Tag Archives: Africa

Famine and food insecurity threaten the lives of nearly a billion people worldwide. And the number of people living in food insecurity is increasing. Why is there food insecurity and what can be done? How much is food insecurity caused by environmental factors and how much is it caused by conflict? We will explore the conflict shock
that creates food insecurity particularly in East Africa , the Horn of Africa, and effective, efficient ways to address concerns of famine and food insecurity. [ dur: 58mins. ]

Daniel Maxwell is the Henry J. Leir Professor in Food Security at the Friedman School of Nutrition and Research Director at the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University. He is the author of Understanding the Humanitarian World with Kirsten Gelsdorf, Famine in Somalia: Competing Imperatives, Collective Failures with Nisar Majid and Humanitarian Challenges and Implications for Famine Early Warning Systems in Accountability for Mass Starvation.
Bill Moseley is DeWitt Wallace Professor of Geography at Macalester College. He is the author of “Climate crisis in Africa exposes real cause of hunger – colonial food systems that leave people more vulnerable” and “The trouble with drought as an explanation for famine in the Horn and Sahel of Africa“.
Bilal Butt is Associate Professor of Sustainability and Development at the University of Michigan. He is the author of Neoliberalism, Conservation and Dispossession in Kenya’s Arid Lands,” “Commoditizing the Safari and Making Space for Conflict: Place, Identity and Parks in East Africa” and Pastoral herd management, drought coping strategies, and cattle mobility in Southern Kenya”.

This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker, Melissa Chiprin, Mihika Chechi, and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Critique on Governance in Post-Colonial Cameroon, a country with linguistic and sectarian divide and clashes – November 7, 2021

November 6, 2021 host

Cameroon has seen increased violence and an ongoing civil war based on its linguistic, sectarian divide. Can the nation survive? How much is this a democracy deficiency and how much is this failure of leadership? How can Cameroon overcome its governance challenges? [ dur: 36mins. ]

John Mukum Mbaku is a Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor of Economics and John S. Hinckley Fellow at Weber State University. He is the author of Protecting Minority Rights in African Countries: A Constitutional Political Economy Approach and co-author of Corruption in Africa: Causes, Consequences, and Cleanups.
Moses K. Tesi is a Professor of Political Science at Middle Tennessee State University. He is the author of the Balancing Sovereignty and Development in International Affairs: Cameroon’s Post-Independence Relations with France, Africa, and the World and a contributor to The State, Politics, and the Struggle for Democracy in Cameroon.

As civil war in Cameroon continued with clashes between the Franchophone and Anglophone populations, protests against violations of federalism agreements were met with state led violence. What were the impacts? We’ll hear from one of the organizers. [ dur: 22mins. ]

Fontem A. Neba was Secretary General of the Teacher’s Trade Union of the University of Buea before his arrest on the 17th of January, 2017. He was Secretary General of the now banned Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium. Mr. Neba was Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Buea. Now he is in exile and serves as the Secretary General of the Southern Cameroon’s Alliance.

This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker, Melissa Chiprin and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars’ Circle – Ethiopia and Tigray Region Crisis, cause and effect on regional politics – July 11, 2021

July 11, 2021 host

War has broken out in Northern Ethiopia in the Tigray region. What is the cause, and what are the implications for the nation and the region? What are the prospects for peace and what can international actors do to facilitate this process? [ dur: 58mins. ]

Ann Fitz-Gerald is the Director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs and a Professor in Wilfrid Laurier University’s Political Science Department. She is the author of Ethiopia in Turmoil, Ethiopia: A New Proxy Battlespace? and As G7 Leaders Gather, Canada Should Not “Blindly Follow” U.S. Lead on Africa.
Aly Verjee is a nonresident senior advisor to the Africa program at the U. S. Institute of Peace. He is the author of Five Steps to Sustain a Cease-Fire in Northern Ethiopia and What Ethiopia’s Brewing Conflict Means for the Country—and the Region.
Yohannes Gedamu is Lecturer of Political Science at Georgia Gwinnett College. He is the author of the forthcoming book The Politics of Contemporary Ethiopia: Ethnic Federalism and Authoritarian Survival.

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Civil War and Humanitarian crisis in Cameroon – June 20, 2021

June 19, 2021 host

Cameroon is a West African nation that is embroiled in a civil war between its Anglophone and Francophone populations. What led to this civil war? and how can it be resolved? We explore the causes of the war and the prospects for resolution. [ dur: 36mins. ]

Patircia Asongwe is Visiting Lecturer at the National School of Administration and Magistracy in Cameroon. She is also Head of Litigation Unit in the Division of Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Higher Education.
Lauura Anyola Tufon is Consultant Expert to Conflict Sensitivity for Catholic Relief Services, Caritas, Archdiocese of Bamenda. She is founding member of the Network of Civil Peace Service in Cameroon.

Protests against violations of federalism agreements were met with state led violence in Cameroon. What were the impacts? We’ll hear from one of the organizers.[ dur: 22mins. ]

Fontem A Neba was Secretary General of Teacher’s Trade Union of the University of Buea before his arrest on the 17th of January, 2017. He was Secretary General of the now banned Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium. Mr. Neba was Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Buea. Now he is in exile and serves as the Secretary General of the Southern Cameroon’s Alliance.

Produced by the Scholars’ Circle team: Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker, Melissa Chiprin and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

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.

Find book authored by our guest scholars on this Book Shelf .

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Global Arms Trade / ICC – June 8th, 2014

June 7, 2014 host

First, how the murky world of the global arms trade compromises democracy and security. [ dur: 25 mins. ]

Andrew Feinstein served as an African National Congress (ANC) Member of Parliament in South Africa for over seven years. He is the founding Director of Corruption Watch. He is the author of, The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, and his political memoir, After the Party: A Personal and Political Journey Inside the ANC.

Then, the International Criminal Court has sentenced a Congolese militia leader, completing its second conviction since the court was founded 12 years ago. Why so few convictions and what should be done about prosecuting international crime? [ dur: 33 mins. ]

Hannah Garry is a professor of law at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law and Director of the International Human Rights Clinic. She specializes in international human rights law, international criminal law, international humanitarian law and international refugee law.
Chris Mahony, is a research fellow at Center for International Law Research and Policy. He was Deputy Director of the New Zealand Centre for Human Rights Law, Policy and Practice, Faculty of Law, Auckland University. He has advised the International Criminal Court, the British and US governments, the International Centre for Transitional Justice, and the Open Society Initiative, on international justice, transitional justice and justice sector reform.

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Scholars’ Circle June 24th, 2012

June 25, 2012 host

Scholars’ Circle special. In the week before (July 1st. ) the ten year anniversary of the International Criminal Court. We spend the hour assessing how far we’ve come in protecting human rights and what else can be done. What are some of ICC’s strengths and weaknesses? [ dur. 58 mins. ]

Samuel Moyn, Prof. of History , University of Columbia – Author: Origin of the other.
Mark Drumbl is professor of law and director of the Transnational law Institute at Washington and Lee University School of Law. His numerous publications include, Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law and Reimagining Child Soldiers in International Law and Policy.
Chris Mahony is Professor of law and Deputy Director for the New Zealand Centre for Human Rights Law, Policy and Practice at the University of Auckland. His many publications include the book, The Justice Sector Afterthought: Witness Protection in Africa.
Liz Borgwardt is an associate professor of history and law at Washington University. She focuses on human rights ideas and institutions. She is the author of, A New Deal for the World: America’s Vision for Human Rights and the forthcoming The Nuremberg Idea: Crimes against Humanity in History, Law & Politics .

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The Scholars' Circle Interviews

Tag Archives: Africa

Scholars’ Circle – Food Insecurity and Famine , why they persist? – May 28, 2023

Scholars’ Circle – Critique on Governance in Post-Colonial Cameroon, a country with linguistic and sectarian divide and clashes – November 7, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Ethiopia and Tigray Region Crisis, cause and effect on regional politics – July 11, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Civil War and Humanitarian crisis in Cameroon – June 20, 2021

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

Scholars’ Circle – Global Arms Trade / ICC – June 8th, 2014

Scholars’ Circle June 24th, 2012

By Maria Armoudian