CGA Public Events Series

AMERICA IN THE WORLD

Through thoughtful conversations with leading scholars and practitioners, this series considers the singular role of the U.S. in global affairs. Hosted by CGA faculty.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE “NEVER” IN “NEVER AGAIN”?
LESSONS FROM THE BALKANS
Monday, February 25, 6.30–7.45 p.m.

Louis Klarevas, moderator, clinical assistant professor, Center for Global Affairs, New York University

Ambassador John K. Menzies, former U.S. ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina; dean, Whitehead School of Diplomacy, Seton Hall University

Following the Holocaust, the international community adopted the standard of “never again”: never again would the world sit by idly while another genocide took place. Despite the pledge, genocides and ethnic cleansings continued right up through the millennium, making the 20th century one of the most violent centuries in human history. Today, gross human rights violations are occurring in Sudan and Iraq. Why isn’t the international community doing more to curb mass-scale violence? What can the United States do to help arrest this continuing problem? What can we all do to make “never again” more than a hollow promise?

OUR OCEANS IN CRISIS
Tuesday, March 4, 6.30–7.45 p.m.

Howard S. Schiffman, moderator, clinical associate professor, Center for Global Affairs, New York University

The Honorable Stuart Beck, ambassador of Palau to the United Nations

Additional speakers to be announced.

The world’s oceans, which hold the fascination of scientists and poets alike, are suffering. Threats to fish stocks, coral reefs, endangered species, and even the ocean’s currents have reached new levels of seriousness. Climate change, excessive commercial fishing, destructive fishing practices, and pollution continue to stress the marine environment. CGA Professor Howard S. Schiffman, author of the recently published book Marine Conservation Agreements: The Law and Policy of Reservations and Vetoes (Martinus Nijhoff-Brill), discusses the extent of the problem with leading experts and explores why it has been so difficult to develop successful global strategies to address the challenges facing our oceans.