Tag Archives: War and Warfare

Scholars’ Circle- Armenian genocide history and analysis -/- Violence on targeted groups – April 24th, 2016

We commemorate the Armenian Genocide with a brief history and analysis, and what it has meant for human rights issues. We are joined by Pulitzer Prize winner poet and author Professor Peter Balakian. [ dur: 18 mins. ]

  • Peter Balakian is a professor of humanities. He is a noted poet, his books include “Black Dog of Fate: A Memoir” and “The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response

Then, we broadcast a April 2005 interview with journalist and media critic Professor Ben Bagdikian who was an infant during the last part of the genocide. He passed away March 2016. [ dur: 10 mins. ]

  • Professor Ben Bagdikian, was a renowned journalist, media critic, media executive who helped publish the pentagon papers. His memoir “Double Vision: Reflections on My Heritage, Life, and Profession“.

Finally, our next guests participated in a live forum that explored the roots of violence and genocide, identifying what they had in common and what it takes to prevent and heal in their aftermath. Our panel discussed how small scale violence against a targeted group can become genocidal and what we can learn from the three forgotten genocides. [ dur: 30 mins. ]

  • Tracey McIntosh is a professor of sociology at the University of Auckland. She is the co-editor of Pacific Identities and Well-being: Cross-cultural Perspectives.
  • Panayiotis Diamadis is a professor of genocide studies at the University of Technology, Sydney. He is the author of Precious and Honoured Guests of the Ottoman Government.
  • Chris Wilson is a professor of political studies and international relations at the University of Auckland. He is the author of Ethno-religious violence in Indonesia: From soil to God.

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.

Scholars’ Circle- Past Climate Change and human responses -/- Leadership for Democracies -/- Children healing from abduction trauma – April 10th, 2016

First, how have our ancestors dealt with earlier changes in the climate and environment? What does it tell us about our current situation? [ dur: 25 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

Then, our guest argues that strong leaders are not necessarily the best leaders, particularly for democracies. What does history tell us about the best kind of leader for society? We are joined by Professor Archie Brown author of The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in the Modern Age. This is part two of a two part interview. Part one can be found here. [ dur: 20 mins. ]

  • Archie Brown is Professor Emeritus of Politics at Oxford University. His books include “The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in the Modern Age“, “The Gorbachev Factor” and “The Rise and Fall of Communism“.

Finally, what becomes of the children who are abducted and forced into sex slavery and child soldiering? Our guest Jane Ekayu, a child trauma therapist, is helping children heal and rebuild their lives. [ dur: 13 mins. ]

  • Jane Ekayu, Founder and Executive Director Children of Peace, Uganda.

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.

Scholars’ Circle- Leadership for democracies-/-Privatized Military affects conflict ethics – April 3rd, 2016

First, our guest argues that strong leaders are not necessarily the best leaders, particularly for democracies. What does history tell us about the best kind of leader for society? We are joined by Professor Archie Brown author of The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in the Modern Age. This is part one of a two part interview. [ dur: 21mins. ]

  • Archie Brown is Professor Emeritus of Politics at Oxford University. His books include “The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in the Modern Age“, “The Gorbachev Factor” and “The Rise and Fall of Communism“.

How is the privatization of military activities compromising international conduct in conflict? What does it mean for international law and ethics in conflict? We look at the multi-billion dollar private military industry. Amy Eckert is the author of Outsourcing War: Just War Tradition in the Age of Military Privatization. [ dur: 37mins. ]

  • Amy Eckert is Professor of Political Science at the Metropolitan State University of Denver where she teaches and studies international ethics and international law. Her books include “The Future of Just War: New Critical Essays” and, her latest, “Outsourcing War: Just War Tradition in the Age of Military Privatization“.

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

Scholars’ Circle- US Justice Antonin Scalia (part 2) -/- Peace-making in the 21st Century (part 2) ?- March 13th, 2016

First, we’ll rebroadcast an interview about the man some call the most polarizing and controversial supreme court justice in American history, Justice Antonin Scalia. He passed away on February 13th. We speak with Prof. Bruce Allen Murphy author of, Scalia: A Court of One. This is part two of a two part interview. Part one of this interview can be found here.[ dur: 28 min. ]

  • Bruce Allen Murphy is a judicial biographer and Professor of law at Lafayette College. His biographical book of Justice Scalia, “Scalia: A Court of One“.

Then, real life effective strategies for lasting peace building. We’re joined by two experts in peace making. This is part two of a two part interview. Part one of this interview can be found here.[ dur:25 mins. ]

  • Ervin Staub is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Founding Director of its Ph.D. concentration in the Psychology of Peace and Violence. He is the author of “The roots of goodness and resistance to evil: Inclusive caring, moral courage, altruism born of suffering, active bystandership and heroism​” and “Overcoming evil: Genocide, violent conflict and terrorism“.
  • Peter Wallensteen is a Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden. He is the author of “Quality Peace: Peacebuilding, Victory and World Order“.

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

Scholars’ Circle- US Justice Antonin Scalia -/- Peace-making in the 21st Century?- March 6th, 2016

First, we’ll rebroadcast an interview about the man some call the most polarizing and controversial supreme court justice in American history, Justice Antonin Scalia. He passed away on February 13th. We speak with Professor Bruce Allen Murphy. [ dur: 29 mins. ]

  • Bruce Allen Murphy is a judicial biographer and Professor of law at Lafayette College. His biographical book of Justice Scalia, “Scalia: A Court of One“.

Then, as the international community tries to continue to facilitate a peace agreement among the fighters in Syria, we’re joined by two experts in peace making. [ dur: 29 mins. ]

  • Ervin Staub is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Founding Director of its Ph.D. concentration in the Psychology of Peace and Violence. He is the author of “The roots of goodness and resistance to evil: Inclusive caring, moral courage, altruism born of suffering, active bystandership and heroism​” and “Overcoming evil: Genocide, violent conflict and terrorism“.
  • Peter Wallensteen is a Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden. He is the author of “Quality Peace: Peacebuilding, Victory and World Order“.

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

Scholars’ Circle- Linguistic Anthropologist Analysis of Osama Bin Laden’s Tape Collection – January 10th, 2016

Who was Osama Bin Laden really? Apparently not who we think he was according to 1,500 tapes unearthed from his home in Kandahar, Afghanistan. After a comprehensive study of the tapes’ content, linguistic anthropologist Flagg Miller has concluded that the real Osama Bin Laden does not comport with the myth.

  • Flagg Miller is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Davis. He is the author of “The Audacious Ascetic: What the Bin Laden Tapes Reveal About Al-Qa’ida“.

Find book/publication authored by our guest scholars Book Shelf .

Scholars’ Circle- Christmas Truce of 1914 -/- How to Redefine Democracy -/- Unforeseen Cost of Civilization – December 27th, 2015

First, why did soldiers on the front line of one of the deadliest wars lay down their arms and play soccer with the very men they were supposed to shoot? We’ll revisit the Christmas truce of 1914. [ dur: 23 mins. ]

  • Stanley Weintraub is a Professor Emeritus of Arts and Humanities at Penn State University. He is the author of more than 50 books including “Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce.

Next, author Raj Petal discusses his book, “The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market, Society and Redefine Democracy.” [ dur: 12 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Rajeev Patel is a Research Professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin.

Finally, what are the hidden costs of civilization? Could it be behind disease and other problems? Spencer Wells is the author of “Pandora’s Seed: The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization.” [ dur: 23 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

Find book/publication authored by our guest scholars Book Shelf .

Scholars’ Circle-Making of Lasting Peace-/-Humanity United by Memory of Historical Trauma – November 22nd, 2015

First, beyond ending war what does it take to make a lasting quality peace? [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Peter Wallensteen is professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden. He is also a Research Professor of Peace Studies at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. His is the author of “Quality Peace: Peacebuilding, Victory and World Order“, “Understanding Conflict Resolution: Peace, War and the Global System“, and the editor of the volume “International Sanctions: Between Wars and Words“.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, can historical trauma be used as a means of uniting humanity rather than dividing humanity? Part two of a two part panel discussion. [ dur: 30 mins. ]

  • Douglas Becker is a professor of international relations at the University of Southern California and author of the chapter Memories and Trauma as Elements of Identity in Foreign Policymaking.
  • Dovile Budryte is a professor of political science at Georgia Gwinnett College in Atlanta. She is the author of “Taming Nationalism: Political Community Building in the Post-soviet Baltic States” and co-editor of the collected volume “Memory and Trauma in International Relations: Theories, Cases and Debates“.
  • Jessica Auchter is professor of political science and public service at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. She is the author of “The Politics of Haunting and Memory in International Relations“.

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Scholars’ Circle-History Of Food As Weapon-/-South China Sea Territorial Claims-November 8th, 2015

First we discuss with Tom Standage, the role of food in history- as a weapon of war, of empire and of building societies.[ dur: 21 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Tom Standage is a journalist and author of The Edible History of Humanity.

Then, on the Scholar’s circle panel, China’s territorial claims and its development of the South China Sea has raised the concerns of other countries that also claim territories in the same region – the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunie. The situation was complicated further when US naval ships began patrolling the region around one of China’s man made islands. China’s naval chief warned that a minor incident could result in war. What exactly is brewing in the South China Sea? What does it mean for the region and for China US relations? [ dur: 37 mins. ]

  • Pradeep Taneja is a lecturer at the University of Melbourne. He is the co-editor  of The European Union and China: Interests and Dilemmas.
  • Stephen Noakes is a lecturer of Chinese Politics, jointly appointed to Politics and International Relations and Asian Studies at the University of Auckland. ​He is coauthor of Support for Civil Society in China in Creating Democratic Value: Evaluating Efforts to Promote Democracy Abroad.
  • Daniel Lynch is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California. He is the author of After the Propaganda State: Media, Politics, and Thought in Reformed China and Rising China and Asian Democratization: Socialization to “Global Culture” in the Political Transformations of Thailand, China, and Taiwan
  • Professor Leszek Buszynski is a lecturer at Australia National University. He is the author of Asia Pacific Security – Values and Identity​.​ He co-edited The South China Sea Maritime Dispute: Political, Legal and Regional Perspectives and his latest publication Negotiating with North Korea: The Six Party Talks and the Nuclear Issue.

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Scholars’ Circle-Humans Disrupting Eco Systems-/-Just War Theory-October 4th, 2015

First, is humanity the most damaging predator on earth? Our guests say yes, and that its predatory practices may be disrupting evolution. [ dur: 23 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Chris Darimont, is a Professor at the Department of Geography at University of Victoria, Victoria, BC. He has a PhD in Evolution and Ecology from the Biology Department at the University of Victoria.
  • Dr. Tom Reimchen, is a Professor at the Department of Geography at University of Victoria, Victoria, BC. Canada. Please visit the Evolutionary Studies Lab at University of Victoria, Victoria BC, Canada where you will find additional studies on this subject.
  • Heather Bryan, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Applied Conservation Science lab exploring the physiological mechanisms by which wildlife responds to environmental change at University of Victoria BC, Canada.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, last year the Obama administration vowed to destroy ISIS invoking the long held philosophy called the just war theory. What exactly is just 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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