Acting as the media wing of SafeGround, MiddleGround seeks the stories of those people and places who have not yet found or are seeking SafeGround. Founded as a part of the 1997 Nobel Prize-winning Campaign to Ban Landmines, SafeGround has since worked to ban weapons and munitions with capabilities to kill indiscriminately.
Founded in 2020, MiddleGround is a quarterly publication that, in the name of public transparency, hopes to shed light on issues of conflict, human rights and international affairs – recognising those who haven’t yet found safe ground.
Our team consists of: Rhett Kleine as the managing editor and Isabella Porras and Margot Stewart as assistant managing editors.
Shale Thompson walks back towards the Deebing Creek camp “If this goes there's nothing else left.” Stepping through the gate onto the old Deebing Creek mission site, I'm met with an overwhelming sense of peace. The bushland remains untouched, the wildlife flourishing overhead and the carefully erected camps work within the landscape, rather than...
A Changa shepard leads her flock out of camp for the dayA mountain range of the Himalaya in the Indian state of Ladakh The Tibetan Plateau is often referred to as the roof of the world. One can’t quite grasp the accuracy of this name until they see the snow-capped Himalayas disappearing amongst swathes of stark white clouds. The Changpa Nomads...
By Siddhant Vashistha Frequent landslides have made it clear that Kerala, India needs to control the business of quarrying. On the seventh of August heavy rains were followed by a massive landslide in Kerala’s Idukki district. The landslide occurred at Pettimudi, a region that is a part of the tea estates which also join the fringes of the...
On 7 July 2017 the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was formally adopted by the UN General Assembly by an overwhelming majority of the world’s governments. This was a testament to the years of advocacy by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and its partners and was formal international recognition of...
John Rodsted interviewed Paul Barratt last year about his views on lethal autonomous weapons. Paul Barratt has had a long career in Australia’s Public Service since 1966, but what distinguishes him from many others within government and the public sector is his strong conscience. He has held many senior roles within government, notably within the...
By Matilda Byrne In 2021, we need urgent action to ensure meaningful human control over the deployment of lethal force, specifically in the selecting of targets (humans) and decision as to whether or not to attack. A clear, legal standard is needed which will prohibit the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in weapons which autonomously select...