Feb. 15, 2007 — Terrorism, values and violence will be the theme of an international conference on human rights, human dignity and international cooperation, to take place March 1 and 2 at the University of Utah.
The conference, titled “Values and Violence: Intangible Aspects of Terrorism,” will bring together leading political, legal and economic experts to explore the role of cultural and ethical values that drive terrorism and responses to it. The event is hosted by the Institute of Public & International Affairs (IPIA), the College of Social and Behavioral Science, the Barbara L. & Norman C. Tanner Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy, and the S.J. Quinney College of Law.
Participants will explore a range of topics, including: female terrorists; old versus new terrorism; ethnicity and indoctrination for violence; and Gandhi, Newton, and the Enlightenment. Speakers include Martha Crenshaw of Wesleyan University, Bruce Hoffman from Georgetown University, Nobel Laureate Amartya K. Sen from Harvard University, and Martha Nussbaum from the University of Chicago School of Law, among others.
“Government agencies have expressed the need for systematic multi-disciplinary approaches to values and norms in crafting policy toward public safety,” says Wayne McCormack, professor of law at the University of Utah. “The thing we found surprising is that no one has done this. As we started planning the conference, we thought that we might learn from someone else’s experience, but we seem to be the first to approach the issue of terrorism from this type of multi-disciplinary perspective.”
Stephen Reynolds, associate director of the IPIA, describes the conference as “an attempt to get at the values of terrorism and the values we bring when we try to contain terrorism.” Reynolds explains there is a common understanding that global cooperation is necessary in the interest of reducing violence and adds, “The conference involves a tremendous lineup of scholars who will explore questions concerning human dignity and its implications. This is only the first of these conferences exploring human dignity, its implications and how it’s provided for.”
Inspired to adopt multi-disciplinary approaches to address complex issues, the conference was organized by and will include papers from a diverse cross-section of the university’s colleges and departments, including: the College of Social & Behavioral Science; the S.J. Quinney College of Law and the departments of anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, sociology, history, philosophy and communication.
The conference will span two days and will include both public and invitation-only events.
Public events include:
The S.J. Quinney Lecture:
“The Clash Within: The Hindu Right and Democratic Values”
Thursday, March 1, 5 p.m., Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Dumke Auditorium
Martha Nussbaum, professor of law and ethics at the University of Chicago Law School
Inaugural lecture for the Barbara L. & Norman C. Tanner Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy:
“Violence in Identity”
Friday, March 2, noon, Libby Gardner Hall
Amartya K. Sen, Lamont University Professor and professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University and Nobel Laureate
Panel discussion: “Enforcement and Human Dignity-Does Violence Work and at What Costs?”
Friday, March 2, 3 to 5 p.m., Officer’s Club, Fort Douglas
Panelists include:
M. Cherif Bassiouni, distinguished research professor of law at DePaul University College of Law, president of the International Human Rights Law Institute and president of the International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences in Siracusa, Italy.
Martha Crenshaw, professor of global issues and democratic thought and professor of government at Wesleyan University, serves on the executive board of Women in International Security and chairs the American Political Science Association Task Force on Political Violence and Terrorism.
Amos N. Guiora, professor of law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and director of the Institute for Global Security Law and Policy where he develops courses and labs on the legal and policy aspects of counterterrorism.
Bruce Hoffman, professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University, has held several high-ranking positions involving counterterrorism and Middle East policies with the RAND Corporation.
Ibrahim A. Karawan, director of the Middle East Center and associate professor of political science at the University of Utah, is a frequent contributing analyst to the BBC World Service, CNN, Al-Jazeera satellite television, and Abu Dhabi TV.
The following events are by invitation only, but news media are welcome:
Thursday, March 1
Lecture: “Confronting Terrorism: Toward a Liberal Grand Strategy”
Officer’s Club, Fort Douglas, 9 to 9:40 a.m.
Tom Farer, University of Denver
Panel: “Value Systems That Correlate with Terrorist Actions”
Officer’s Club, Fort Douglas, 9:40 to 11:40 a.m.
“Knowing the Enemy”
Mary Habeck, Johns Hopkins University
“Ethnicity and Indoctrination for Violence”
Frank Salter, Max Planck Society, Andechs, Germany
“Female Terrorists”
Marilyn Friedman, Washington University
Panel: “Values Influencing the Likelihood and Impact of Potential Threats”
Officer’s Club, Fort Douglas, 2 to 4:30 p.m.
“Gandhi, Newton, and the Enlightenment: The Roots of Disenchantment”
Akeel Bilgrami, Columbia University
“Violent and Nonviolent Responses to State Failure: Papua New Guinea and Ecuador”
Ken Jameson and Polly Wiessner, University of Utah
“Terrorist Networks in Social and Geographical Space”
George Hepner and Richard Medina, University of Utah
“Beyond Post-Traumatic Stress: Pressing Questions about the Psychological Impact of Political Violence on Children”
Cecilia Wainryb and Monisha Pasupathi, University of Utah
Friday, March 2
Panel: “Values Influencing Policy Options for Containing Terrorism”
Officer’s Club, Fort Douglas, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
“Old versus New Terrorism”
Martha Crenshaw, Wesleyan University
“Critique of the War on Terror”
Steven Simon, Council on Foreign Relations
“Ideas as Weapons: Militant Islamist Groups in Egypt”
Ibrahim A. Karawan, University of Utah
“Value Choices in the Struggle with Terrorism”
Wayne McCormack and Deen Chatterjee, University of Utah
“Globalization, Social Capital and Networked Violence: The Role of Values”
Benjamin N. Judkins and Stephen Reynolds, University of Utah
Participants will be available for interviews prior to two private dinners at the Alta Club, 100 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 1 and Friday, March 2 from 7 to7:45 p.m. Additional pre-conference interviews may be scheduled by contacting Aleta Tew at 801-587-3556 or aleta.tew@csbs.utah.edu.
The following U experts are available for interviews regarding the conference: Stephen Reynolds 801-581-8620, stephen.reynolds@csbs.utah.edu; Wayne McCormack 801-581-8494, mccormackw@law.utah.edu; Ibrahim Karawan, 801-581-4912, ibrahim.karawan@poli-sci.utah.edu.
The University offers free satellite uplink services from our state of the art television facility located on campus. To book an interview with one of the conference participants or any university expert, please visit: http://unews.utah.edu/?action=broadcast.
Live feed will be available throughout the conference at www.humanrights.utah.edu/forum. For a complete list of events, visit www.humanrights.utah.edu/forum.
The mission of the Institute of Public and International Affairs (IPIA) is to expand and enhance the University’s activities and programs in several interdisciplinary areas of excellence, including public policy, applied politics, international socio-political economics and cross-border security, government and governance. Additional information may be found at www.ipia.utah.edu.
The College of Social and Behavioral Science works to advance knowledge and instruction in the foundations of social and behavioral science which, in turn, contribute directly or indirectly to improvements in the quality of life. Additional information may be found at www.csbs.utah.edu.
The Barbara L. and Norman C. Tanner Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy was founded to encourage University of Utah students and the greater community to seek a life of human rights advocacy and peacemaking through inspiration, education, and participation. For additional information, visit www.humanrights.utah.edu.
The S.J. Quinney College of Law strives to achieve excellence in the professional education of lawyers, to advance knowledge through the dissemination of high quality legal scholarship, and to perform valuable public service to the University, the state of Utah, our nation, and the global economy. For additional information, visit www.law.utah.edu.