Tag Archives: Human Rights

President Biden has called Russia’s attack on Ukraine a war crime. What does that mean in term of legal remedies? When and how are war crimes adjudicated? Prosecuting those who commit crimes against humanity or war crimes is one part of justice, the other part is redressing the victims and survivors. What can be done to redress them? [ dur: 58mins. ]

Jennifer Trahan is a Clinical Professor and Director of the Concentration in International Law and Human Rights at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs. She has published two digests on the case-law of the ad hoc tribunals and is the author of Existing Legal Limits to the Use of the Veto in the Face of Atrocity Crimes.
Gabor Rona is Professor of Practice at Cardozo Law School. He is the author of Is There a Way Out of the Non-International Armed Conflict Detention Dilemma? and State Responsibility to Respect, Protect and Fulfill Human Rights Obligations in Cyberspace.
Rebecca Hamilton is Associate Professor of Law at American University, Washington College of Law. She is the author of Fighting for Darfur: Public Action and the Struggle to Stop Genocide and co-author of Social Media Platforms in International Criminal Investigations.
Kate Mackintosh is the inaugural Executive Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law. She was Head of Humanitarian Affairs for Doctors Without Borders. She is the author of How long until the planet’s destruction is an international crime and the forthcoming The crime of ecocide through human rights: new tools for Climate Justice.

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Scholars’ Circle – Sanctions, what we learned from it’s use and impact on Russia – March 13, 2022

March 12, 2022 host

Just how effective are sanctions? How are they used and what exactly do they entail? Can sanctions be applied in a way that they would not cause harm to citizens? And what does sanctions research suggest about their impact on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

Erica Moret is Senior Researcher at the Centre for Global Governance and Visiting Lecturer at the Department of International Relations/ Political Science at the Graduate Institute, Geneva. She is the author of “When should the United States use hard-hitting sectoral and financial sanctions?” and “Sanctions on Russia: Impacts and Economic Costs on the United States.”
A. Cooper Drury is Senior Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Science and Professor of Political Science at the University of Missouri. He is author of “Neo-Kantianism and Coercive Diplomacy: The Complex Case of Economic Sanctions” and “Media-driven Humanitarianism? News Media Coverage of Human Rights Abuses and the Use of Economic Sanctions.”
Timothy Peterson is Associate Professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University. He is author of “Sanctions and Alternate Markets: How Preexisting Trade and Alliances Affect the Onset of Economic Coercion.” And the forthcoming “Does Punishing Sanctions Busters Work? Sanctions Enforcement and U.S. Trade with Sanctioned States.”
Bryan Early is Associate Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean for Research at the University at SUNY Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. He is the author of “Using the Carrot as the Stick: U.S. Foreign Aid and the Effectiveness of Sanctions Threats” and “Still Unjust, Just in Different Ways: How Targeted Sanctions Fall Short of Just War Theory’s Principles.”

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Scholars’ Circle – Kazakhstan Protests and Government Violence ; Omicron Variant Rages and Global Vaccine Distribution Issues – January 9, 2022

January 8, 2022 host

Kazakhstan has erupted in protests and government violence this week. We explore the potential that these protests leads to greater democratization in this authoritarian government, and detail its recent human rights abuses.[ dur: 34mins. ]

Erica Marat is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Regional and Analytical Studies Department at the College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University. She is the author of The Politics of Police Reform: Society against the State in Post-Soviet Countries.
Robert English is Associate Professor of International Relations and Co-Director of Central European Studies Program at the University of Southern California (USC). He is the author of Russia and the Idea of the West.
Steve Swerdlow is Associate Professor of the Practice of Human Rights in the Department of Political and International Relations at the University of Southern California (USC). He was Senior Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. He has conducted extensive field work internationally with a particular focus on Central Asia and the Caucuses.

Vaccine hesitancy slows the effective response to Covid 19 in the Global North. Lack of vaccine distribution slows the response in the Global South. And the new omicron variant rages on. We may be fatigued of the virus, but it’s not over. We discuss vaccine inequity and distribution. [ dur: 24mins. ]

Adva Gadoth is Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Center for Global and Immigrant Health, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She is the co-author of Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among asymptomatic frontline health workers in Los Angeles County, California and Cross-sectional Assessment of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among Health Care Workers in Los Angeles.
Heather Wipfli is an Associate Professor of Clinical Preventive Medicine and International Relations at the University of Southern California (USC). She is the author of Investigating global mental health: Contributions from political science and Network influences on policy implementation: Evidence from a global health treaty.

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Scholars’ Circle – Capital Punishment in USA and reasons why it faces increased opposition – October 17, 2021

October 16, 2021 host

The death penalty in the United States has faced increased opposition based on ethical, political, and legal concerns. Several states have outlawed it, but the federal government has returned to its use with a feverish wave of state executions last year. We discuss the implications of the use of the death penalty in the US and examine additional forms of extreme sentencing, such as life without parole. [ dur: 58mins. ]

Frank R. Baumgartner is the Richard J. Richardson Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He is the co-author of The Decline of the Death Penalty and the Discovery of Innocence and Deadly Justice: A Statistical Portrait of the Death Penalty.
Lee Kovarsky is Bryant Smith Chair in Law and Co-Director of the Capital Punishment Center at The University of Texas in Austin School of Law. He is the author of The Trump Executions and the co-author of The Death Penalty: Concept and Insight.
Jenny-Brooke Condon is a Professor of Law in the Center for Social Justice at Seton Hall Law School. She directs the Equal Justice Clinic. She is the author of When Cruelty is the Point: Constitutional Restraints and Remedies for Family Separation and Denialism and the Death Penalty.

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Scholars’ Circle – Examining Disability and Ableism – October 10, 2021

October 10, 2021 host

The rights of persons with disabilities is a growing and important area of human rights. But what does it mean to ensure equal treatment under the law? What exactly is a disability, and who makes the judgment? And what do we mean by ableism? [ dur: 58mins. ]

Lydia X. Z. Brown is Core Faculty in the Disabilities Studies Program at Georgetown University as well as Adjunct Professional Lecturer in the Critical Race, Gender and Culture Studies Program at American University. Lydia is the author of Ableist Shame and Disruptive Bodies: Survivorship at the Intersection of Queer, Trans, and Disabled Existence.
Michael Ashley Stein is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability, and a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School. He is the editor of the book Mental Health, Legal Capacity and Human Rights.
Joel Michael Reynolds is a senior advisor to The Hastings Center and an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Disability Studies at Georgetown University. He is the co-author of The Harm of Ableism: Medical Error and Epistemic Injustice and the author of Three Things Clinicians Should Know about Disability.

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Scholars’ Circle – Impact of American Lawyers on International Human Right Cases ; One Year after Armenia and Azerbaijan war – October 3, 2021

October 2, 2021 host

We interview Maria Armoudian who has published a book on international human rights and the role that lawyers have played at advancing cases against human rights abusers. Maria Armoudian is the author of Lawyers Beyond Borders : Advancing International Human Rights Through Local Laws and Courts. [ dur: 30 mins. ]

Maria Armoudian is a lecturer at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. She is the author of the books Reporting from the Danger Zone: Frontline Journalists, Their Jobs and an Increasingly Perilous Future, Kill the Messenger: The Media’s Role in the Fate of the World, and her most recent Lawyers Beyond Borders : Advancing International Human Rights Through Local Laws and Courts . Maria is a host and anchor of this show, the Scholars’ Circle.

Then, we explore the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan a year after the war over the disputed region of Ngoro-Karabagh. What is the current status of the region following the cease-fire? Is there possibility of lasting peace? [ dur: 26 mins. ]

Anna Ohanyan is the Richard B. Finnegan Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Stonehill College, and a two-times Fulbright Scholar in the South Caucasus. She is the editor of Russia Abroad: Driving Regional Fracture in Post-Communist Eurasia and Beyond, and her latest book “The Neighborhood Effect: The Imperial Roots of Regional Fracture in Post-Communist Eurasia“. Professor Ohanyan is also a nonresident senior scholar in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

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Scholars’ Circle – Afghanistan, US ends 20 year stay and Taliban Takeover – August 29, 2021

August 28, 2021 host

The conflict in Afghanistan has transformed with the US withdrawal. We examine why the government fell and the impact on the country and the region.

What are the security threats within the country and the potential for increased violence with the fall of the government in Afghanistan? [ dur: 58mins. ]

Thomas H. Johnson is a Research Professor of the National Security Affairs Department at the Naval Postgraduate School as well the Director of the Program for Culture & Conflict Studies. He is the author of Taliban Narratives: The Uses and Power of Stories in the Afghanistan Conflict.
Amin Tarzi is the Director of Middle East Studies at the Marine Corps University. He is the co-editor of Taliban and the Crisis in Afghanistan with Professor Robert D. Crews. He is the author of Iran, Russia, and the Taliban: Reassessing the Future of the Afghan State.
Robert Crews is Professor of History at Stanford University. He is the author of Afghan Modern: The History of a Global Nation and co-editor of Under the Drones: Modern Lives in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Borderlands.
Steve Swerdlow is Associate Professor of the Practice of Human Rights in the Department of Political and International Relations at the University of Southern California. He was Senior Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. He has conducted extensive field work internationally with a particular focus on Central Asia and the Caucuses.

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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 – 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 – 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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The Scholars' Circle Interviews

Tag Archives: Human Rights

Scholars’ Circle – War Crimes and Justice for Victims and Survivors- April 3, 2022

Scholars’ Circle – Sanctions, what we learned from it’s use and impact on Russia – March 13, 2022

Scholars’ Circle – Kazakhstan Protests and Government Violence ; Omicron Variant Rages and Global Vaccine Distribution Issues – January 9, 2022

Scholars’ Circle – Capital Punishment in USA and reasons why it faces increased opposition – October 17, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Examining Disability and Ableism – October 10, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Impact of American Lawyers on International Human Right Cases ; One Year after Armenia and Azerbaijan war – October 3, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Afghanistan, US ends 20 year stay and Taliban Takeover – August 29, 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

By Maria Armoudian