The literature traditionally categorizes Extreme Conditions into 3 types: natural disasters, belligerence, and socio-economic structural crises. While some overlap between these categories is acknowledged, they are generally seen as distinct. However, our research at the Minerva Center for the Rule of Law Under Extreme Conditions has revealed that certain extreme conditions transcend these boundaries. These situations may arise from multiple sources—such as a constitutional crisis coinciding with a pandemic—or evolve into complex scenarios that impact multiple categories simultaneously, like a war triggering an economic crisis or a constitutional breakdown. This multifaceted nature and its dynamics have received limited scholarly attention until now.

To address this complexity, we are launching a Scholars Research Group focusing on Extreme Conditions: Multiple, Complex & Cascading. This group will explore the intersections of democracy, the rule of law (both domestic and international), and technology under extreme conditions, which may include armed conflicts, political instability, natural disasters, and complex emergencies combining these elements.

The research group will spearhead specific academic activities centered on these intersections. Early-career scholars will collaborate with established experts to examine whether these extreme conditions coincide by chance or if deeper connections exist. This objective will be supported by a bi-weekly seminar (in a hybrid format) and two to three intensive workshops over the next two academic years. The bi-weekly forum will enable young researchers to present their work and will foster interdisciplinary and international insights through collaboration between Israeli and German scholars.

Scholars will conduct cutting-edge research on the convergence of disasters—such as armed conflict, socio-economic crises, pandemics, and natural disasters—with constitutional and democratic crises. Other intersections or clusters of emergencies will also be explored. We anticipate that the Center’s scholars will make significant contributions to the study of complex extreme conditions, addressing analytical foundations, interjurisdictional dimensions, and the transnational implications for international law.

Special attention will also be given to the emergence of new technologies, particularly those within the virtual and cybernetic realms, including social networks and the AI revolution. These technologies play an increasingly significant role across all categories of extreme conditions and require additional consideration within our established framework for the phases of extreme conditions: preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. Their manipulation poses challenges to the rule of law, especially as legal frameworks now operate online in complex ways.

This new Scholars Research Group is expected to enhance the current research program at the Minerva Center, building on knowledge gained from recent events—particularly in Israel over the last two years. It will also contribute to developing theories on the rule of law and the challenges to, and faced by, democracy under extreme conditions. As recent events have shown, liberal democracy is particularly vulnerable during complex emergencies, making this program’s focus timely and essential.