2013 – A World In Flux
A World in Flux: The Movement of Conflict in the 21st Century explored the movement of conflict through people, technology, and media. It sought to address such questions as: In what ways do conflicts transcend borders? How is the mobility of conflict currently being addressed and managed, and by whom?
From the local to the global, the movement of conflict across borders has become an issue of increased political salience, while also gaining the attention of civil society at large. Technological advancement, particularly the rise of communication tools such as social media, accelerates the mobility of ideas and, perhaps, the movement of conflict across borders. The capacity of people and ideas to transcend borders in this way elicits disaggregated responses from state authorities, native citizens, and newcomers.
At the moment, there seems to be little convergence on how to address these phenomena. This conference hopes to shed some light on potential approaches in this regard. Therefore, our discussion calls experts from different backgrounds in order to generate cross-disciplinary dialogue on how to address this issue.
Speakers and Panels
Keynote Address – Karim H. Karim, Carleton University
Karim H. Karim, Ph.D., is a Professor at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication, of which he was previously the Director. He also served as a Director of the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, UK and has been a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University. Before joining academia, Dr. Karim worked as Senior Researcher and as Senior Policy Analyst in the Department of Canadian Heritage. He has also been Chairperson of the Federal Digitization Task Force’s Working Group on the Accessibility to Digitized Collections and an elected Chairperson of Canadian Heritage’s Committee on Equal Access and Participation. Prior to his work in the Government of Canada, he reported on Canada for Compass New Features based in Luxembourg and for Inter Press Service based in Rome. Professor Karim continues to participate in government consultations in Canada and the United States and occasionally to write for the media; he is also frequently interviewed by the media in Canada and internationally. He holds degrees in Islamic Studies and Communication Studies from Columbia and McGill Universities.Dr. Karim serves on the boards of the Canadian Journal of Communication and the Global Media Journal. He is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Aga Khan University’s School of Media and Communications, Nairobi, Kenya and is assisting in the development of the core curriculum of the Central Asian University, which has campuses in Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kirghizstan.Professor Karim has lectured at various universities in North America, Europe, and Asia. He has delivered a keynote address at the Public Broadcasters Global Media Summit on Multiculturalism in Taipei, Taiwan; the Multiculturalism Lecture of the Laurier Institute and the University of British Columbia (which was broadcast on CBC Radio One program, Ideas); and the Dallas Smythe Lecture of Simon Fraser University.One of Dr. Karim’s major publications is The Media of Diaspora, published by Routledge. He won the inaugural Robinson Prize of the Canadian Communication Association for his book, Islamic Peril: Media and Global Violence. His current projects include forthcoming publications on Imagining and Engaging the Other and The Clash of Ignorance.
Panel I: The Human Dimension of the Movement of Conflict
Conflicts are no longer confined to state boundaries, having become dispersed across increasingly broad areas. The de-localisation of conflict is manifest worldwide, in the impact of Christian Evangelicals on Israeli politics, of Canadian protestors on the Tamil independence movement in Sri Lanka, and of Londoners in promulgating the Khalistan Movement. One could continue ad infinitum. Focusing on transnational crime and global migration vis-à-vis “imported” and “exported” conflicts, this panel explores how people – as individuals and as community members – shape the movement of conflict. While the mobility of conflict certainly encompasses other variables – such as the diffusion of communications technology, this panel focuses on the human dimension of conflict in an increasingly borderless world.
Moderator: Michael Valpy, Journalist, Author, and Fellow at the School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto
Panelists: John Monahan, Executive Director, The Mosaic Institute; Stewart Bell, The National Post; and Margaret Walton-Roberts, Wilfrid Laurier University
Panel II: Media, Technology, and the Movement of Conflict
This panel seeks to better understand how technological advances can act as a vehicle for the promotion or continuation of conflict, particularly those conflicts that move across space and over time. New forms of warfare, in particular, have become far more difficult to regulate. Simultaneously, cyberspace is constantly evolving, creating new security threats and challenges. While, the role that social media networks play in fuelling conflict continues to rise as access to the Internet and communications technology become increasingly ubiquitous. Our goal for this panel is to explore the role that is played by technology and the media in the spread of conflict. We seek to understand how practitioners approach our cyber environment, responding to the threats that are posed. Furthermore, we will examine methods for managing conflict of this nature.
Moderator: Professor Ronald Deibert, University of Toronto
Panelists: John Scott-Railton, Research Fellow at the Citizen Lab, University of Toronto and Renée Filiatrault, Canadian International Council
Panel III: Africa
On the African continent, there are growing signs that conflict is permeating not only local borders, but is having increasing global ramifications. Using the Horn of Africa as a case study, this panel seeks to explore the means by which diaspora groups directly and indirectly influence political developments in their home countries, including through the channels of financial support, military involvement, political involvement, and advocacy efforts. How, for example, does the diffuse Somali diaspora affect and engage with both the processes of conflict and reconciliation in the Somali territories? Similarly, what role does their substantial financial contributions and remittances play in altering the local balance of economic, political, and military power?
Moderator: Jordan Guthrie, PhD Candidate, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto
Panelists: Michelle Shephard, Toronto Star; Professor Rima Berns-McGown, University of Toronto; and Monte McMurchy, Advisor to the United Nations
Panel IV: Asia
Asia has, in recent times, attained notoriety for its rapid economic development. However, the region remains encumbered with local conflicts, eliciting global impacts. This panel will explore three case studies that are fundamental for understanding Asian regional dynamics. Burma is geopolitically important, situated between the two rising superpowers of Asia and an object of strategic interest for the United States. The country has been dealing with domestic ethnic tensions for decades. How is the external environment influencing domestic affairs? Sri Lanka, while at peace, is still fragile. What role did India play during the conflict? Finally, in Central Asia and China’s Xinjiang province, nationalism is spreading. Various local groups are claiming independence; some have acted violently. How is this conflict being dealt with by the traditional power brokers of Central Asia – the United States and Russia – and what is China’s role as a rising power in the region?
Moderator: Elena Caprioni, Research Affiliate, Munk School of Global Affairs
Panelists: Professor Matthew J. Walton, George Washington University; Professor Kamala Visweswaran, University of Texas at Austin; and Professor Aurélie Campana, Laval University
Panel V: Europe
Across Europe, the breakdown of internal borders coupled with pressures on external borders has had profound implications on transnational migration flows, eliciting new challenges for European social, security, and defence policy. The difficulties faced by some European states in integrating immigrants and asylum-seekers has often produced increased levels of domestic conflict, ushering in a rise of right-wing, anti-immigrant political parties as a result. On the other hand, civic engagement and the naturalization of diaspora communities can also facilitate increased social cohesion and acceptance. This panel aims to shed light on the effects of European transnationalism, both its challenges and its triumphs.
Moderator: Anna Korteweg, University of Toronto
Panelists: Frédéric Mérand, Director, Centre for International Peace and Security Studies, McGill University; Jack Veugelers, University of Toronto; and Feyzi Baban, Trent University
Panel VI: The Middle East
The Middle East presents numerous us with numerous indicators that conflict has become increasingly mobile. This panel will discuss the conduits through which various conflicts traverse borders and transcend entire regions to find new roots in diverse locations. Using the Arab Spring as a focal point, we will investigate how social and political disturbances diffuse across disparate regions. We will particularly examine the movement of people, as well as the spread of technology and ideas as vehicles of conflict diffusion. This panel seeks to address the question of whether the increasing permeability of state borders in the twenty-first century facilitates the migration of conflicts from a single point of origin into subsequent societies. Our analysis will encapsulate both insights contributed by academia and on-the-ground investigative reports, examining the mobility of conflict throughout the region.Moderator: Stephen Starr, Global Journalism Fellow, Munk School of Global AffairsPanelists: Amir Hassanpour, University of Toronto; Sven Spengemann, Glendon School of Public Affairs; and Renee Filiatrault, Canadian International Council
Closing Address
Mark Sedra, President and Co-founder of Security Governance Group Ltd. and Adjunct Lecturer at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo