Povolny Lecture Series in International Studies

Tag: Povolny Lecture Series in International Studies

Amnesty International Leader Opens Special Month-Long Series Focused on Human Rights Issues

Larry Cox, the executive director of Amnesty International USA, headlines Lawrence University’s special month-long series of events focused on human rights issues around the world.

The program — “Engaging Human Rights” — will feature speakers and award-winning films, including the Wisconsin premiere of the documentary “Granito.” All events are free and open to the public.

“Our Scarff Visiting Professorship has a distinguished 20-year history dealing with international issues of the day, but the ‘Engaging Human Rights’ series is a new direction for us,” said Provost David Burrows. “We hope it will highlight many different facets of the worldwide challenge of human rights across disciplinary boundaries on the campus and reach those beyond it in the Fox Valley community. In conjunction with the Povolny Lecture Series, which will feature several presentations on human rights, this should be a great opportunity for further learning about this important and critical issue.”

Larry Cox

Cox, who has led Amnesty International USA since 2006, opens the series Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium with the address, “Making ‘Hope and History Rhyme’: Moving Forward in the Global Fight for Freedom and Dignity.”

His talk will examine how the unexpected and powerful mass uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, among others, not only removed some of the world’s most entrenched and repressive dictators, but also issued challenges to the conventional wisdom, particularly in the West, on the nature of the global fight for human rights and how it is best advanced. According to Cox, human rights advocates in the United States need to move beyond merely seeking to assist those fighting for freedom and dignity in the Arab world and begin to apply the lessons learned from them to human rights work both at home and abroad.

Cox has spent his career advocating for human rights. In addition to Amnesty International, he has served as executive director of the international organization Rainforest Foundation, which works to protect the rights of indigenous peoples in the Brazilian Amazon and spent 11 years as senior program officer for the Ford Foundation’s Human Rights unit, where he focused on the promotion of international justice and the advancement of domestic human rights.

Other scheduled events in the series include:

•  Oct. 11 — “The Churches and Human Rights in Latin America.” Alexander Wilde, distinguished visiting Scarff professor and senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., examines the role of and contributions by churches in the fight for improved human rights in Latin America. Wilde, a 1962 Lawrence graduate, spent six years as the director of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a nongovernmental organization concerned with human rights and U.S. foreign policy. He co-edited the 1989 book “The Progressive Church in Latin America.” 7 p.m., Wriston Art Center auditorium.

• Oct. 23 — “State of Fear:  The Truth About Terrorism.”  Documentary film about the violence had engulfed Peru during the 1980s and ‘90s during the regime of President Alberto Fujimori. 12 noon, Warch Campus Center cinema.

• Oct. 23 — “Granito: How to Nail a Dictator.” Part political thriller, part memoir, this 2011 documentary spans four decades in search of  details that can be used to hold accountable those responsible for the genocide of more than 200,000 people at the hands of Guatemalan military and paramilitary soldiers. , 7 p.m., Warch Campus Center cinema.

• Oct. 24 — “Granito: How to Nail a Dictator.” The film’s director, Pamela Yates, and producer, Paco de Onis, will be on hand to conduct a question-and-answer session following a screening of the film. 7 p.m., Warch Campus Center cinema.

• Oct. 25 — “The Reckoning:  The Battle for the International Criminal Court.” An epic account of the new International Criminal Court’s struggle to prosecute perpetrators — however powerful or concealed they may be — of crimes against humanity, including indicting Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, issuing arrest warrants for Lord’s Resistance Army leaders in Uganda and putting an infamous Congolese warlord on trial. The film’s director Pamela Yates and producer Paco de Onis will lead a discussion following the screening. 7 p.m., Warch Campus Center cinema.

• Oct. 30 — “Blood Diamond.” Set against the backdrop of Sierra Leone’s civil war in the 1990’s, the story follows an ex mercenary from Zimbabwe and a Mende fisherman joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives. 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Warch Campus Center cinema.

Greg Campbell

• Nov. 1— “Lessons Learned from Conflict Diamonds in Sierra Leone, or Missed Opportunities.”  Greg Campbell, award-winning journalist and author of the book “Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World’s Most Precious Stones (which inspired the 2006 Oscar-nominated film “Blood Diamond”) discusses his recent return to Sierra Leone to assess the country’s progress 10 years after the end of a brutal civil war waged for control of its vast reserves of diamonds. How has Sierra Leone fared since it could finally put its natural resources to use for its citizens? Have its leaders learned from the past? Have its diamonds become a blessing or do they remain a curse? 7 p.m., Wriston Art Center auditorium.

• Nov. 8 — “One for the Road.” A performance of Nobel Award-winning playwright Harold Pinter’s story of an unnamed dictatorship during the late years of the Cold War performed by invited professional and student actors and directed by Timothy X. Troy, J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theater and Drama at Lawrence.  Pinter wrote the play to support a human rights campaign of PEN International. An open discussion will follow the performance. 8 p.m., Cloak Theatre, Music-Drama Center.

Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,520 students from 44 states and 56 countries.

U.S.-Russia Foreign Relations Strategies, Challenges Focus of Lawrence University International Series Presentation

APPLETON, WIS. — What lessons has history provided regarding the most productive way the United States and other Western nations can successfully deal with Russia? Peter Blitstein, associate professor of history at Lawrence University, explores that question in the address “Russian-American Relations and the Obama Administration” Wednesday, April 29 at 4:30 p.m. in Science Hall 102.

The presentation, which is free and open to the public, is the third installment of Lawrence’s four-part 2009 Povolny Lecture Series in International Studies: “What Should Obama Do?”

A political historian specializing in the Russian empire, Blitstein will review three strategies Western countries have utilized in dealing with Russia, explain why only one of those approaches is viable and examine four current diplomatic challenges facing U.S.-Russian relations.

One approach historically employed by Western nations in dealing with Russia was the notion that, with help, Russia could become “Westernized.” A second approach treated Russia essentially as an alien civilization that could not be fully trusted, that it posed a threat and as such had to be “contained.” But Blitstein argues a third strategy — the understanding that Russia is not Western, it has its own distinct interests and that relations with it must conducted on the basis of mutual interests — is the only one that has resulted in good relations between Russia and the West.

Blitstein’s talk will support the mutual respect viewpoint by examining four moments in recent U.S.-Russia foreign relations: the start of the Cold War, the era of détente, the era of perestroika and the era of “transition.”

He also will discuss the role “mutual interest” will play in resolving four current international challenges facing the Obama administration and the Russian leadership, specifically the issues of Iran, energy policy and “pipeline politics,” missile defense and Russia’s own relations with its former Soviet Union-era neighbors.

A member of the Lawrence faculty since 2001, Blitstein has written numerous published articles on Soviet policies toward its ethnic nationalities and is working on the book “Stalin’s Nations: Soviet Nationality Policy between Planning and Primordialism, 1936-1953.” He has conducted extensive research in the state archives of the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Moscow and has taught a seminar course that examines the Cold War through the lens of intelligence and espionage.

Juan Carlos Romero Hicks, director general of Mexico’s National Council of Science and Technology and former governor of Guanajuato, Mexico, concludes the series Tuesday, May 12 with the address “Mexico and the U.S” at 4:30 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium.

The “What Should Obama Do” lecture series is sponsored by the Mojmir Povolny Lectureship in International Studies. Named in honor of long-time Lawrence government professor Mojmir Povolny, the lectureship promotes interest and discussion on issues of moral significance and ethical dimensions.

Former Foreign Service Officer Examines U.S-European Relations in Lawrence University International Series Address

APPLETON, WIS. — Robert (Todd) Becker, a former U.S. foreign service officer and deputy head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Croatia, delivers the address “U.S. and European Relations” Tuesday, April 21 at 7 p.m. in Lawrence University’s Wriston Art Center auditorium.

The presentation, which is free and open to the public, is the second installment of Lawrence’s 2009 Povolny Lecture Series in International Studies: “What Should Obama Do?”

For more than 300 years, Europe and what is now the United States have been inexorably linked. For the first 200 years of that relationship, the United States was the “junior partner.” From World War I until World War II, the United States reached a certain level of parity and since the end of the second world war until the end of the 20th century, the United States has been the dominant power.

In his address, Becker will review the evolving nature of this relationship, discuss whether the balance of power is tilting back toward Europe and examine some of the common challenges facing both the United States and Europe in the coming century.

“Can the United States continue to lead as in the past 60 years?,” said Becker, who is spending the Spring Term as Lawrence’s Distinguished Visiting Scarff Professor in the government department. “Is Europe regaining a position of superiority? While it is large, wealthy and influential, it is very diverse politically, economically and far from unified, despite the growth of the European Union. In the face of common financial, terrorist, ecological, social-migration and international criminal threats, these two continental societies must find an effective manner to work together. The question is how?”

During a 34-year career with the U.S. State Department, Becker served two assignments in Greece spanning five years during crises in the Aegean and southern Balkans, as well positions in Germany and Brussels.

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Becker established the U.S. Consulate General — the first in a former Warsaw Pact country — in Leipzig in the former German Democratic Republic. From 1997-2000, Becker directed the political affairs unit in the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels, where he was responsible for developing closer political and security relations with the EU.

In 2000, Becker joined the OSCE, a 56-member inter-governmental organization that traces its roots to the 1975 Helsinki Accord and was established under the charter of the United Nations.

He served as OCSE’s Deputy Head and Ambassador to the Mission in Croatia for seven years. During his tenure, he saw Croatia transition from a post-Communist and authoritarian regime into a struggling democracy seeking NATO and EU membership. At the end of his assignment in Croatia, Becker was recognized with the Croatian Helsinki Committee Human Rights Award, the first foreigner to receive the honor.

Prior to coming to Lawrence, Becker spent a year in Kiev, Ukraine, as an OSCE senior project manager.

Remaining talks on this year’s series schedule include:

• April 29 — “Russian-American Relations and the Obama Administration,” Peter Blitstein, associate professor of history at Lawrence. Blitstein will review the different approaches Western nations, including the United States, have used in their relations with Russia, make the case only one of these approaches is effective and examine the issues facing the current U.S.-Russia relationship from that standpoint.

• May 12 — “Mexico and the U.S.,” Juan Carlos Romero Hicks, director general of Mexico’s National Council of Science and Technology and former governor of Guanajuato, Mexico.

The “What Should Obama Do” lecture series is sponsored by the Mojmir Povolny Lectureship in International Studies. Named in honor of long-time Lawrence government professor Mojmir Povolny, the lectureship promotes interest and discussion on issues of moral significance and ethical dimensions.

International Challenges Facing Obama Administration Focus of Lawrence University Lecture Series

APPLETON, WIS. — Against a backdrop of world-wide economic distress and ongoing threats of terrorism, Lawrence University’s annual Povolny Lecture Series in International Studies focuses on some of the global challenges facing the administration of President Barack Obama in the four-part series “What Should Obama Do?”

Paul Blustein, journalist-in-residence in the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., opens the series Thursday, April 16 with the address “U.S. and World Trade Disorganization” at 7 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium. All lectures in the series are free and open to the public.

A specialist in international trade and economic policy, Blustein will examine challenges facing the World Trade Organization, particularly the possibility of an “erosion” in its authority as the chief rule maker and arbiter of international trade, which he says “could be highly damaging to the world’s long-term economic health.” Blustein will discuss Obama’s options to prevent the international trading system from following the financial system into global crisis.

Fueling the WTO’s woes, says Blustein, was the failure of its 153 member nations to reach an agreement in the Doha Round, the series of negotiations launched shortly after 9/11 aimed at lowering trade barriers in a way that would most benefit poor countries. The round is named for the capital of Qatar, the location of the WTO meeting where the talks were initiated.

Blustein attended the WTO meeting in Doha as well as last summer’s session in Geneva, Switzerland, where the talks collapsed after a nine-day meeting of trade ministers.

As a result of the Doha failure and the global world-wide economic downturn, Blustein calls the WTO’s ability to continue performing its crucial role in the international order “imperiled.”

A Rhodes Scholar, Blustein joined the Brookings Institute in 2006 after spending 30 years covering economic policy issues for Forbes Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. While at The Wall Street Journal, he was recognized in 1985 with the prestigious Gerald Loeb Award, which honors journalists who make significant contributions to the understanding of business, finance and the economy.

Blustein is the author of two books, “The Chastening: Inside the Crisis That Rocked the Global Financial System and Humbled the IMF” in 2001 and “And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out): Wall Street, the IMF, and the Bankrupting of Argentina” in 2005. He is currently working on a third book about the WTO and the Doha Declaration.

Joining Blustein on this year’s series will be:

• April 21 — Robert Becker, Lawrence’s Distinguished Visiting Scarff Professor, former U.S. foreign service officer and deputy head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Croatia, “U.S. and European Relations.” Becker will discuss the importance of the two continental societies working collaboratively in the face of common financial, terrorist, ecological, social-migration and international criminal threats.

• April 29 — Peter Blitstein, associate professor of history at Lawrence, “Russian-American Relations and the Obama Administration.” Blitstein will review the different approaches Western nations, including the United States, have used in their relations with Russia, make the case only one of these approaches is effective and examine the issues facing the current U.S.-Russia relationship from that standpoint.

• May 12 — Juan Carlos Romero Hicks, director general of Mexico’s National Council of Science and Technology and former governor of Guanajuato, Mexico, “Mexico and the U.S.”

The “What Should Obama Do” lecture series is sponsored by the Mojmir Povolny Lectureship in International Studies. Named in honor of long-time Lawrence government professor Mojmir Povolny, the lectureship promotes interest and discussion on issues of moral significance and ethical dimensions.