Summer 2021 Newsletter

Like many of you, many of us will have the privilege in the coming weeks to take a much-needed break, and to travel and see friends and loved ones, often for the first time since the outbreak of the global pandemic in early 2020. Like those of you who will be traveling this summer, we'll be venturing out to see a country that has been transformed by the extraordinary social and political challenges of the past few years. What that transformation will ultimately look like is up to us, of course. Our national tradition as a destination of refuge for those fleeing persecution, human rights violations, and injustice has been undermined over the last few years. But it has survived.

Much of I-GMAP's work aims to have system-wide influence, at national or even international levels, as we work to contribute to efforts to protect groups that are targeted for mass violence. But we cannot lose sight of the fact that the "mass" in "mass atrocity" is made up of individual human lives. While we tend to speak of identity-based groups in shorthand - the Rohingya in Myanmar and Bangladesh, the Uighurs in Xinjiang Province, the Indigenous people of Brazil - we must remember that every mass atrocity is, in the end, experienced and suffered by individuals. Prevention work needs to celebrate individual successes. We'd like to share one such small success story.

In 2019, I-GMAP hosted a Muslim woman medical doctor from Myanmar (Burma), as part of our visiting practitioner program. Shortly after the February military coup in Myanmar, we learned that both she and her husband were being targeted by the Tatmadaw, the Burmese military junta, for their human rights activism, for his leadership role in the opposition protests that swept the country in the wake of the coup, and for her medical treatment of injured protesters. They needed urgently to leave the country. Co-Director Nadia Rubaii mobilized our network of I-GMAP partners in the U.S. government, among our alumni supporters of the Institute, across Binghamton University's campus, and through civil society organizations both in the United States and internationally. Her efforts were a success. We're happy to report that we have secured a safe and legal passage for Zakia and Irfan to come to the United States, and we are now helping them to begin a new life here.

As we pause and regroup, we know that the drivers for atrocity risk, both here and globally, don't take breaks. The scale and the scope of global atrocity risks, and their relentlessness, can sometimes be overwhelming. But we gain strength and courage from the small stories of human courage, resilience, decency, and ingenuity that we encounter every day. And we're looking forward tremendously to welcoming new students, new guests, resident practitioners, post-doctoral fellows, and new friends- including from Myanmar - to the Institute this coming Fall.

- Max Pensky

Newsworthy

I-GMAP Joins the Alliance for Peacebuilding

I-GMAP has joined the Alliance for Peacebuilding, a nonpartisan network of over 130 organizations working in 181 countries to end violent conflict and build peace. We are excited to join this group, which includes some of the world's largest development organizations, peer academic institutions, and influential humanitarian groups. In keeping with I-GMAP's core mission to build capacity for the effective prevent genocide and mass atrocities, we are delighted to join coalitions dedicated to building more resilient and peaceful societies. We look forward to working with the staff of the Alliance for Peacebuilding and getting to know their many affiliated organizations.

I-GMAP Signs onto Open Letter to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Image: Open Letter to UN Seeking Commission Of Inquiry Into Iran's 1988 Massacre — Open Letter to UN Seeking Commission Of Inquiry Into Iran's 1988 Massacre

The I-GMAP co-directors signed an open letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, calling on the High Commissioner to support the establishment of an investigatory commission into the 1988 extrajudicial executions of thousands of political prisoners in Iran.

Recently, seven United Nations Special Rapporteurs announced that the 1988 extrajudicial executions could amount to ‘crimes against humanity’. They called for an international investigation into the massacre. In order to support their position and help mobilize a UN Commission of Inquiry into the 1988 massacre, the London-based NGO Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI), circulated an open letter that is being signed by distinguished human rights experts, legal experts and civil society. So far, it has been signed by more than 130 distinguished former UN officials, international judges, and world leaders, including 27 former UN Special Rapporteurs on human rights.

I-GMAP Assistant Director Selected for 2021-2022 Transatlantic Working Group on Social Divisions

Image: Participants in "Social Divisions and Questions of Identity in Germany and the U.S." Project — Participants in "Social Divisions and Questions of Identity in Germany and the U.S." Project

The American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University selected Dr. Stephen Capobianco, assistant director of I-GMAP, as one of the 8 American participants in the upcoming 2021-2022 cohort of their project "Social Divisions and Questions of Identity in Germany and the U.S."

Through virtual meetings and site visits in Buffalo, NY, & Dortmund, Germany, the group will work to better understand the challenges facing transatlantic societies and develop strategies and networks to overcome divisions and mistrust within communities. In September, Stephen will be heading to Buffalo for the first in-person weeklong site visit, and with travel conditions permitting, off to North Rhine-Westphalia in March 2022. Search #AICGSdialogue on Twitter for highlights from the exchange.

Artivism in Newest Issue of Journal of Genocide Studies & Prevention

The Journal of Genocide Studies and Prevention has published an article in its latest issue on the potential for art as an atrocity prevention mechanism, and looks specifically at "Artivism: The Atrocity Prevention Pavilion." The article is the first academic study of the Artivism pavilion at the influential Venice Bienalle, which was co-curated by Kerry Whigham, Assistant Professor of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention.

Past Events

Co-Director Pensky Speaks on Atrocity Prevention in the US

On June 24, the Alliance for Peacebuilding hosted a webinar titled Preventing Mass Atrocities in the United States featuring I-GMAP Co-director Max Pensky and Sadia Hameed, the Executive Director and Founder of Thought Partnerships. Both speakers analyzed historical and recent examples of atrocities both encouraged by and directly perpetrated by the state, and shared insights on prevention mechanisms that can be used to strengthen democratic principles.

You may watch the full exchange on AfP's YouTube channel.

"Moving Forward by Looking Back" Professor Whigham Joins Bloomberg's Podcast The Pay Check

Assistant Professor of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention Kerry Whigham joined Bloomberg News' podcast called, The Pay Check, to discuss transitional justice in the United States.

What responsibility does the US have to prevent & address crimes of genocide?

Alliance for Peacebuilding recently launched a new podcast series called, Peace: We Build It! Co-director Max Pensky joined Genocide Watch founder Gregory Stanton and host Tanya Domi to record a conversation about the responsibility of the United States to prevent and address crimes of genocide. In honor of Genocide Awareness Month, the episode frames an important conversation around genocide prevention and awareness.

Listen to the Alliance for Peacebuilding podcast series on their website.

Webinar on the Humanitarian Crisis in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region with the Raoul Wallenberg Centre

The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, in partnership with I-GMAP, hosted a webinar on the current atrocities occurring in Ethiopia's Tigray Region. The conversation opened with a devastating first-hand account of the atrocities on the ground by a physician in Tigray. We followed this witness testimony with a dialogue among four distinguished panelists from the United States and Canada, who provided an assessment of the crisis from a North American perspective. Questions focused on the humanitarian implications of the crisis for the region, and possible responses by state, international, and civil society actors. There has also been a worrying increase in recent violence and serious human rights violations against civilians in other parts of Ethiopia, which led the dialogue to a discussion about the possibilities for a peaceful future for Ethiopia and for the region.

What's Happening with GMAP Students and Alumni

New Course: Mechanisms of Atrocity Prevention

In the Spring 2021 semester, we were very excited to launch a new, regular course in our curriculum, “Mechanisms for Atrocity Prevention.” Throughout the semester, the I-GMAP co-directors and Prof. Kerry Whigham worked with a group of graduate and advanced undergraduate students on a research project in partnership with the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocity (AIPG). This project will have direct public policy implications related to the role of memory sites in atrocity prevention around the world.

Over the course of the semester, we worked as a team to develop a framework for analyzing if and how memory sites around the world contribute to atrocity prevention. Our findings will allow us to develop a set of guiding principles for incorporating an atrocity prevention mandate into the programming of memory sites. As transitional justice has grown as a field and as an international commitment in post-atrocity contexts over the past several decades, the memorialization of past atrocities through the construction of physical (and virtual) spaces of memory has increasingly been recognized as an essential aspect of this complex process. Often, these spaces of memory are touted not only as honoring past victims, but also as important tools for preventing future violence. Can a site of memory really play a role in preventing further acts of atrocity violence? If so, when and how are sites of memory a preventive force? As a class, we first delved into core concepts of memory and risk analysis. We then collectively created a global database of memory sites, before developing a questionnaire for these sites to measure the impact of their programming on atrocity prevention.

At the end of the semester, the students had the unique opportunity of presenting their database work to representatives of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the United States Department of State. This work will continue over the summer and into the next academic year.

Professor David Campbell's NGOs Class Practices Philanthropy

Through the Charles E. Scheidt Faculty Fellows program, I-GMAP works with professors to incorporate atrocity prevention into the classroom.

Among the first fellows when the program began three years ago, Associate Professor of Public Administration David Campbell from the College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA) put his knowledge into action with Introduction to Non-Governmental Organizations, a graduate-level course offered in spring 2020. In this course, students learned about the operations of 5 different community-based NGOs around the world and evaluated them as part of the course and to award a $2,500 donation.

Read Partners in Peace in the Binghamton University Magazine.

Alum Profile: Kaisy Gutierrez B.A. '21

Image: Kaisy Gutierrez — Kaisy Gutierrez

I came into Binghamton University without a clue as to what I wanted to do with my life. It took me a while to figure out what kind of field I wanted to pursue. As I was exploring majors and minors, one of my professors, Elizabeth DiGangi, required us to read “The Bone Women” by Clea Koff. Never have I ever been impacted by the vivid images and chills I experienced reading this book. Professor DiGangi then introduced my class to the minor, GMAP. By minoring in GMAP, I was able to explore various interesting subjects that pertained to a lot of events and situations that aren't spoken enough about. GMAP has helped me figure out that I want to pursue a career helping others, in particular, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and so forth. During the fall I will gladly be completing a year of service with an Americorps partner!--Hoping to impact the lives of students. Thank you GMAP for exposing and opening my eyes to such horrendous events and difficult situations that go on in the world but also thank you for showing me that this is exactly the change I wish to be a part of!".

Do you want to receive these newsletters directly to your inbox?

If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter, please complete this short form.

Managing Editor: Stephen Capobianco

Newsletter Design: Yongabi Ngoh

Content

From the Co-Directors