Donald Trump versus the “Deep State”. A new book examines this political struggle and the tension between the Presidency and the Administrative State. We explore the implications of this struggle with the authors of Phantoms of a Beleaguered Republic: Deep State and the Unitary Executive. Hosted by Doug Becker. [ dur: 58mins. ]

Stephen Skowronek is Pelatiah Perit Professor of Political Science and Professor in the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University. His publications include, The Policy State: An American Predicament and The Search for American Political Development.
John A. Dearborn is a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at Yale University. He is soon to be Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University. He is the author of the forthcoming book Power Shifts: Congress and Presidential Representation.
Desmond King is the Andrew W Mellon Professor of American Government at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford. His publications include, Still a House Divided: Race and Politics in Obama’s America and Fed Power: How Finance Wins.

Together they are the author of Phantoms of a Beleaguered Republic: The Deep State and the Unitary Executive.

“This insightful new book explains how and why the Trump presidency became entangled in conflicts with administrators in both the executive branch and the U.S. Congress, while also showing how we might reimagine presidential power, administrative independence, and our system of checks and balances.” —Oxford University Press

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – First 100 days of US President Biden in office and Official Acknowledgement of Armenian Genocide by USA – May 2, 2021

May 1, 2021 host

Presidents are often historically judged based on the accomplishments of their first 100 days in office. US President Joe Biden just passed his 100 day mark. How does his record compare to historical records? How likely are President Biden’s proposals to be adopted? Hosted by Doug Becker. [ dur: 27 mins. ]

Jeremi Suri is Professor in the Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at University of Texas, Austin. He holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office and Foreign Policy Breakthroughs: Cases in Successful Diplomacy

Last week, to commemorate the start of the Ottoman genocide against Armenians, US President Joe Biden officially acknowledged the genocide. He was the first US President to do so. Typically cited as the reason why US Presidents were reluctant to acknowledge the genocide is that future of US/Turkish relations, as Turkey continues to deny the genocide. We explore why a nation denies committing genocides and mass atrocities, and what forms this denial takes. What is the implications of President Biden’s acknowledgment for US-Turkish relations? Hosted by Doug Becker. [ dur: 31mins. ]

Fatma Müge Göçek is a Professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies at University of Michigan. Her publications include Social Constructions of Nationalism in the Middle East, The Transformation of Turkey: Redefining State and Society from the Ottoman Empire to the Modern Era, and her latest book Denial of Violence: Ottoman Past, Turkish Present, and Collective Violence against the Armenians, 1789-2009

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Acknowledgement and commemoration mean for Genocide Survivors – April 25, 2021

April 25, 2021 host

After the genocide event, there are voices of remembrance by generations of past survivor. The victims live with trauma of the experience which is passed on to following generations of survivors. In this hour we discuss with scholars how these events affect individuals, groups, nation states and all of humanity. What does acknowledgement and commemoration mean for Genocide Awareness and Justice? [ dur: 58mins. ]

Dr. Stephen D. Smith, Finci-Viterbi Endowed Executive Director of the USC Shoah Foundation, is committed to making the testimony of survivors of the Holocaust and of other crimes against humanity a compelling voice for education and action. He has authored many articles including The Memory Generation: Sidney Bernstein is the reason we know what the Nazi concentration camps looked like. He is the producer of Shoah Foundation’s podcast called the Memory Generation.

Maria Armoudian is Senior Lecturer on Political Science at University of Auckland. She is the author of Reporting from the Danger Zone: Frontline Journalists, Their Jobs, and an Increasingly Perilous Future and Kill the Messenger : The Media’s Role in the Fate of the World. Her recent article The big lie about the Armenian Genocide published by New Zealand Herald.

Dovile Budryte, Ph.D, is a professor of political science at Georgia Gwinnett College. Her areas of interest include gender studies, trauma and memory in international relations and nationalism. She is the author of Taming Nationalism? Political Community Building in the Post-Soviet Baltic States and co-editor of Memory and Trauma in International Relations: Theories, Cases and Debates.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Survey of historical and current Practices to Redress Crimes Against Humanity – April 18, 2021

April 17, 2021 host

After mass atrocities and crimes against humanity, how can societies reconcile? How is justice performed and how should we recognize these crimes? And what of the clash between international interests and local needs when dealing with the punishment and acknowledgment of atrocities? Hosted by Doug Becker. [ dur: 58mins. ]

Elazar Barkan is Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and Director of Columbia’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights. He is founding Director of the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation (IHJR) in The Hague. He is the author of Guilt of Nations: Restitution and Negotiating Historical Injustices and co-author of Taking Wrongs Seriously: Apologies and Reconciliation.
Mark Drumbl is Professor at Washington and Lee University, School of Law, and Director of the University’s Transnational Law Institute. He is the author of Reimagining Child Soldiers In International Law and Policy and Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law.
Jeremy Sarkin is Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law and member of CEDIS at Nova University Law School in Lisbon, Portugal. He is the author of The Global Impact and Legacy of Truth Commissions, Reparations for Colonial Genocides and co-editor of Africa’s Role and Contribution to International Criminal Justice.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle -Discerning facts from fiction on the internet; Forces and means of preventing Genocide – April 11, 2021

April 10, 2021 host

The great promise of the internet to provide interconnectedness and the spread of great ideas has brought great challenges in discerning facts from fiction. Our guest discusses ways we can identify misinformation and disinformation. [ dur: 26 mins. ]

Damaso Reyes is a freelance journalist and a researcher, speaker and trainer in the field of media and information literacy.

Then, April is a notorious month for genocide and mass human rights abuses. We will analyze the forces of genocide and the means of preventing genocide. [ dur: 32mins. ]

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 Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Managing Pandemic in Brazil and Mexico; Kenyan Entrepreneur adapting to aid during pandemic – April 4, 2021

April 3, 2021 host

The effects of the Covid Pandemic are particularly devastating across the Global South. Two of the largest nations in Latin America, Mexico and Brazil, have some similarities but key differences in their responses to the pandemic. We explore these two nations. Hosted by Doug Becker. [ dur: 39mins. ]

Pamela K. Starr is the Director of the U.S.-Mexico Network, a university fellow at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, and a Professor of the Practice in the School of International Relations and in Public Diplomacy. She is the co-editor of Markets and Democracy in Latin America: Conflict or Convergence?
Erica Resende is an Associate Professor of International Relations and Security Studies at the Brazilian War College in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is the co-editor of Memory and Trauma in International Relations: Theories, Cases and Debates; and Crisis and Change in Post Cold-War Global Politics.

We explore the pandemic in Kenya and a company in Nairobi that has developed a creative model to aid vulnerable populations. [ dur: 19mins. ]

Sarah Lebu is one of the founders of KiziTu in Nairobi, a business that has found a positive way to contribute and survive during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://allafrica.com/stories/202103160815.html

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Yemini War and humanitarian crisis; Secret Heroes Who Shaped the World – March 28, 2021

March 27, 2021 host

The Yemeni War has created the world’s largest humanitarian disaster. Over 80% of the population is at risk, with particular vulnerabilities to children. And the Covid pandemic has worsened conditions. What are the causes of the war? Why is it not ending? And how can it be resolved? Hosted by Doug Becker. [ dur: 43mins. ]

Hamoud Salhi is Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean of International Education at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is commentator for Arabic media.
Charles Schmitz is Professor of Geography at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland. He is an Affiliated Scholar with the Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He is the author of the publications Negotiating Yemeni Peace: Deep Divisions and Hard Realities, No Winners in Yemen and Historical Dictionary of Yemen.

Then, secret heroes. We know the role of presidents and other leaders in shaping history, however we hear little about the unsung heroes; many who have risked their lives to liberate and rescue others. Who might some of those secret heroes be? Hosted by Maria Armoudian.[ dur: 14mins. ]

Paul Martin is writer, editor and journalist., He is the author of Secret Heroes: Everyday Americans Who Shaped Our World and Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Rise of Anti-Asian hate crimes and Leading the US Department of Justice – March 21, 2021

March 20, 2021 host

Anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise since the outbreak of Covid. What is at its root? [ dur: 29mins. ]

Brian Levin is Director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism and Professor of Criminal Justice at California State University, San Bernardino. He is co-author of the book The Limits of Dissent and co-author of the publications Report to the nation: hate crimes rise in US cities and counties in time of division and foreign interference, Posing the Why Question: Understanding the perpetration of racially motivated violence and harassment, and Fact Sheet: Anti-Asian Prejudice 2020 (March 2, 2021).

To report a hate incident and for more information visit https://stopaapihate.org/

A new Attorney General will lead to new priorities. How should Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice confront hate crimes and terrorism? [ dur: 27mins. ]

Chuck Rosenberg is a senior counsel in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the firm’s White Collar & Regulatory Enforcement Group. He served as the Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (2015 to 2017) and as the Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to FBI Director Jim Comey (2013 to 2015). He is the host of the podcast on MSNBC called The Oath.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Role of Attorney General at US Department of Justice and Necessary push towards elimination of Nuclear Weapons – March 14, 2021

March 13, 2021 host

Who does the Attorney General work for? What has led to the increasing control of the Department of Justice by the Presidency.[ dur: 29mins. ]

Cornell Clayton is the C. O Johnson Distinguished Professor of Government and Director of the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University. He is the author of The Politics of Justice: Attorney General and the Making of Government Legal Policy.

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is now in force. What does this mean for the future of nuclear armament? Can an international treaty lead to the removal of the nuclear threat to the planet? [ dur: 29mins. ]

Ira Helfand, MD is co-chair of the Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR)’s Nuclear Abolition Committee. He is also a member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)’s International Steering Committee. He has co-authored PSR’s report “Nuclear Famine: 2 billion at Risk?“

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Addressing Institutional Racism and Genocide – March 7, 2021

March 6, 2021 host

With the world facing multiple crises, we speak with three preeminent scholars from psychology, anthropology and philosophy about the crossroads before us and ways that we can navigate them for the betterment of humanity. [ dur: 58mins. ]

David Livingstone Smith is a professor of philosophy at the University of New England. He is the author of Why We Lie: The Evolutionary Roots of Deception and the Unconscious Mind, The Most Dangerous Animal: Human Nature and the Origins of War, Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave and Exterminate Others, and his latest On Inhumanity: Dehumanization and How to Resist it.
Ervin Staub is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His numerous publications include Overcoming evil: Genocide, violent conflict and terrorism, The roots of evil: The origins of genocide and other group violence, and The roots of goodness: Inclusive caring, moral courage, altruism born of suffering, active bystandership and heroism.
Doug Fry is Professor & Chairperson in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. With Riane Eisler he has co-authored, Nurturing Our Humanity: How Domination and Partnership Shape Our Minds, Lives, and Future. He is also the author of ,Beyond War: The Human Potential for Peace and the editor of War, Peace, and Human Nature: The Convergence of Evolutionary and Cultural Views.

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The Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Deep State and Presidential Powers – May 9, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – First 100 days of US President Biden in office and Official Acknowledgement of Armenian Genocide by USA – May 2, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Acknowledgement and commemoration mean for Genocide Survivors – April 25, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Survey of historical and current Practices to Redress Crimes Against Humanity – April 18, 2021

Scholars’ Circle -Discerning facts from fiction on the internet; Forces and means of preventing Genocide – April 11, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Managing Pandemic in Brazil and Mexico; Kenyan Entrepreneur adapting to aid during pandemic – April 4, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Yemini War and humanitarian crisis; Secret Heroes Who Shaped the World – March 28, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Rise of Anti-Asian hate crimes and Leading the US Department of Justice – March 21, 2021

To report a hate incident and for more information visit https://stopaapihate.org/

Scholars’ Circle – Role of Attorney General at US Department of Justice and Necessary push towards elimination of Nuclear Weapons – March 14, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Addressing Institutional Racism and Genocide – March 7, 2021

By Maria Armoudian