News & Events Misc. Contents

Hosted by the American Graduate School in Paris on the occasion of the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25), the International Conference "Violence Against Women" will bring together policy-makers, diplomats, NGO leaders, lawyers, journalists, scholars, and human rights activists in Paris on November 28 to discuss the worldwide issue of violence perpetrated against women, be it in times of armed conflict, in the name of law, or in the name of custom, religion or tradition.

The objective of the conference is threefold: to offer a forum for discussion and knowledge-sharing between contributors from different professions, to raise public awareness, and to call the governments as well as intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations to address this worldwide epidemic.

This conference is organized on the initiative of Professor Lorraine Koonce Farahmand, Esq., as a continuation of the work of the AGS Research Center on International Relations and Violence. The conference presentations and findings should lead to the publication of a second volume of Crimes Against Women, a collective work published by the AGS Research Center in 2010, with a foreword by Taslima Nasrin (New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2010. Edited by David Wingeate Pike).

This conference is organized with the support of Maison des Cultures du Monde, Fondation Alliance Française, The American Women's Group in Paris, and Nova Science Publishers.

November 28, 2014  -  2:30pm-7:00pm
Théâtre des Cultures du Monde  -  101 bd Raspail, 75006 Paris
Open to the public on RSVP to info@ags.edu

• See conference program

• See conference speakers

• See conference sponsors

•  Download conference booklet

Header picture: Crimes Against Women book cover, painting by Charlotte Lyon , detail

9th Annual Graduate Student Conference

Cyber-Developments in International Relations:
Impacts on an Evolving World

17-18 April 2014

Conference Theme

The American Graduate School in Paris invites submissions for its 9th annual AGS Graduate Student Conference. This year’s theme covers an emerging topic in today’s world with the incorporation of advance technological developments, under the heading “Cyber-Developments in International Relations: Impacts on an Evolving World.”

For the last 15 years, we have seen the rapid development and implementation of technology into our world: from access to the internet through the ‘.com’ bubble of 1997 and the ‘world wide web,’ to the use of social media in everyday life. We have seen how the growth of the internet has been used to change the way we communicate globally, in effect shrinking our world through greater access to ideas and education. The notion of information is extremely important in today’s world as government officials, practitioners and academics are all participating in this relatively new form of communication. The development of awareness through the internet continues to shape our world on a daily basis, whether it be to create social pressures on government decision-making as seen in Brazil and Egypt recently where information was gathered on military conflicts or used to apply direct pressure on government officials. What is understood thus far, is that this cyber growth is affecting all parties globally, changing the very nature of international, state, community and individual communication.

The aim of the conference is to analyze the impact of the internet and technological developments - often used by governments, states, media, NGO networks and activists - on the social, cultural and psychological level within international relations. The cyber impacts on interstate and state governance, international security and conflict, activist activity, corporate and NGO influence, and public awareness should be a main concern for conference contributors.

Possible Sub-Themes with Examples of Directions include (but are not limited to):

Media politics: Mass Media, Social Media and Cyberactivism:

• Impact of media on public awareness at the domestic and international level

Diplomacy: Internet influence and Soft Power:

• Changing the traditional nature of diplomacy through use of internet venues by governments

• The incorporation of public diplomacy for soft power enhancement

Cybersecurity, Military Strategy and Conflict:

• Is internet anonymity a threat or a safehaven for cybersecurity

• The International internet communities erosion on human rights and civil liberties due to cyber war

Human Rights through technological media:

• Cybertechnology and its benefits or drawbacks to developing nations

• Conflicting Cyber security norms and its security threats from state to state

Evolution of Corporate, Civil Society and Celebrity Diplomacy:

• The expansion of international political economy via internet

• The growing influence of NGOs and civil society through global communication

About the Annual AGS Graduate Student Conference

The conference is student-led and –organized, and offers a forum for connecting the disciplines of Political Science and International Relations with real-world application, inviting discussion from students, academics and professionals alike on a new theme each year.

For more information about the Annual AGS Graduate Student Conference, please click here.

Submission Instructions

Who can submit?

Submissions will be accepted from graduate and post-graduate level students as well as faculty and professional practitioners in the fields related to the topic of the conference.

Attendees are not restricted to those who submitted, as all are welcome to attend the conference.

Submission Deadlines

Abstract Submission Deadline: 15 January 2014

N.B. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis. Contributors are welcome to submit their abstracts as soon as possible.

Final Paper Submission Deadline: 18 March 2014

How to Submit the Abstract and Final Paper

Abstracts are to be no longer than 500 words and submitted electronically to conference@ags.edu as an attachment.

The subject line should include the name of the candidate as well as “AGS Conference Abstract Submission.” Please also give a potential, if not finalized, title for your paper. 

Additional Information (Abstract):

• Research question

• Paper title (a working title is satisfactory)

• University affiliation (degrees earned and those in the process of concentration and completion)

• Professional affiliation (if applicable)

• If the applicant has prior conference presentation experience.

The subject line of the final paper (if applicable) should include the name of the candidate as well as “AGS Conference Final Paper Submission.”

Fees and Conditions

All accepted candidates will be required to pay a non-refundable 50-euro registration fee (payable here) that will help pay for organizational and administrative costs. This fee does not cover personal costs to the applicant, such as transportation, accommodation, etc.

The conference committee will provide visa letters upon request to accepted candidates. In addition to verifying attendance to the conference, candidates may be asked to sign a visa liability agreement. Please note that participants are responsible for fulfilling the visa procedure according to their home country’s rules and regulations in connection to entering France.

For Visa information, transportation and housing please click here

Conference Location

American Graduate School in Paris
101 boulevard Raspail
75006 Paris
France

Telephone: +33 (0)1 47 20 00 94
Website: www.ags.edu

Contact

Graduate Student Conference Committee
American Graduate School in Paris
101 boulevard Raspail
75006 Paris
France

Telephone: +33 (0)1 47 20 00 94
Email: conference@ags.edu" data-mce-href="malto:conference@ags.edu">conference@ags.edu

For questions about the conference, feel free to contact Stefan De Las, Student Conference Coordinator, at conference@ags.edu

Identity and Gender Politics Within International Relations

18-19 April 2013 in Paris

This conference is open to the general public. If you wish to attend, please contact conference@ags.edu or fill in the contact form on the right.

From a growing number of individuals in policy forming positions who operate beyond the constraints of traditional hegemonic masculinity, to an increase in gendered political groups responding progressively to cultural and governmental structures and policies, the discourse on identity and gender politics has had a resurgence in recent years. As a result, this theme has become one of necessity for academics and practitioners to re-evaluate when contributing to a contemporary discourse in International Relations.

This is the goal of the 8^th Annual AGS Graduate Student Conference: “Identity and Gender Politics within International Relations.” This will conference will seek to analyze the impact of identity and gender—often conditioned by class, race, biology and sexuality—within the social and cultural framework of International Relations. Commonalities and intersections between these areas, as well as their impact on interstate and state governance, international conflict, and public awareness are the main concerns of conference contributors.

Scholars, practitioners in the field, and graduate students from countries around the world will present and discuss such themes regarding gender and identity as it relates to social movements, violence, leadership, education, poverty, culture, etc.

By connecting practitioners and academics, this 8th Annual AGS Graduate Student Conference will aim to develop and provoke discussions on the impact of these issues within the international sphere.

 View Conference Program and Guide

Location

Théâtre des Cultures du Monde
101 boulevard Raspail
75006 Paris

Visa and Housing Information

View Call for Papers

Launched on 3 June 2015, The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies and Development is published online only on an annual basis as an open source document available at no cost to users. The journal provides a research platform for the innovative perspectives of Arcadia University and the AGS community in order to foster critical thinking and debate, targeting audiences in academia, research institutions, governments, NGOs, civil society, amongst independent scholars and in the private sector. The journal accepts submissions from esteemed academics, independent scholars, graduate candidates and post-graduate researchers with the relevant background and interests.

For more information, please visit the journal website: The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development

Ambassador Wilfried Bolewski

A lawyer by training, Wilfried Bolewski worked as legal advisor at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Geneva before starting a diplomatic career that led him to serve in Italy, Poland, Australia, Cameroon and Pakistan. Mr. Bolewski has also served as German Ambassador to Jamaica, Belize and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and as Germany’s Permanent Representative to the International Sea-Bed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica. He was also Deputy Chief of Protocol for Chancellors Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel and as German Foreign Office Special Representative for Universities and Foundations at the Foreign Service Academy Berlin.

Ambassador Bolewski gained extensive multilateral security experience at the NATO Nuclear Planning Group, the UN-Conference on Disarmament and the NATO Defense College Rome.

Parallel to his diplomatic career, Ambassador Bolewski pursued an academic career teaching Diplomacy at the faculties of law and political science of the Freie Universität Berlin and at the Hertie School of Governance Berlin. He now teaches at Sciences Po Paris as well as at the American University of Paris and at the Académie Diplomatique Internationale in Paris.

Professor Bolewski has published widely in German, English and French on International Law, Diplomacy and Protocol. He lectures on new dimensions of diplomacy, including the role of multinational corporations and non-state actors. He continues to work on the interface of diplomacy in a globalizing world and its application by private actors such as transnational companies (Corporate Diplomacy).

Source: The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva

Philip Breeden

Philip Breeden is a senior American diplomat with 26 years experience creating and directing cultural and educational exchange programs, and leading press operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Mr. Breeden joined the Foreign Service of the United States Information Agency in 1986. He served in Public Diplomacy positions in Turkey (Ankara, Istanbul), Madagascar (Antananarivo), the United States (Washington, D.C.), the United Kingdom (London), and Tunisia (Tunis) before becoming the Consul General in Marseille, France in 2005 and the Press Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in London, UK in 2008.

In September 2011, Mr. Breeden was appointed Minister Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, where he works to explain and advocate American policy and to promote mutual understanding between the French and American people. With two offices (the Press and Information Office and the Culture and Education Office), the Public Affairs section led by Mr. Breeden acts as a focal point for media, think tanks, and academic and cultural institutions, and advises the Embassy on public diplomacy issues.

Mr. Breeden has been the recipient of numerous awards including a Superior Honor Award for his public diplomacy efforts in Tunisia, and the “Palmes Académiques” for his work with high schools in France. He speaks French, Arabic and Turkish. He holds a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University and a M.A.L.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is married to the artist and designer Laurence Breeden and they have two sons, Aurélien and Tristan.

Ambassador Dominique Dreyer

Dominique Dreyer is a Swiss career diplomat with particular expertise on Far-East and South Asia. Speaking Chinese, he spent sixteen years in China in three sucessive assignments. He also served in Japan and France as Deputy Chief of Mission. Mr. Dreyer was Ambassador of Switzerland to China, Mongolia and the People's Democratic Republic of Korea, based in Peking (2000-2004), and Ambassador to India, Nepal and Bhutan, based in New Delhi (2000-2004).

During his diplomatic career, Ambassador Dreyer has held several Minister and Counselor Positions at the Swiss Embassies in Japan, France and China. He also served at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Berne, working on Middle-East Affairs and Political Secretariat at the Political Division II.

Ambassador Dreyer fluently speaks English, French, German and Mandarin. He holds a Bachelor's of Law and a Ph.D. from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, and completed his post-graduate studies in International Law at Cambridge University in the UK.

Ambassador Dreyer is a faculty member at the American Graduate School in Paris, where he teaches the course on Pacific Asia since World War II.

Ambassador Samira Hanna-el-Daher

A career diplomat, Ambassador Samira Hanna-el-Daher was the first woman ever appointed Ambassador of Lebanon to any country, and the first woman Ambassador to Japan from any country. She also served as Head of Mission in China, Australia, and Great Britain, and Ambassador to the Philippines, Switzerland, and Cyprus. Her diplomatic career also includes positions as Consul General in New York and Legal Advisor of the Lebanese Permanent Mission to the United Nations. Before her appointments abroad, she was a member of the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Beirut as head of the International Relations Department.

Ambassador Hanna-el-Daher has held several capacities at UNESCO, including Ambassador of Lebanon, Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the Executive Board, President of the G77 and China Groups, President of the Special Committee of UNESCO, and President of the Finance and Administration Commission.

As representative of Lebanon to Francophonie (Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie), she participated as an election observer in Mauritania and Chad, and was part of the reflection group on Ivory Coast, Togo and Haiti. She was also president of the political, economic and cultural diversity commissions for the Francophonie.

Ambassador Hanna-el-Daher has actively participated in efforts for international peace and cooperation, serving as a member of the Panel of High Personalities for South-South Cooperation of G77, as well as a member of the Mediterranean Peace Forum, of the European Union Conflict Prevention workshops,  and with HELIO, an French-based environmental NGO. Ambassador El-Daher has chaired and participated in many conferences and symposia on dialogue of civilizations, cultural diversity, Middle-East issues, women in the Arab world, among others. She has published several articles and prepared for UNESCO a handbook for teachers on disarmament.

Samira Hanna-el-Daher holds a degree in Lebanese Law from the Lebanese University in Beirut, as well as French degrees in Public Law (Université de Lyon) and Political Science and Public Law (Université Paris IX-Dauphine), and a diploma in Public Speaking from New York University (USA).

Ambassador Hanna-el-Daher is a faculty member at the American Graduate School in Paris, where she teaches the courses on International Organizations and on Foreign Policy Formulation and Diplomacy.

Serge Schmemann

Serge Schmemann, a 1991 Pulitzer Prize winner in international reporting for coverage of the reunification of Germany, became editorial page editor for the International Herald Tribune in May 2003. Since March 2001 Mr. Schmemann had been a senior foreign affairs writer based in New York and writer for the United Nations bureau covering regular news analyses, news articles and takeouts on major international issues.

Previously Mr. Schmemann served as deputy foreign editor at The New York Times since August 1999 after having served as a reporter on the metropolitan desk since September 1998. Before that he served as Jerusalem bureau chief from July 1995 until September 1998 and as the Moscow bureau chief from March 1992 until February 1994, after having returned to Moscow as a correspondent in January 1991. Prior to that, he served as bureau chief in Bonn since May 1987 and as a foreign correspondent in Moscow from April 1981 until May 1987.

Mr. Schmemann joined The Times as a metropolitan reporter in December 1980 after having worked for eight years with the Associated Press.

In 2003 Mr. Schmemann won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Writing – "Mortal Enemies," a documentary depicting the parallel lives of Yasir Arafat and Ariel Sharon, produced by New York Times Television for the Discovery Channel.

Mr. Schmemann was educated at The Kent School in Connecticut. He received a B.A. degree in English from Harvard University in 1967 and an M.A. degree in Slavic studies from Columbia University in 1971.

Serge Schmemann is the author of two books: When the Wall Came Down: The Berlin Wall and the Fall of Soviet Communism (Kingfisher and New York Times Books, New York: 2007) and Echoes of a Native Land: Two Centuries of a Russian Village (Knopf, New York: 1997)

Mr. Schmemann serves on the Advisory Board of the American Graduate School in Paris.

Source: The New York Times Company (http://www.nytco.com/company/executives/Serge_Schmemann.html)

Directions to the Conference Venue

The AGS International Graduate Student Conference is held at:

American Graduate School in Paris
Alliance Française Building
101, Boulevard Raspail
75006 Paris, France

Arriving by Metro or RER:

• Metro line 4 to Station Saint-Placide

• Metro line 12 to Station Notre-Dame-des-Champs

• Metro line 6 or 13 to Station Montparnasse

• RER B to Station Port-Royal

Arriving by bus:

Bus lines 58, 68, 82, 83, 91, 95, 96

Interactive Map of Paris Public Transportation

Accommodation

Conference participants are responsible for booking their own accommodation.

Here are a few useful links. Note that these third-party links are provided for your information and convenience only and are not endorsed by AGS.

Hotels

Hotel de Beauvoir, located in the 5th, a 10-minute walk to the conference venue

Solar Hotel, ecologic hotel located in the 14th, a 20-minute walk or 10-minute metro ride to the conference venue

Hostels

St-Christopher's Inn Hostels: two large Youth Hostels in Paris, near Canal de l'Ourq and Gare du Nord, each attached to a Belushi's pub. AGS conference presenters benefit from a 10% discount on hostel accommodation.

For additional questions or information regarding transportation in the Paris region or information on finding accommodations for your stay during the Conference, please do not hesitate to contact student coordinators at conference@ags.edu.

This is a tentative program and may be subject to modifications

Thursday, 19 April 2012

Location:

Alliance Française Building
Théâtre des Cultures du Monde
101, boulevard Raspail
75006 Paris - France

Friday, 20 April 2012

Location:

 Alliance Française Building
Auditorium
101, boulevard Raspail
75006 Paris - France

The Roles and Challenges of Diplomacy in the 21st Century: Inclusion and Exclusion in a Globalized World

The fields of international relations and diplomacy have seen a shift from bilateral to multilateral diplomacy along with the growing role of non-state actors and countless pressing transnational challenges in an increasingly interdependent and globalized world. What does "diplomacy" mean in a world of multinationals, global NGOs, instant communications and special interests? Addressing this question requires an interdisciplinary debate and analysis.

This is the goal of the 7^th Annual AGS Graduate Student Conference: “The Roles and Challenges of Diplomacy in the 21^st Century: Inclusion and Exclusion in a Globalized World", to be hosted at the American Graduate School in Paris on April 19-20^th, 2012. Scholars, practitioners in the field and graduate students from countries around the world will gather to debate and discuss how diplomacy should address the new shifts and changing needs in the international system.

Participants will present and discuss such themes as: diplomacy and emerging technologies and tools; the emergence of non-state actors; soft versus hard power in international relations; diplomacy and democracy; conflict resolution; and the roles of ideology and identity in diplomacy. By connecting practitioners and academics, this 7th Annual AGS Graduate Student Conference will aim to develop and propose a new understanding and prescription for diplomacy.

Keynote Panel

The highlight of this year’s conference is a keynote panel on Thursday, April 19, 2012, in which career diplomats, including current and former ambassadors, will debate and discuss the recent evolution and the future challenges and opportunities of diplomacy.

The five panelists include Wilfried Bolewski, former Ambassador of Germany to Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas; Philip Breeden, Minister Counselor for Public Affairs at the United States Embassy in Paris; Dominique Dreyer, former Ambassador of Switzerland to India and China and a faculty member at AGS; Samira Hanna-El-Daher, former Ambassador of Lebanon to Japan, Philippines and UNESCO and former Head of Mission to China and the UN - also a faculty member at AGS; and finally AGS Alumna Nina Sajic, Ambassador of Bosnia-Herzegovina to France. The panel will be moderated by Pulitzer Prize winner Serge Schmemann, Editorial Page Editor of the International Herald Tribune and a member of the Advisory Board of AGS.

See conference program

See conference poster

See call for papers

See Visa Information, Directions and Accommodations 

All are welcome to attend the conference or any of the panels. To register, contact Conference Student Coordinator Ryan Godfrey or Conference Faculty Advisor Dr. Ruchi Anand at conference@ags.edu.

Professor Douglas Yates's fifth book: The Scramble for African Oil: Oppression, Corruption and War for Control of Africa's Natural Resources(Pluto Press, London: 2012) demonstrates how the international demand for oil contributes to the chronic political, economic and security problems plaguing Africa.

Douglas Yates explains: "What I am trying to do in this book is cover all of the different kinds of problems that African oil producers face, and then show how the solutions being proposed by the international community don't solve those problems. For example, some international organizations are trying to push for more transparency, but they don't have the power to change deeply corrupt regimes. Or some people think that democracy is the answer, but as Nigeria and Sao Tome show, it is not enough. Something must be done to get leaders to serve the interests of their people rather than those of the members of their ethnicity or clan. I look, therefore, not at power from above to change these countries, but at power from below. The success stories are in South Sudan or the Niger Delta. Those are examples of Africans taking their destinies into their own hands. What can we do outside of Africa? Some of the solutions include boycotting African oil, directly distributing oil revenues to ordinary African citizens, and even trying to save oil revenues for the future generations. But all of these require that African governments be changed. Instead, we should get our own house in order and change our own behavior: we should stop consuming oil. There are many reasons for this, environmental, as well as political. In the end, the African Oil Curse may seem may seem like something of an afterthought. One day, the oil will run out so it is better to start now than to wait for that day to come."

Yates breaks the topic down into ten discussions, each describing a theoretical approach current in the "resource curse" literature, illustrated by an applied country case study. Chapters on foreign states and trade relations, multinational corporations and nationalization, international organizations and governance, rentier states and kleptocracy, praetorian regimes and terror are illustrated by case studies of Gabon, Angola, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and Congo-Brazzaville. Chapters on journalists and intellectuals, political parties and elections, armed struggles for independence, popular resistance and people power are illustrated by case studies of Cameroon, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, and Nigeria.

Professor Michael Watts of UC Berkeley said: “Yates brilliantly scales the walls of the oil fortress in Africa and shines a light into the complex politics - local, national and global - of the oil and gas industry and offers some insight into possible routes out of the swamp of failed oil development."

The Scramble for African Oil is also described by Professor Michael Klare of Hampshire College in Massachusetts, author of Resource Wars, as "Essential reading for anyone seeking an understanding of the 'resource curse', the global exploitation of Africa's resources and the troubled state of African politics. Drawing on a detailed knowledge of the region, Douglas Yates does a remarkable job of exposing the predatory forces responsible for the continuing impoverishment of Africa's oil states - while also celebrating those heroic figures who have resisted the onslaught."

For the past twenty years, Professor Yates has been researching, writing, publishing and doing activism on the politics of the international oil industry, and more specifically on the question of oil dependency on the African continent. He has been a consultant for governmental and non-governmental organizations including the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Catholic Relief Services, the International Political Science Association, the South African Institute of International Affairs, the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, the South African Governance of African Resources Project, and the British Chatham House, among others.

See The Scramble for African Oil on the Pluto Press website

• 2013: Identity and Gender Politics within International Relations

• 2012: The Roles and Challenges of Diplomacy in the 21st Century: Inclusion and Exclusion in a Globalized World

• 2011: The Mitigation, Management and International Response to Environmental Crises

• 2010: Evolving Borders: Identity and Affiliation in a Volatile International Landscape

• 2009: Democracy in the 21st Century: Relevant, Redundant or Risk?

• 2008: Searching Beyond the State: Intercultural Dialogue and Alternative Approaches to International Politics

2013: Identity and Gender Politics within International Relations

From a growing number of individuals in policy forming positions who operate beyond the constraints of traditional hegemonic masculinity, to an increase in gendered political groups responding progressively to cultural and governmental structures and policies, the discourse on identity and gender politics has had a resurgence in recent years. As a result, this theme has become one of necessity for academics and practitioners to re-evaluate when contributing to a contemporary discourse in International Relations.

This was the focus of the 8^th Annual AGS Graduate Student Conference: “Identity and Gender Politics within International Relations.” This conference analyzed the impact of identity and gender—often conditioned by class, race, biology and sexuality—within the social and cultural framework of International Relations. Commonalities and intersections between these areas, as well as their impact on interstate and state governance, international conflict, and public awareness were the main concerns of conference contributors.

Scholars, practitioners in the field, and graduate students from countries around the world presented and discussed such themes regarding gender and identity as it relates to social movements, violence, leadership, education, poverty, culture, etc.

See Conference Program

See Call for Papers

See Conference Poster

See photos of the conference

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2012: The Roles and Challenges of Diplomacy in the 21st Century: Inclusion and Exclusion in a Globalized World

The fields of international relations and diplomacy have seen a shift from bilateral to multilateral diplomacy along with the growing role of non-state actors and countless pressing transnational challenges in an increasingly interdependent and globalized world. What does "diplomacy" mean in a world of multinationals, global NGOs, instant communications and special interests? Addressing this question requires an interdisciplinary debate and analysis.

Scholars, practitioners in the field and graduate students from countries around the world gathered to debate and discuss how diplomacy should address the new shifts and changing needs in the international system.

The highlight of this conference was a keynote panel features four Ambassadors and career diplomats from the United States, Germany, Switzerland and Lebanon, who shared their expertise and their combined 120 years of experience to discuss the recent evolution and future challenges of diplomacy.

See Conference Program

See Conference Poster

See photos of the conference

{gallery alignment=center width=580 height=435 crop=1}conference2012{/gallery}

2011: The Mitigation, Management and International Response to Environmental Crises

Environmental disasters have been afflicting mankind for millennia. Earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, drought, and in modern times, industrial calamities number only a few of thedestructive forces that have continually plagued life on Earth. In the ensuing months and years following these crises communities, governments, aid agencies and NGOs have banded togetherto assist in the relief and recovery process. As a result, questions arise as to the efficacy and frequency of the fiscal, environmental and social responses to these disasters. As the world'spopulation continues to grow exponentially, the instances of natural and man-made disasters are increasing in both size and scope.
The goal of this conference is to explore the myriad of historical responses, as well as the potential theoretical solutions to future crises. The impacts of these crises are broad, as arethe disciplines that explore their consequences. The organizers seek a wide range of topics and faculties that will contribute to this discourse. Topics may include, but are not limited to legal/arbitrative responses, environmental/ ecological impacts, state and non-state relief efforts and the development movements present during these events.

See Conference Program

See photos of the conference:

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2010: Evolving Borders: Identity and Affiliation in a Volatile International Landscape

As a field of inquiry which took for granted the centrality of the state in world affairs, no issue has so agitated contemporary International Relations as the possible decline of state relevance. The major IR debates of the 20th Century focused on the relationship between the state and the individual, between hegemonic and peripheral states, and between blocs of states linked together in political superstructures. However, as states authority declines, and new post-state forms of organization arise, it seems inevitable that other modes of human affiliation must also arise. Transportation, communications, migration, and evolving economic and legal structures all tie humanity together across national borders. Religion, language, ethnicity, ideology, geography, culture, trade relations, and countless other constructions provide means by which people can understand themselves and form identities, and by which groups can include some people and exclude others. If the borders of the 20th century separated the territory of nation-states, what will new borders separate? Will national citizenship remain a valuable piece of identity, or will new affiliations take precedence? If states retain their central role in IR, how will they cope with interstate and non-state forces, and how will borders and state identity be affected? Along what fault lines, if any, must world affairs ultimately be re-organized? How will we think of ourselves, and what will be the future of “us” and “them?” The volatile 21st Century world demands answers to these pressing questions.

See Call for Papers

2009: Democracy in the 21^st Century: Relevant, Redundant or Risk?

Democracy as a form of governance has a tumultuous history. From the American and French revolutions, two models emerged. And throughout the following two centuries plus, a multitude of democratic style governments emerged, flourished, failed, or were forgotten.

The 21^st century was inaugurated by an almost complete lack of other dominant forms of governance on the world’s stage. Democracy became the catchword not only for aspirations of peoples but also for foreign policy goals of western governments.

If history is to teach us anything, it is that nothing is static and nothing is stable. What does this historical lesson have to teach us about the present and future formations of democracy? Is Democracy as we have known it still relevant in our present world? Is the form of governance born from revolution redundant in a world where revolution seems more and more impossible because of greater interdependence or merely concentrated power? And as more governments across the world sign on to the ideological front of the spread of Democracy, what are the risks for self-determination, independence, and the demos?

See Call for Papers

See Conference Program

Photos:

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2008: Searching Beyond the State: Intercultural Dialogue and Alternative Approaches to International Politics

The new problems arising in world politics are veering away from the state-centric perspective into an as of yet undefined post-modern situation. This new scenario demands unique approaches to the present and emerging problems, relying upon new actors, new institutions and new strategies. Exploration of intercultural dialogue, the emerging role of NGOs, MNCs and other non-state actors, and the changing role of traditional political players is crucial to understanding and forming the new structure of the international system. What possibilities arise? What hope?

See Conference Program