Last month we reflected on our responsibility to actively, not passively, bear witness to the
increasingly brazen violence on the part of the Tatmadaw in Myanmar, and to put pressure
on governmental and civil society actors to protect protesters. And this month we
cannot help but add our voice to those who are calling for more action to accompany
the U.S. State Department鈥檚 acknowledgement of the genocide being perpetrated by China
against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang Province. Elsewhere in this newsletter, Max provides
a brief summary of an unprecedented independent report issued earlier this month.
The report, advised by over fifty international experts in international law and Chinese
politics, concludes that the Chinese government鈥檚 policies in Xinjiang violate every
provision of the Genocide Convention.
Responding to the genocides in Myanmar and China will require unwavering commitments
on the part of atrocity prevention actors as well as creative thinking that extends
outside the realm of usual policy strategies. For that, we may need to enlist the
help of some actors who are not usually at the table. While we don鈥檛 purport to have
the answers, we are encouraged by conversations taking place among the 绿帽社
University faculty participating in the Charles E. Scheidt Faculty Fellows in Atrocity Prevention program this year. Reminiscent of what Frans Johansson documented in his 2004 book
The Medici Effect, the most innovative and revolutionary ideas can arise from the most unusual pairings
of disciplines and perspectives. The conversations among the Scheidt Faculty Fellows
are still in early stages, but we already see potential for innovative approaches
to atrocity prevention in the discussions between experts in linguistics and operations
management, between experts in big data analysis and native American studies, between
experts in supply chain management and Indian history, between experts in healthcare
and strategic leadership, and between experts in quality assurance and secondary school
English. In future newsletters, we will profile some of the participants and share
the ideas that they are generating.
This month we call your attention to a series of upcoming events, including a week of virtual visits from people living with loss and working for reconciliation amidst the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, and two webinars: one examining the role of women of color as atrocity prevention leaders, and the
other engaging experts from Brazil examining ongoing atrocities committed against
Indigenous peoples. In keeping with our past webinars, these will be in the form of
conversations with and among the experts, and will have designated time to include
your questions. Please join us for as many of the events as your schedule allows.
- Nadia Rubaii & Max Pensky
New Independent Report Documents Ongoing Genocide in Xinjiang
I-GMAP Co-Director Max Pensky was one of over 50 international experts to contribute
to a new report documenting China's genocidal policies against the Uighur minority
in Xinjiang Province.
The report, by the independent Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, collected
extensive witness testimony, both public and leaked Chinese state communication, and
open-source research including satellite image analysis, and asked for expert opinions
on whether China's treatment of its Uighur minority constituted breaches to the 1948
United Nations Genocide Convention. The report concludes that China is in violation
of all five acts prohibited under the Convention: killing members of a protected group,
causing them serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting on them conditions
calculated to bring about their physical destruction in whole or in part, imposing
measures intended to prevent births, and forcibly transferring children. These acts
are being committed with the specific intent to bring about the destruction of the
group as such.
The report is the first comprehensive independent study documenting China's breaches
of the Convention. Its release this month comes shortly after the US State Department
determined China's actions in Xinjiang Province constituted genocide. The full report,
entitled "The Uighur Genocide: An Examination of China's Breaches of the 1948 Genocide
Convention," is .
Essentials of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention Students Take Part in Atrocity
Response Simulation
Students in I-GMAP's course "Essentials of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention"
teamed up with students from the Arizona State University School of Law for this semester's
Atrocity Response Simulation. The highly realistic simulation groups students into teams, each representing a
global atrocity response actor, and challenges them to formulate and assess policies
in real time in response to cascading information as a hypothetical scenario of imminent
atrocity develops somewhere in the world.
The simulation, designed by long-time civil servant James Finkel, takes place in multiple
rounds of play over a weekend. Previous simulations at 绿帽社 have included one
set in Haiti (2018) and Sri Lanka (2020), which I-GMAP co-hosted with the United States
Military Academy at West Point. For this Spring's event, set in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
绿帽社 and ASU students were joined by students from Dartmouth College, Yale University,
the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and SUNY Brockport. This Spring's team of
expert advisors were a distinguished group of recently retired US foreign service
officers, including the former US Ambassadors to Serbia, Montenegro, Estonia, Timor
Leste, Burundi, and Botswana.
Gender Mainstreaming
Mechanisms of Atrocity Prevention Policy Brief
As we announced last year, we have been working on building the foundation for our Mechanisms of Atrocity Prevention
Project. This is part of the Institute's mission to bridge the gap between academics
and practitioners by utilizing dynamic research teams to publish policy-focused atrocity
prevention reports. We are excited to release our first report of the series, a policy
brief entitled, "Gender Mainstreaming."
The purpose of this brief is to provide recommendations on how to approach the possibilities
of gender mainstreaming when gender identities are nonbinary. This brief also gives
an overview of gender mainstreaming issues when it comes to downstream phases of atrocity
prevention in places that have recently recovered from civil wars鈥攖he same civil wars
which systematically committed violence against women and nonbinary genders.
50th Anniversary Event of Bangladesh Genocide Features 绿帽社 Doctoral Candidate
The Center for the Study of Genocide and Justice, Liberation War Museum of Bangladesh
is going to commemorate Bangladesh Genocide Day on March 25, 2021.
The Center for the Study of Genocide and Justice is organizing a round-table discussion,
"50 Years on, Recognition of Bangladesh Genocide," on Thursday, March 25 from 10:00-11:00
AM BST (12 midnight - 1am EDT). The roundtable discussion explores issues of memorialization
and commemoration of the genocide across generations, international recognition of
the Bangladesh genocide, and the historiography of the 1971 war. The event shall be
organized in the Bengali language.
The discussion will include our very own 绿帽社 doctoral candidate,
Shahriar Islam. He is working on a PhD in Community and Public Affairs. His research investigates intergenerational memory of the 1971 genocide as passed
on through textbooks, novels, movies and family narratives, and the connection with
perceptions of trustworthiness of governance institutions in Bangladesh.
Join I-GMAP for a week of Stories of Loss and Reconciliation from the Israeli-Palestinian
Conflict
March 29 鈥 April 2, 2021
Experience the power of parallel narratives as a tool for understanding the 鈥渙ther.鈥
Join us for one or more of the scheduled events to better understand the value of
dialogue, tolerance, reconciliation and peace not only within the Israeli-Palestinian
context, but also as it relates to racial conflict within the United States and effective
atrocity prevention generally.
Israeli Palestinian Bereaved Families For Peace and The Institute for Genocide and
Mass Atrocity Prevention (I-GMAP) proudly present a week of visiting practitioners
from the . PCFF is a joint Israeli-Palestinian nonprofit organization of over 600 families,
all of whom have lost an immediate family member to the ongoing conflict. The work
of PCFF is grounded in an understanding that the process of reconciliation between
nations is a prerequisite to achieving a sustainable peace.
All events are free and open to the university community and broader public via Zoom.
Join us as we celebrate the work of women of color in atrocity prevention and their
visions for transformation. We will be joined by Francia Marquez, an internationally recognized Afro-Colombian environmental and racial justice leader
and Miranda Sheffield, a community scholar and organizer from Pomona, California deeply rooted in Black
feminist school of thought. They will share with us their justice work rooted in ancestral
knowledge, community and electoral politics, and their strategies and vision for atrocity
prevention both locally and transnationally.
The Panelists:
Francia M谩rquez Image Credit: Provided photo.
Francia Marquez is a grassroots activist internationally recognized for her work on environmental
and racial justice. The winner of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2018,
and a formidable leader of the Afro-Colombian community, Francia M谩rquez organized
the women of La Toma and stopped illegal gold mining on their ancestral land. She
exerted steady pressure on the Colombian government and spearheaded a 10-day, 350-mile
march of 80 women to the nation鈥檚 capital, resulting in the removal of all illegal
miners and equipment from her community. Marquez recently announced that she will
be running for president of Colombia.
Miranda Sheffield Image Credit: Provided photo.
Miranda Sheffield is a mother, community scholar, and a community organizer. Her principles and practices
are deeply rooted in Black feminist school of thought. She is active in the community
as a member of Police Oversight Starts Today (POST) and Pomona United for Stabilized
Housing (PUSH). Sheffield obtained her BA in Sociology from Cal State LA and a Master鈥檚
in Human Rights Law from SOAS University in London, in which she explored the historical
legacy of maroons/fugitive slaves. Her community safety record includes her work as
a case manager for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) and drafting a
Federal policy briefing for more evidence-based mentorship programs for foster youth
while working in Nancy Pelosi鈥檚 office. Most recently she ran for Pomona District
6 City Council under "the peoples candidate" platform.
Moderated by:
Jenny Escobar, PhD, Charles E. Scheidt postdoctoral fellow in Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention
Nadia Rubaii, PhD, co-director, I-GMAP, professor, Public Administration
Risks and Realities of Mass Atrocities facing Brazil鈥檚 Indigenous Peoples
CLIHHR Logo
Hosted in collaboration with the Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights
Friday, April 16, 2021 10:00 AM 鈥 12:00 PM (EDT)
In many parts of the world, particularly throughout the Americas, indigenous peoples
have been and continue to be victims of targeted mass atrocity violence. The violence
is not limited to colonial era genocides, forced displacements, religious conversions
or so-called re-education programs. It has continued in the form of destruction and
contamination of lands and waters in the name of economic development, as well as
killings and disappearances of indigenous rights defenders.
Most recently it has manifested in disproportionate infection and death rates as part
of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Nowhere is the persistent attack on indigenous rights
and the need for more effective atrocity prevention work more apparent than in Brazil.
Join us in a conversation with four leading atrocity prevention actors from different
spheres of Brazilian society who are working to protect indigenous peoples. This event
is intentionally scheduled to occur just before the start of the 2021 United Nations
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Simultaneous Interpretation:
English - Portuguese - Spanish
The Panelists:
T贸nico Benties Image Credit: Provided Photo.
T贸nico Benites (Guarani-Kaiow谩) is an indigenous rights leader, anthropologist and human rights
defender from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. He has developed extensive research and
mapping exposing the patterns of attack perpetrated against indigenous communities
in Brazil. He is a leading spokesman for the Guarani and Kaiow谩 peoples, and serves
as a translator, consultant and expert in federal lawsuits. He holds a Masters and
PhD in Social Anthropology; his post-doctoral research project involved coordination
of 鈥淎 dialogue between the memory of indigenous peoples and the national historical
heritage.鈥
Marcia Wayna Kambeba Image Credit: Provided Photo.
M谩rcia Wayna Kambeba (Om谩gua / Kambeba) is a poet, writer, composer, photographer, activist and international
speaker on indigenous and environmental issues, and the first indigenous Ombudswoman
in Belem do Para, Brazil. She is the author of 4 books of poems about the Amazon and
indigenous and environmental issues. She is a trained Geographer with a master's degree
in Cultural Geography and a Specialization in Environmental Education.
Fernanda Bragato Image Credit: Provided Photo.
Fernanda Bragato is a Full Professor of Law at Unisinos Law School (Brazil). Her research is at the
intersection of human rights theory, decolonial thinking, and indigenous rights, with
an emphasis on indigenous land rights and conflicts in Brazil in the context of risk
for atrocities. She holds a Master and PhD in Law, and has held positions as visiting
scholar at Birkbeck College (University of London) and Fulbright Visiting Scholar
at Cardozo Law School.
J煤lio Jos茅 Ara煤jo, Jr. Image Credit: Provided photo.
J煤lio Jos茅 Ara煤jo, Jr. is a former federal judge and current federal prosecutor at in the State of Rio de
Janeiro. He is Coordinator of the working group on Prevention of Atrocities against
Indigenous Peoples in the Public Prosecutor鈥檚 Office and the working group on Traditional
Peoples and Communities within the National Council of the Public Ministry. He is
a PhD student in Public Law at Rio de Janeiro State University and author of "Indigenous
land rights: an intercultural interpretation.鈥
Moderated by:
Nadia Rubaii, co-director of the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (I-GMAP),
绿帽社
Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum, director of the Benjamin B. Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic
at Cardozo Law
Recent News
Charles E. Scheidt Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. DeAngelo Receives Prestigious Wilson China
Fellowship
The fellowship seeks policy-oriented academics with specialization in political, social,
economic, security, or historical issues related to China. The fellows work for the
year to produce research that improves understanding of the role that China is playing
in the Indo-Pacific, its relations with its neighbors and the United States, and its
impact on peace and security issues. Additionally, the Fellowship seeks to build bridges
between traditional academia and the policy world, and to support a new generation
of American scholarship on China.
Darcie's winning proposal, "Minefield Migrations: Entangled perceptions of China,
the US, and regulations in the Greater Mekong Subregion," seeks to answer the following
questions:
what are the changing discourses and narratives that correlate to US development projects
and Chinese development projects, specifically in the Greater Mekong Subregion?
and how can we evaluate the ecological and forced migration effects of Chinese-funded
development projects in Southeast Asia?
The United States is rapidly losing ground to China in developing countries like the
Greater Mekong Subregion. China鈥檚 reach through the Belt and Road Initiative has made
new headways in both states and among the people. These changing discourses and narratives
surrounding Western and Chinese development in the Subregion affect not only US diplomatic
relations with the Asia-Pacific but also exacerbates issues with a more global reach
like climate change. For instance, in Cambodia, Chinese-funded land development pushes
out local inhabitants by further destroying ecological niches in Cambodia, forcing
Cambodians to seek work in factories and service work in other countries like Thailand,
Vietnam, and Malaysia.
This project proposes to explore a case study of local Chinese land development projects
in the Greater Mekong Subregion, the subsequent narratives and discourses surrounding
Chinese and US development, and the socio-ecological effects of Chinese-funded development
projects. In Cambodia, for example, villagers become climate change refugees whose
farmland lies fallow by drought provoked by both exacerbated climate change and projects
like Chinese land development. At the same time, these development projects fund infrastructure
and local economic growth, incentivizing increased relations with China on the ground,
leading to changing discourse among other key stakeholders in the state.
We are very excited about Darcie's accomplishment and wish her the best on her scholarly
journey.
A Conversation with Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the new UN Special Adviser on the Prevention
of Genocide
Alice Wairimu Nderitu Image Credit: Provided Photo.
March 17, 2021, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the newly appointed United Nations Special
Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, joined us for a conversation
about her long career in atrocity prevention and her vision for the Office of the
Special Adviser during her mandate.
During the webinar, Nderitu shared the story of her path to becoming Special Adviser,
including her decades of work in her native Kenya, along with a number of other African
countries, including Zambia and Nigeria. She spoke of her experience of living through
the 2007-2008 electoral violence in Kenya, as well as her participation in the successful
efforts to prevent the recurrence of that violence in 2013. Nderitu shared an array
of goals she has for her own mandate as Special Adviser. In addition to continuing
the work of previous administrations, she hopes to expand the office鈥檚 focus on engaging
with community efforts to prevent identity-based violence at the local level. Offering
several practical examples from her own experience, she proved that the world, and
in particular the Global North, has a great deal to learn from sub-Saharan Africa
and the efforts made at all levels to build resiliency and prevent large-scale violence.
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Managing Editor: Stephen Capobianco
Newsletter Design: Yongabi Ngoh
I-GMAP is grateful for the generous support provided by the Charles E. Scheidt Family
Foundation.
I-GMAP is grateful for the generous support provided by the Charles E. Scheidt Family
Foundation.