Category Archives: Scholars’ Circle Interviews

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Scholars’ Circle – Insight into Russian Politics in Patronal System (2 of 2 ) -/- Discussion on “Just War Theory” – May 21, 2017

May 20, 2017 host 1 Comment

First, while many in the West decry the politics of the former Soviet Union countries as corrupt and anti-democratic, our guest argues that there are much better ways of understanding the processes and politics of patronal systems. This is part 2 of 2 part interview with Professor Henry E. Hale. You can find part one here. [ dur: 24 mins. ]

Henry E. Hale is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at The George Washington University. His books include Patronal Politics: Eurasian Regime Dynamics in Comparative Perspective, The Foundations of Ethnic Politics: Separatism of States and Nations in Eurasia and the World and Why Not Parties in Russia? Democracy, Federalism, and the State.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, What exactly is “Just(ified) war theory”? And can it be applied to modern warfare? [ dur: 35 mins. ]

Jeff McMahan is a Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University. He is the author of Killing in War, The Ethics of Killing: Problems at the Margins of Life and editor of Ethics and Humanity: Themes from the Philosophy of Jonathan Glover
Heather Roff is a Professor of International Studies at the University of Denver. She is the author of Global Justice, Kant and the Responsibility to Protect: A Provisional Duty (Global Politics and the Responsibility to Protect) .
Thomas Gregory is a lecturer of Political Studies at the University of Auckland. He is the author of “Drones – mapping the legal debate”.

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Scholars’ Circle – Insight into Russian Politics in Patronal System (1 of 2 ) -/- Past History of US Corporation’s Public Purpose – May 14, 2017

May 13, 2017 host 2 Comments

First, while many in the West decry the politics of the former Soviet Union countries as corrupt and anti-democratic, our guest argues that there are much better ways of understanding the processes and politics of patronal systems. This is part one of a two part discussion with Professor Henry Hale. You can find Part 2 here. [ dur: 22 mins. ]

Henry E. Hale is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at The George Washington University. His books include Patronal Politics: Eurasian Regime Dynamics in Comparative Perspective, The Foundations of Ethnic Politics: Separatism of States and Nations in Eurasia and the World and Why Not Parties in Russia? Democracy, Federalism, and the State.

Finally, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, once upon a time, corporations were required to have a public purpose and once they fulfilled it, they were dissolved. How did we get to where we are today & what does it mean for democracy? [ dur: 36 mins. ]

Richard Abrams, is Professor of History, UC Berkeley. He is the author of America Transformed: Sixty Years of Revolutionary Change, 1941-2001
Paul Pierson, is Professor of Political Science, UC Berkeley. He is the co-author of Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer–and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class
Scott Bowman, is Professor and Chair of Political Science Department at California State University, Los Angeles (CSU-LA). He is the author of The Modern Corporation and American Political Thought: Law, Power, and Ideology

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Scholars’ Circle – Media for Ultraconservative movement -/- Since LA unrest, what has changed? – May 7, 2017

May 6, 2017 host 6 Comments

First, the roots of the ultraconservative media movement. Nicole Hemmer is the author of Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics.

Nicole Hemmer is Professor of Presidential Studies at University of Virginia. She is the author of Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics

Then, 25 years after the LA civil unrest, what has changed?

Manuel Pastor is Professor of Sociology and American studies and Ethnicity at University of Southern California ( USC ). He is co-author of following books, Equity, Growth, and Community: What the Nation Can Learn from America’s Metro Areas, This Could Be the Start of Something Big: How Social Movements for Regional Equity Are Reshaping Metropolitan America, Uncommon Common Ground: Race and America’s Future and Just Growth: Inclusion and Prosperity in America’s Metropolitan Regions

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Scholars’ Circle – Brexit implications -/- North Korea Insight – April 30, 2017

April 30, 2017 host

The political implications of Brexit. [ dur: 29mins. ]

Paul P. Craig is currently Professor of English Law at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of St John’s College. Professor Craig is a specialist in Administrative and EU Law. He is the author of Britain Alone. The Implications and Consequences of United Kingdom Exit from the EU [Brexit].

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle, making sense of the politics of North Korea. This discussion was recorded and originally aired on April 2013. [ dur: 28mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

Stephan Haggard is the Lawrence and Sallye Krause Professor of Korea-Pacific Studies, director of the Korea-Pacific Program, and distinguished professor of political science at the School. He is the author of the book Witness to Transformation: Refugee Insights into North Korea
Jacques E.C. Hymans is associate professor of international relations at the University of Southern California. He is author of Achieving Nuclear Ambitions: Scientists, Politicians, and Proliferation and The Psychology of Nuclear Proliferation: Identity, Emotions and Foreign Policy.
Charles K. Armstrong, Professor of Korean Studies at Colombia University. He is the author of The North Korean Revolution, 1945-1950

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Scholars’ Circle – Insight into Genocides, how to prevent and hold accountable those responsible – April 23, 2017

April 23, 2017 host

First, we explore eliminationism and genocide in the twentieth and twenty-first century. And address how to prevent and hold those responsible, accountable. We are joined by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, author of Worse Than War: Genocide, Elimination-ism, and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity.[ dur: 16mins. ]

Daniel Jonah Goldhagen was former professor in Harvard University’s Government and Social Studies departments. He is author of Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust , The Devil That Never Dies: The Rise and Threat of Global Antisemitism, and Worse than War: Genocide, Eliminationism, and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity. A documentary of the same name was made.

Next, although governments rarely apologize for crimes committed against humanity or other injustices that they have perpetrated, our guest suggests official apologies are meaningful; they help to change the terms and meanings of national membership. We are joined by Melissa Nobles author of The Politics of Official Apologies. [ dur: 10 mins. ]

Melissa Nobles is Department Head, and Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discusses Official apologies. She is the author of The Politics of Official Apology and co-editor with Jun-Hyeok Kwak of Inherited Responsibility and Historical Reconciliation in East Asia.

Then, on the Scholar’s Circle panel, we look at genocides. What are the causes and how we can prevent them. [ dur: 28 mins. ]

Ben Kiernan is Whitney Griswold Professor of History and Director of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University. He is the author of, Blood and Soil: A World History of Genocide and Extermination from Sparta to Darfur, and The Pol Pot Regime: Race, Power, and Genocide in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79.
Alex Hinton is Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Genocide, Conflict Resolution, and Human Rights, and Professor of Anthropology and Global Affairs at Rutgers University. He is the co-author of, Why Did They Kill?: Cambodia in the Shadow of Genocide, and is the editor of Genocide: Truth, Memory, and Representation (The Cultures and Practice of Violence), and Annihilating Difference: The Anthropology of Genocide.
Simon Baron-Cohen is Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge and Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is the author of, Zero Degrees of Empathy, and he is the editor of Understanding Other Minds: Perspectives from developmental social neuroscience, and The Maladapted Mind: Classic Readings in Evolutionary Psychopathology.

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Scholars’ Circle – Insight into Solutions to Climate Change -/- Ways Biology affects Free Will – April 16, 2017

April 15, 2017 host

With unprecedented global warming, wealth disparities and peak everything, we need to act now to meet the power, heating and transportation needs of growing populations, and to do so sustainably, equitably and democratically. What are the obstacles? What are possible solutions? How do we build resilient communities? [ dur: 44mins. ]

Steve Matthewman is a professor of sociology at the University of Auckland. She is the author of Disasters, Risks and Revelation: Making Sense of Our Times and Being Sociological.
Julie MacArthur is a senior lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Auckland. She is the author of Empowering Electricity: Co-operatives, Sustainability, and Power Sector Reform in Canada (Sustainability and the Environment).
Prue Taylor is a senior lecturer in environmental and planning law at the University of Auckland, Deputy Director of the New Zealand Centre for Environmental Law. She is the author of An Ecological Approach to International Law: Responding to the Challenges of Climate Change
Manuel Vallee is a lecturer in environmental sociology at the University of Auckland. He is a co-author of Resilience, Environmental Justice and the City

We end with the question, is our behavior free will or is it partly due to parasites? New science shows how parasites change behaviors throughout the animal kingdom. What does that mean for human behavior? [ dur: 14 mins. ]

Dr. Dickson Despommier is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University. He is the author of The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century and People, Parasites, and Plowshares: Learning From Our Body’s Most Terrifying Invaders.
Patrick House is Neuroscientist at Stanford University. He is the co-author of Predator Cat Odors Acdivate Sexual Arousal Pathways in Brains of Toxoplasma Gondii infected Rats.

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Scholars’ Circle – Slippery Underworld of Organ Trafficking -/- De-Extinction a new tool – April 9, 2017

April 8, 2017 host

First, the underworld of organ trafficking. [ dur: 10 mins. ]

Nancy Scheper-Hughes, is Professor of anthropology at University of California, Berkeley, editor of Commodifying Bodies and co-author of Violence in War and Peace: An Anthology.
Art Caplan, is Professor and head of the division of Bioethics at New York University Langone Medical Center and award-winning author of books including Applied Ethics in Mental Health Care: An Interdisciplinary Reader, Ethics and Organ Transplants, and Smart Mice, Not so Smart People.

Then, in the face of mass extinction scientists are exploring bringing back species from the dead. Our panel of scientists discuss de-extinction. What criteria should be used to determine which species to bring back? What are some of the ethical considerations? [ dur: 48 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

Michael Archer is Professor in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New South Wales. He is the author of Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea: One Hundred Million Years of Evolution and From Plesiosaurs to People : 100 Million Years of Australian Environmental History. He’s part of the team that’s working on the de-extinction efforts to bring back Thylacine and Southern Grastric-brooding Frog.
Douglas McCauley is Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at the University of California Santa Barbara. He has co-authored numerous research papers including, Megafaunal impacts on structure and function of ocean ecosystems, Marine defaunation: animal loss in the global oceans, Resetting predator baselines in coral reef ecosystems.
Susan Haig is Senior Scientist at U. S. Geologic Survery (USGS) Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center and Courtesy Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Oregon State University. She is the co-author of many research papers including, Ancient DNA reveals substantial genetic diversity in the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) prior to a population bottleneck, and The Conservation Genetics Juggling Act- Integrating Genetics and Ecology, Science and Policy

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Scholars’ Circle – French Philosophy and CIA -/- Code Economy and Future of Work – April 2, 2017

April 1, 2017 host

Why were CIA agents reading French philosophy? [ dur: 22mins. ]

Gabriel Rockhill is a philosopher, cultural critic and political theorist. He is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Villanova University and Founding Director of the Critical Theory Workshop at the Sorbonne. He is the author of Counter-History of the Present: Untimely Interrogations into Globalization, Technology, Democracy, Interventions in Contemporary Thought: History, Politics, Aesthetics and Radical History and the Politics of Art.

What is the Code Economy and what does it have to do with the future of work. Some people argue that machines will take over jobs. But our guest argues that perhaps humanity will reinvent work in a way that’s more aligned with what it means to be human. [ dur: 36mins. ]

Philip Auerswald is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University and a Senior Fellow at the Kauffman Foundation. He is the author of The Code Economy: A Forty-Thousand Year History, The Coming Prosperity: How Entrepreneurs Are Transforming the Global Economy and he is the editor of Iraq, 1990-2006 3 Volume Set: A Diplomatic History Through Documents.

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Scholars’ Circle – Survery of government policies to address climate change -/- Justice for Archbishop Oscar Romero – March 26, 2017

March 26, 2017 host 1 Comment

First, a look at changes in environmental policies on local, state, national and international levels. [ dur: 13 mins. ]

Astrid Carrapatoso is assistant professor of political science at University of Feiberg, Germany. She has published many studies on climate change policy implemented by local, state, national and international governments. She is the author of The Greening of Free Trade: Domestic Politics and Environmental Issues in New Zealand’s Free Trade Agreement Negotiations and co-editor of Climate-Resilient Development: Participatory solutions from developing countries. List of her publications can be found here 🔗.

Then, we’ll explore the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero and the case to bring his killers to justice. We speak with Matt Eisenbrandt author of The Assassination of a Saint. [ dur: 40 mins. ]

Matt Eisenbrandt is a former Legal Director for the Center for Justice & Accountability (CJA) and a member of the trial team that brought Archbishop Óscar Romero’s assassination to court. He is now the Legal Director of the Canadian Centre for International Justice (CCIJ), where he helps survivors of torture, war crimes and other atrocities seek justice. He is the author of The Assassination of a Saint: The Plot to Murder Oscar Romero and the Quest to Bring His Killers to Justice.

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Scholars’ Circle – South Sudan Humanitarian Crisis -/- Democracy and uninformed population – March 19, 2017

March 18, 2017 host

South Sudan is in crisis with tens of millions of people at risk of starvation over the next six months, according to the World Food Program. The conflict there has taken thousands of lives and forced millions to flee their homes. What is the scope of the problem? And what can be done to help the young country and its citizens. [ dur: 29 mins. ]

Alex de Waal, Exec. Dir World Peace Foundation, Research Professor at Fletcher School. Tuft University. Website Justice Africa. He is the author of following books, The Real Politics of the Horn of Africa: Money, War and the Business of Power , Famine Crimes: Politics & the Disaster Relief Industry in Africa , Advocacy in Conflict: Critical Perspectives on Transnational Activism , Famine that Kills: Darfur, Sudan , Young Africa: Realising the Rights of Children and Youth .

Then, why do people seem to know so little about politics? And what does that mean for democracy? We speak with Arthur Lupia author of Uninformed: Why People Know So Little About Politics and What We Can Do About It. [ dur: 29 mins. ]

Arthur Lupia is the Hal R. Varian Collegiate Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan and Chair of National Research Council’s Roundtable on the Application of Behavioral and Social Science. He is the co-author of The Democratic Dilemma: Can Citizens Learn What They Need to Know?, Elements of Reason: Cognition, Choice, and the Bounds of Rationality, and the author of his latest book Uninformed: Why People Know So Little About Politics and What We Can Do About It.

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The Scholars' Circle Interviews

Category Archives: Scholars’ Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Insight into Russian Politics in Patronal System (2 of 2 ) -/- Discussion on “Just War Theory” – May 21, 2017

Scholars’ Circle – Insight into Russian Politics in Patronal System (1 of 2 ) -/- Past History of US Corporation’s Public Purpose – May 14, 2017

Scholars’ Circle – Media for Ultraconservative movement -/- Since LA unrest, what has changed? – May 7, 2017

Scholars’ Circle – Brexit implications -/- North Korea Insight – April 30, 2017

Scholars’ Circle – Insight into Genocides, how to prevent and hold accountable those responsible – April 23, 2017

Scholars’ Circle – Insight into Solutions to Climate Change -/- Ways Biology affects Free Will – April 16, 2017

Scholars’ Circle – Slippery Underworld of Organ Trafficking -/- De-Extinction a new tool – April 9, 2017

Scholars’ Circle – French Philosophy and CIA -/- Code Economy and Future of Work – April 2, 2017

Scholars’ Circle – Survery of government policies to address climate change -/- Justice for Archbishop Oscar Romero – March 26, 2017

Scholars’ Circle – South Sudan Humanitarian Crisis -/- Democracy and uninformed population – March 19, 2017

By Maria Armoudian