Events

Azar Nafisi, renowned Iranian-American author of Reading Lolita in Tehran and Read Dangerously, joined us on International Women’s Day for a discussion and reception. Nafisi discussed the women-led protests in Iran and her experiences as a feminist and an Iranian woman in exile. Her keynote address was followed by a student-led Q&A.

Timothy Quinn of the Dark Data Project, discussed their new white paper, Anthroencryption: Strategies for protecting vulnerable populations. In the era of Big Data, protecting data about people remains a challenging and underappreciated area of risk for most organizations, and securely sharing that data a significant impediment. This talk provides a better understanding of the tiered reality of identity protection, outlining appropriate strategies suitable to the needs of vulnerable people in a wide variety of contexts.

At the each-In on the Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, panelists discussed the on-the-ground realities of individuals living in the disaster areas as well as the challenges shaping the humanitarian response. Panelists also discussed the broader historical, economic, social and political contexts in which this acute crisis is embedded and how these factors will affect longer-term outcomes. Read more about the Teach-In from GW Today and The GW Hatchet.

As large scale protests and demonstrations continue in Iran, a key question is: What about these events is different? Will the government make concessions on women’s social and political grievances? How are other groups – like organized labor and political activists – working to support the demonstrations, and how are international actors supporting (or undermining) this wave of activism? This conversation brings together three experts on Iranian politics and history to address these and other pressing questions.

This panel explores the global emergency imaginary, how we think about, narrate, and frame what constitutes a humanitarian emergency and what it means to do humanitarian work. Humanitarian action is imagined to be politically neutral and impartial, delivered by international organizations, and conceived as short-term responses to urgent, exceptional crises. Lauren Carruth (American University) and Hugo Slim (University of Oxford) challenge this conventional imaginary and offer new understandings of what it means to do humanitarian work. Hugo Slim, in Solferino 21 (Hurst 2022), argues political solidarity and geographic proximity will increasingly form the foundation of humanitarian action. In Love and Liberation: Humanitarian Work in Ethiopia’s Somali Region (Cornell 2022), Lauren Carruth provides an alternative vision of what humanitarian response means in practice, driven by what Somalis call samafal or the cultivation of lasting relationships of care, interdependence and solidarity. Join us as Carruth and Slim discuss their books and debate the meaning of humanitarian work. Maryam Z. Deloffre (George Washington University) will facilitate the discussion.

The US Government provides about 20% of all official development assistance funding, including 30% of all official humanitarian assistance funding, in the world. This funding mainly goes to international organizations, non-governmental organization grantees, and private contractors who implement  assistance activities on the ground. How do these organizations carry out foreign assistance operations and programming? What goes into planning these programs and how do they manage donor expectations? Our panelists will provide their perspectives on the key decisions and processes they consider and undertake when implementing foreign assistance. 

Panelists

Kathryn Prudhomme, World Food Program; Kathy Stroker, General Counsel for FHI 360; Brian Roemer – General Counsel for Abt Associates; Moderator – Amit Khardori, Professorial Lecturer, The George Washington University and Attorney Advisor, USAID.

The delivery of humanitarian assistance is a complex endeavor. It requires cooperation among donor governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local governments, and, at times, local non-state actors. Coordination and cooperation are complicated both by the security, infrastructural, and political realities on the ground but also by the legal, fiduciary, operational and logistical requirements and procedures of donor governments and international organizations. Humanitarian aid providers must navigate these complex contexts and rules while negotiating access to humanitarian settings and calculating their legal, fiduciary, security and reputational risks. 

This panel will provide key perspectives on the full spectrum of these risks and constraints, from the point of view of policy advisors, government agencies, donors and implementers. Each panelist will describe efforts to work within these constraints, identify successes and challenges, and discuss prospects for reform.

Panelists: Jacob Kurtzer, Director and Senior Fellow, Humanitarian Agenda, Center for Strategic and I nternational Studies (CSIS); Jennifer Hendrixson White, Senior Policy Advisor U.S. Mission to the United Nations (Washington), Department of State; Taylor Stager, Deputy Director (Acting), Office of Humanitarian Business and Management Operations, Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, USAID; Brian White, Vice President and General Counsel, Save the Children.

Moderator: Amit Khardori, Professorial Lecturer, The George Washington University and Attorney Advisor, USAID

On Civilian Harm (PAX), draws attention to the broader negative impact that violent conflict and international interventions have on civilians, challenging stakeholders to broaden the scope from civilian deaths as impact of conflict, to also include property damage, psychological trauma, displacement, and so on. In this event, Erin Bijl (one of the authors) explains how the book’s case studies and themes expand our traditional understanding of civilian harm. Marc Garlasco (ESIA MA ’95) discusses how organizations investigate civilian casualties in the field. He has conducted investigations for the US military, the United Nations, and NGOs and will discuss the different methodologies and challenges faced by these organizations conducting this research. Finally, he will discuss how the Department of Defense is dealing with recent civilian casualty incidents such as the Kabul drone strike and Barghouz strike in Syria. Brittany Roser explains PAX’s advocacy with the United Nations and how they are working to get UN missions to improve civilian protection. Dr. Maryam Zarnegar Deloffre, Director of the Humanitarian Action Initiative at GWU, shares her insights on the book and the implications for humanitarian action. Dr. Paul D. Williams serves as the moderator for this talk. 

Since the February 2021 coup, Myanmar has been plunged into a political and humanitarian crisis.  What has this meant for the people of Myanmar and how are they seeking to overcome these deep challenges? In this special event, we will begin with a viewing of “Padauk: Myanmar Spring,” a short film documenting citizens’ efforts to reverse the coup. The viewing will be followed by a panel discussion featuring three commentators from Myanmar: Nant Ingyin Kyaw Soe, a Kayin-Bamar activist who is featured in the film, Ye Myo Hein, Executive Director of the Tagaung Institute of Political Studies and Public Policy Fellow with the Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and  Dr. Si Thura, Executive Director, Community Partners International. Tom Andrews, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, will deliver opening remarks. 
Dr. Christina Fink, Elliott School of International Affairs and Dr. Adam Richards, Milken Institute School of Public Health, the George Washington University, will facilitate the discussion.

Lucia Rafanelli, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the Elliott School andAlyssa Ayres, Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, discuss Rafanelli’s new book,Promoting Justice Across Borders: The Ethics of Reform Intervention.

About the Book

Global political actors, from states and NGOs to activist groups and individuals, exert influence in societies beyond their own in myriad ways-including via public criticism, consumer boycotts, divestment campaigns, sanctions, and forceful intervention. Often, they do so in the name of justice-promotion. While attempts to promote justice in other societies can do good, they are also often subject to moral criticism and raise several serious moral questions. For example, are there ways to promote one’s own ideas about justice in another society while still treating its members tolerantly? Are there ways to do so without disrespecting their legitimate political institutions or undermining their collective self-determination? Promoting Justice Across Borders: The Ethics of Reform Intervention aims to tackle these questions.

In mid-August, Haiti was struck by both a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, which devastated the southwestern part of the country, and Tropical Storm Grace. Both occurred during a period of political instability caused by intense and persistent gang violence, and massive political protests against President Jovenel Moïse, which ended with his assassination in July. Haitian officials estimate over 600,000 individuals are in need of humanitarian assistance, but relief has been slowed by impassable roads, mudslides resulting from heavy rains, and gang violence. Despite these hazards, locally-led community groups, many formed after the 2010 earthquake, are providing immediate assistance and care. The cumulative effects of these events risk further destabilizing fragile political and economic systems. Panelists will discuss the historical and political context in Haiti, the current political and humanitarian situation, as well as pathways forward. 

Panelists – Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall, Professor of History, California State University San Marcos; Jean Eddy Saint Paul, Professor of Sociology, former Founding Director of the CUNY Haitian Studies Institute Brooklyn College of the City University of New York; Louino ‘Robi’ Robillard, co-founder of Konbit Soley Leve movement; Konbit Bibliyotek Site Soley and Program Director of Future Generations Haiti and Rasin Devlopman; Cécile Accilien, Chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies, Kennesaw State University; Emmanuela Douyon, founder of POLICITÉ and leader of Nou pap dòmi and Petrochallenger; Sabina Robillard, Associate on Humanitarian Aid and Accountability at CDA Collaborative Learning, a researcher at the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, and a doctoral candidate at Tufts University

Humanitarianism and Human Rights: A World of Differences? (Cambridge University Press) explores the fluctuating relationship between human rights and humanitarianism. Leading scholars probe the shifting meanings of human rights and humanitarianism across ethics, obligations, duties, history, and modern-day practice. Dean Alyssa Ayres and the GW Elliott School of International Affairs Book Launch Series are proud to present a discussion of the book led by its editor, Michael Barnett, and co-sponsored by the Humanitarian Action Initiative. Chapter authors, Illana Feldman (George Washington University) and Miriam Ticktin (The New School for Social Research) discuss their research and contribution to the book. Maryam Z. Deloffre, Associate Professor of International Affairs and Director, HAI will moderate the discussion.

On Friday, February 26, we co-hosted a roundtable discussion The COVAX Initiative and Equitable Vaccine Distribution with panelists Loyce Pace, Biden-Harris COVID-19 Advisory Board Member and President of the Global Health Council President; Dr. Jeremy Youde Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota Duluth; Dr. Jon Andrus, Adjunct Professor of Global Health at George Washington University, and Dr. Adam Jachimowicz, Lecturer Emergency Management. Maryam Z. Deloffre, Associate Professor of International Affairs and Director, HAI will moderate the discussion.

As the Tigray crisis began to escalate, we co-hosted a panel discussion with Elizabeth Hume, Vice President, Alliance for Peacebuilding, Patrick Youssef, Regional Director for Africa, ICRC, Beza Tesfaye, Director of Research and Learning, Migration and Climate Change, MercyCorp, and Hardin Lang, Vice President for Programs and Policy, Refugees International. Jennifer Cooke, Director of the Institute of Africa Studies and Maryam Z. Deloffre, Director of the Humanitarian Action Initiative, will serve as moderators.