Oct 10, 2026 · 42 min
Red Cross chief warns war is eroding its own restraints
She’s Been to Gaza. She Met With the Iranians. Now She Has a Warning.
As conflicts multiply and diplomacy weakens, Mirjana Spoljaric argues that abandoning universal humanitarian rules could make civilian protection—and peace itself—harder to recover.
- 1Spoljaric says claims of total victory obscure the political decisions required to end wars and prevent needless destruction.
- 2She warns that double standards, dehumanizing rhetoric, and normalized violence weaken restraints meant to protect civilians everywhere.
- 3The ICRC president argues that negotiation demands political courage, sustained practice, and a renewed global commitment to peace.
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Spoljaric explains why treating some lives as less valuable creates double standards that can eventually endanger anyone.
The brief
Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, opens with a warning: increasingly complex wars and disregard for humanitarian law threaten protections meant to limit suffering.
After visiting Gaza, Ukraine, Iran, Sudan and other conflict zones, Spoljaric argues that civilian dignity cannot depend on whose lives a government or alliance values.
She challenges the idea of total victory, saying wars ultimately end through political decisions—and that torture, rape, looting and civilian killings damage perpetrators as well as victims.
The ICRC’s neutrality and confidentiality draw criticism, but Spoljaric says those principles are what allow the organization to reach people across front lines, including hostages and detainees.
Her broader concern is diplomatic atrophy: negotiations require training, courage and sustained political will, while threatening language and shifting alliances make conflict easier to spread.
Spoljaric closes by calling for a renewed belief in peace, a positive vision of the future and greater attention to younger generations that still see it as possible.