooke

Nick Turse @nickturse.bsky.social · Sep 5

Pentagon Official: Trump Boat Strike Was a Criminal Attack on Civilians

A current DoD official and many military legal experts say the U.S. attack on a boat in the Caribbean near Venezuela broke international law.

theintercept.com/2025/09/05/p...

Pentagon Official: Trump Boat Strike Was a Criminal Attack on Civilians

A current DoD official and many military legal experts say the U.S. attack on a boat in the Caribbean near Venezuela broke international law.

theintercept.com

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SIPRI.bsky.social @sipri.org · Sep 5

📽️ Did you miss this webinar?

Watch the launch of a new report by Laura Bruun and Marta Bo on ‘Bias in Military #AI and Compliance with International Humanitarian Law’.

📕 Read the report ➡️ doi.org/10.55163/NLW...
Watch the recording ⬇️ youtu.be/RDmFudu0oiQ?...

Webinar: Bias in Military AI and Compliance with IHL

YouTube video by SIPRI

youtu.be

Reposted by Jennifer Rooke

Stop Killer Robots @stopkillerrobots.bsky.social · Sep 5

🚨🚨“We are therefore ready to move ahead towards negotiations.” #CCWUN closes with a joint statement from 42 states affirming that the Chair’s rolling text discussed this week can form the basis of treaty negotiations on #KillerRobots.

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Elke Schwarz @elkeschwarz.bsky.social · Aug 25

The narrative of AI glory is carefully crafted with enormous amounts of $$. I listen to an interview with Joe Lonsdale (Palantir & 8VC) where he says "I’ve been fighting in DC for 20 years now, we know everyone, we have people on the ground, you know, we have to, it’s our job to protect ourselves ..

James Vincent @jjvincent.bsky.social · Aug 25

A Silicon Valley network of super-PACs has raised $100 million to "advocate against strict artificial-intelligence regulations."

amazing how AI — despite not yet living up to its technical promises — is beginning to dominate US politics and the economy

www.wsj.com/politics/sil...

Exclusive | Silicon Valley Launches Pro-AI PACs to Defend Industry in Midterm Elections

Venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI President Greg Brockman are among those helping launch and fund Leading the Future.

www.wsj.com

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Janina Dill @janinadill.bsky.social · Aug 23

Like the laws of war, the 🇮🇱 gov distorts moral lesser evil arguments to justify atrocities in #Gaza.

That "extensive & wanton destruction ... was perpetrated for the benefit of its victims is absurd & obscene."

Strong words by @eitandi.bsky.social via @ejiltalk.bsky.social

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Stop Killer Robots @stopkillerrobots.bsky.social · Aug 22

🤖 “Lavender.” “Gospel.” “Where’s Daddy.”
AI systems generating kill lists in #Gaza.
Hear Visualizing Palestine's Nasreen Abd Elal + Journalist Meron Rapoport unpack this on our new podcast.
🎧 listen on our #Substack: stopkillerrobots.substack.com/p/dehumanisa...
#BanKillerRobots

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Frank Slijper @frankslijper.bsky.social · Aug 6

‘A million calls an hour’: Israel relying on Microsoft cloud for expansive surveillance of Palestinians
Israeli military undertook ambitious project to store a giant trove of Palestinians’ phone calls on Microsoft’s servers in Europe.
h/t @rikdelhaas.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

‘A million calls an hour’: Israel relying on Microsoft cloud for expansive surveillance of Palestinians

Revealed: The Israeli military undertook an ambitious project to store a giant trove of Palestinians’ phone calls on Microsoft’s servers in Europe

www.theguardian.com

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Antoine Bousquet @ajbousquet.bsky.social · Aug 4

A quarter of a century on from its advocacy by the likes of Ronfeldt and Aquilla, the mode of chaoplexic warfare I described in my first book still remains the unfulfilled horizon of the military imaginary, always just around the corner yet perpetually deferred.

Drones Aren’t Swarming Yet — But They Could - War on the Rocks

Despite the hype, drone swarming doesn’t exist yet. That’s because the U.S. Department of Defense has been focused on platform capability inputs like

warontherocks.com

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Janina Dill @janinadill.bsky.social · Jul 30

Devastating account of
-the irredeemability of Western govs' responses to 🇮🇱's starvation of #Gaza
-our collective moral failure
-applicable legal obligations right NOW

by the foremost experts on starvation Alex deWaal &
@tomdannenbaum.bsky.social

justsecurity.org/117962/mass-...

Time Has Run Out: Mass Starvation in Gaza and the Global Imperative

It is time for comprehensive, full-spectrum, sustainable, and coordinated humanitarian action. States globally must act without delay on that imperative.

justsecurity.org

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Jennifer Rooke @jenrooke.bsky.social · Jul 31

"Those of us who seek to conceive an end to endless war must somehow learn to challenge embedded American fixations and fantasies, as well as habits of mind and heart. Success is a long shot, but the stakes are too high not to risk it."

London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · Jul 31

‘The attacks on the World Trade Center created an opportunity for Cheney and his ideological comrades to engineer what amounted to a coup d’état.’

Jackson Lears on the ‘war on terror’: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Jackson Lears · The Righteous Community: Legacies of the War on Terror

Once the US became the world’s only superpower, universalist fantasies proliferated. But after 9/11 they widened,...

www.lrb.co.uk

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Mark Lattimer @mglattimer.bsky.social · Jul 28

Significant 🔽
If it is Israel's position that there may be starvation in Gaza but that Gazans are not being starved *intentionally*, this mirrors Israel's position with regard to civilian deaths from kinetic attacks. I wrote on the int law implications of this here:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

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