Humphrey Institute News on-the-go

In this discussion, Dr. Robert Pastor talks about his recent trip with President Jimmy Carter to the Middle East. Their meetings included discussions with leaders of Hamas, April 13-21, 2008. Pastor is Professor of International Relations at American University and founding director of AU’s Center for North American Studies and Center for Democracy and Election Management. He has enjoyed a career of diplomacy, public policy, scholarship, and teaching.

Posted by Jamie Proulx at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre addressed the relationship between “Norway and the United States in the 21st Century” at the Humphrey Institute. In his presentation, Støre talked about Norway’s relationship with Minnesota and the Upper Midwest and specific initiatives tied to each country’s success in the 21st century. He also talked about Norway’s role as a major energy exporter, his country’s climate change initiatives, and Norway’s engagement in the High North. The visit from the minister was presented in partnership with the Royal Norwegian Consulate General, the Minnesota International Center, and the Humphrey Institute.

Posted by Jamie Proulx at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Sawyer Seminar series featured a lecture on “Humanitarianism and Civil Society” by Professor James Orbinski, a professor of public health at the University of Toronto and the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize winner as president of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières. His talk looked at the citizen movements to deliver medicine to those in need.

Listen to lecture (38 mins 48 secs)
Listen to Q&A (41 mins 33 secs)

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 11:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Professor Larry Jacobs joined award-winning journalist Melissa Fay Greene in a conversation about her work. Greene’s articles and books have addressed civil rights and Southern history, coal mine disasters and poetry, adoption, and family life. Greene discussed her most recent book, There is No Me Without You, which looks at the efforts of one woman to save children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ethiopia. Her visit was co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance.

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Harold Koh, dean of the Yale Law School, gave a presentation on “Restoring America’s Human Rights Reputation” prior to a panel discussion with Vice President Walter Mondale and University of Minnesota political science and law professor Kathryn Sikkink. This program was sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance.

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

William Lacy Swing, chief of the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, joined William J. Durch, co-director of the Future of Peace Operations Program at the Henry L. Stimson Center, and Humphrey Institute Dean J. Brian Atwood in a conversation about United Nations peacekeeping efforts in Africa.

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

U.S. diplomat and Minnesota native Thomas Wise talks about his experiences in Iraq as a member of a Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the wake of the unspeakable acts of Nazi doctors during the Holocaust, modern governments adopted a series of international conventions that declared doctors' participation in torture to be unethical. In August 2004, Steven H. Miles, a bioethicist and professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota, reported in the British medical journal The Lancet that in Iraq and Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, doctors were collaborating in the design and implementation of coercive interrogations. “Torture, War, and Medical Ethics” examined this issue in detail as Dr. Miles was joined in conversation by Barbara Frey, international rights advocate and director of the Human Rights Program at the University of Minnesota.

Listen to audio (57 mins)

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lester Brown, founder and president, of the Earth Policy Institute, gave the keynote address at the 2007 Freeman Forum lecture. He talked about “The Emerging Competition Between Cars and People for Grain.” Robert Elde later talked about “Restoring Prairie Ecosystems” in order to feed, fuel, and cool the planet. The day-long even concluded with two panel discussions. The first panel discussed the impact of ethanol, and the second panel addressed the bigger questions of alternative energy. Will it meet our needs?

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 04:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congressman Tim Walz talked about foreign policy and education as part of the “Connecting with Government” series sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance.

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 05:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Having just returned from Pakistan and Afghanistan, Congresswoman Betty McCollum offered her perspective on the conflicts in the Middle East. Her talk was part of “Connecting with Government,” a series of policy talks sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance.

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 01:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ambassador Henry Crumpton, coordinator for counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State, talked about “A New Era of Conflict” on January 31 in Cowles Auditorium. The Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism is charged with forging partnerships with individuals, organizations, and foreign governments to advance the counterterrorism objectives and national security of the United States. Crumpton gave his perspective on national security and the War on Terror. This program was cosponsored by Tunheim Partners.

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 02:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Norwegian diplomat Tom Vraalsen talked about “Sudan at the Crossroads: Two Years After Signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement” on Tuesday, January 30, in Cowles Auditorium. In 2005, Ambassador Vraalsen was chosen to lead the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC). The international commission is monitoring the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in January 2005. He previously served as the UN-Secretary General's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs for Sudan. Vraalsen's appearance was cosponsored by the Norwegian Consulate.

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Judge David Crane, former chief prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, talks about "Dancing with the Devil: Taking on West Africa's Warlords, Mafia, and Thugs." The Special Court for Sierra Leone is the world's first hybrid international war crimes tribunal. Crane was appointed chief prosecutor until 2005. During Crane's service, he prosecuted war criminals for their actions during the 1990s civil war in Sierra Leone. Among those he indicted was then-President Charles Taylor of Liberia.

Listen to audio (Lecture, 43 mins 29 secs)

Listen to audio (Q&A, 34 mins 18 secs)

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Do Islamic jihadis really hate American freedoms? What are the goals of Islamic terrorists, and how do they justify the deaths of innocent people? In this presentation, David Aaron, director of RAND's Center for Middle East Public Policy, shares what jihadis told him for his book, In Their Own Words: Voices of Jihad. Aaron is a former Foreign Service officer and was deputy national security advisor to President Jimmy Carter.

Listen to audio (1 hr 12 mins)

Posted by Humphrey Institute Events at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)