Empty Seat: U.S. Absent as Western Powers Meet on Wartime Protections for Civilians
The post Empty Seat: U.S. Absent as Western Powers Meet on Wartime Protections for Civilians appeared first on ProPublica .
The United States, once a key player in international efforts to protect civilians during wartime, has withdrawn from the forum, leaving its absence felt at the International Contact Group on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response summit in Brussels. This abandonment, orchestrated by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been met with criticism from officials who argue that it marks a humiliating and dangerous retreat.
The Pentagon, which created the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR) mission in 2022, dismantled the civilian protection mission, plunging staff numbers from nearly 200 to around two dozen. The U.S. leadership on this issue has now vanished, leaving a void that advocates say could lead to exacerbating civilian casualties.
Written by urgent.news from ProPublica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
