Tag Archives: War and Warfare

Scholars’ Circle – Philanthropic Colonialism / Politics of Emotions – Aug. 3rd, 2014

First, has our society created a “charitable industrial complex?” We speak with Peter Buffet about “philanthropic colonialism” and “conscious laundering.” Buffet is Emmy winning musician, author and philanthropist. [ dur: 28 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Peter Buffett has an acclaimed career that spans more than 30 years as an Emmy Award winning musician, composer, philanthropist and author. Buffett’s inspiring book, “Life Is What You Make It,” has been translated into over 15 languages. He co-chairs the NoVo Foundation, one of three foundations founded by his father Warren Buffet. His NY Times op-ed titled, The Charitable Industrial Complex.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, we look at the politics of emotions. How do emotions drive outcomes like ethnic violence, wars and genocide? What roles to fear, anger, resentment and entitlement play in conflict? [ dur: 28 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Roger Petersen is a Professor of Political Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is the author of, “Resistance and Rebellion: Lessons from Eastern Europe,” “Understanding Ethnic Violence: Fear, Hatred, Resentment in Twentieth Century Eastern Europe,” and “Western Intervention in the Balkans: The Strategic Use of Emotion in Conflict.”
  • David Altheide is Emeritus Regents’ Professor in the School of Justice and Social Inquiry at Arizona State University. He is the author of, “Terrorism and the Politics of Fear,” “Creating Fear: News and the Construction of Crisis,” and “An Ecology of Communication: Cultural Formats of Control.”
  • Jeff Birkenstein is an Associate Professor in, and chair of, the Department of English at Saint Martin’s University. He is the author of, “Reframing 9/11: Film, Popular Culture and the War on Terror.”

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Scholars’ Circle – Human Rights / Israel / Are We Warlike by Nature – July 27th, 2014

First, what can the history of human rights tell us about the struggles of today. [ dur: 15 mins. ]

  • Michelline Ishay is Professor and the director of the International Human Rights Program at the University of Denver. She is the author of The History of Human Rights: From Ancient Times to the Globalization Era.

Then, Israel’s spiritual crisis and how it effects the Middle East. [ dur: 15 mins. ]

  • Avraham Burg, former speaker of Israel’s parliament. He is author of The Holocaust Is Over; We Must Rise From its Ashes.

Finally, our panel argues that warring is a relatively new phenomenon in human societies and that human beings are not warlike by nature. [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Douglas P. Fry, is Director of Peace, Mediation & Conflict Research at Abo Akademi University, Finland.  He is author of Beyond War : The Human Potential for Peace.
  • Darcia Narvaez, is Professor of Psychology at University of Minnesota. Co-author of Evolution, Early Experience and Human Development: From Research to Practice and Policy.
  • Brian Ferguson, is Professor of  Anthropology  at Rutgers University.  Co-author of  War in the Tribal Zone: Expanding States and Indigenous Warfare.

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Scholars’ Circle – Worse than War / Peace Between Israel & Palestine – July 13th, 2014

First, we explore eliminationism and genocide in the 20th and 21st century. And address how to prevent and hold those responsible, accountable, with Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, author of Worse than War: Genocide, Eliminationism, and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity.

  • Daniel Jonah Goldhagen was a Professor of Political Science and Social Studies at Harvard University until he decided to devote himself full time to writing. He is the author of, Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust, A Moral Reckoning: The Role of the Catholic Church in the Holocaust and Its Unfulfilled Duty of Repair, and Worse Than War: Genocide, Eliminationism, and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, what are the requisite pathways to building a real peace between Israel and Palestine?

  • Sami Adwan is Professor of Education at Bethlehem University and the Palestinian Director and Co-Director of Peace Research Institute in the Middle East (PRIME). His is the author of, Learning Each Other’s Historical Narrative: Palestinians and Israelis, co-author of Comparative Analysis of the Israeli and Palestinian Conflict in History and Civic Education, and Side by Side: Parallel Histories of Israel-Palestine.
  • Sarai Aharoni is Professor and research fellow of International Relations at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is the co-author of, Where Are All the Women? U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325: Gender Perspectives of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
  • Ervin Staub is Professor of Psychology Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His numerous publications include The roots of evil: The origins of genocide and other group violence, The psychology of good and evil: Why children, adults and groups help and harm others, and Overcoming evil: Genocide, violent conflict and terrorism

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

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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The Scholars’ Circle Radio- May 4th, 2014

First, we speak with Naomi Oreskes co-author of, Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. [ dur: 25 mins. ]

  • Naomi Oreskes is Professor of the History of Science Studies at University of California, San Diego.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, amid the turmoil in Syria, we analyze the psychology that drives human atrocities and the means of preventing them. [ dur: 32 mins. ]

  • Ervin Staub is Professor of Psychology at University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is the author of Overcoming Evil: Genocide, Violent Conflict, and Terrorism and The Psychology of Good and Evil: Why Children, Adults, and Groups Help and Harm Others.
  • David Livingstone Smith is Professor of Philosophy at the University of New England. He is the author of Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others.
  • John Kaag is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He is the author of Neoconservative Images of the United Nations: American Domestic Politics and International Cooperation.

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The Scholars’ Circle Radio- April 6th, 2014

First, in remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide (April 7), we revisit the tragedy with Senator Romeo Dallaire who witnessed the atrocities first-hand. [ dur: 25 mins. ]

  • Senator Romeo Dallaire is the author of, Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda and They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children: The Global Quest to Eradicate the Use of Child Soldiers.

Finally, the Syrian conflict has now taken more than 150,000 lives and displaced more than 4 million people. We ll discuss the latest developments and possible solutions to the crisis. [ dur: 34 mins. ]

  • Fred Lawson is professor of Government , Mills College; He is the author of Global Security Watch – Syria and Why Syria Goes to War: Thirty Years of Confrontation (Cornell Studies in Political Economy)
  • Nader Hashemi is professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics, University of Denver; He is the editor of The Syria Dilemma (Boston Review Books) and author of Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy: Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies.
  • Dr. Marcie J. Patton is a Professor of Politics at Fairfield University. Her publications include, ”Turkey,” “AKP Reform Fatigue in Turkey: What’s happened to the EU process?” and “The Economic Policies of the AKP Government: Rabbits from a Hat?”

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Dec. 29th, 2013

In this hour, the conflict in South Sudan has claimed 1000 lives, according to a United Nations humanitarian official. Leaders in Africa are working to negotiate a peace agreement between South Sudan’s government and the rebels. But South Sudan, as the world’s newest country, faces many more crises. We speak with a nurse from the organization Doctors Without Borders, or Medicin sans Frontiere, who has recently returned from South Sudan. [ dur: 20 mins. ]

  • Mariam Czech , Nurse MSF.

Then, what is the relationship between minerals, such as oil, diamonds, gold, and conflict, authoritarianism and poverty? This week’s scholars have spent years studying how these so-called extractive industries—mining and drilling—impact people’s lives, their governance, and the environment, throughout the world. How can countries so rich in mineral wealth remain mired in so much poverty?

  • Jeffery Mantz, Professor of Anthropology, George Mason University;
  • Michael Ross, Professor of Political Science, UCLA; Author of The Oil Curse: How Petroleum Wealth Shapes the Development of Nations
  • Suzana Sawyer, Professor of Anthropology, UC Davis. Author of Crude Chronicles: Indigenous Politics, Multinational Oil, and Neoliberalism in Ecuador

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Dec. 22nd, 2013

In this hour, 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 kill? We’ll revisit the so-called Christmas truce of 1914. [ dur 25 mins. ]

  • Stanley Weintraub, Professor Emeritus historian, Penn State University; Author of Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce.

Then, religion, politics and the so-called God gap. We’ll explore how religion unites and divides us. [ dur: 20 mins. ]

  • David Campbell, Professor of Political Science, University of Notre Dame; co-author of American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us
  • Robert Putnam, Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University; co-author of American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us

Finally, in the midst of so much bad news, what in the world is getting better? We’ll explore the widespread improvements in the world. [ dur: 20 mins. ]

  • Charles Kenney, Sr fellow Center for Global Development. Author of Getting Better: Why Global Development Is Succeeding–And How We Can Improve the World Even More

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Dec. 15th, 2013

Scholars’ Circle special. 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 Moyne, Professor of history, Univ. of Columbia. Author of Origins of the Other: Emmanuel Levinas between Revelation and Ethics;

Mark Drumbl, Professor of Law at Washington & Lee University and Director of Transnational Law Institute. Author of Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law

Chris Mahony, Professor of law, University of Auckland. Author of The Justice Sector Afterthought: Witness Protection in Africa

Elizabeth Borgwardt, Professor of law, Washington University. Author of A New Deal for the World: America’s Vision for Human Rights

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Dec. 8th, 2013

In this hour, we reflect on Nelson Mandela s life, legacy and the struggle for multiracial democracy in South Africa with Mandela s friend and partner in the struggle, Albie Sachs.

  • Albie Sachs, South African Human rights lawyer and co-authored new constitution of South Africa. He has authored among others, The Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter, The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law.

Then, scholars note that the world is waging fewer wars but that the wars that are waged are more brutal and intractable. How far have we come in the science of making peace?

  • George Lopez  Vice President and Director of international conflict management  at US Institute of Peace and Author of Sanctions and the Search for Security: Challenges to UN Action
  • Ervin Staub, Prof. of Psychology University of Massettuces Amherst.  Author of The Psychology of Good and Evil: Why Children, Adults, and Groups Help and Harm Others
  • Norrin Ripsman, Professor of  Political Science at Concordia University. Author of Globalization and the National Security State

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