Description

Since the end of the Cold War, the damaging effects of state failure have plagued the international community. Solutions like state or “peace” building efforts and multi-national interventions are plentiful in the literature, though their success is difficult to measure. Also strikingly absent from the literature is the empirical likelihood that the West will indeed respond to state failure. Crucially, if the West does not respond predictably to state failure, then the effort devoted to finding solutions may be based on a biased sample of cases, producing serious methodological flaws. This project seeks to fill this gap by conducting one of the first mixed-methods studies of its kind.

Using a large-n dataset, I test the relative strength of state failure in determining where the United States will intervene (financially or militarily). I find that the degree of state failure is not a good indicator of where the US will intervene militarily or financially. Counterintuitively, the US tends to send extremely small contingents to the most critically failed states. Secondly, I conduct a case study of Liberia to illuminate the reasons why the US did not immediately intervene during the civil war and the subsequent state collapse. I also draw on counter-examples from Nigeria for contrast. I find that the important factors in determining intervention include pressure from the international community, the perceived threat of terrorism, and the target states’ geostrategic position. The illumination of these empirical realities may help to determine the actual success (or failure) of international responses to state failure, and can help inform efforts in the study for new solutions.

Description

This event is only open to registered PCJ students.

Description

Beginning with a series of blasts in 13 sites across Bombay (now Mumbai) that killed 257 people and injured 713 in 1993, the last two decades have seen an increasing frequency of acts of terrorism being perpetrated in the Indian hinterland. While several Pakistan-based militant organizations such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad have been implicated in these attacks, Indian Muslims have formed militant organizations of their own. The Tanzim Islahul Muslimeen (Organization for the Improvement of Muslims), formed in 1985 is among the earliest examples of Islamic militancy in the Indian jihadist movement. The gradual radicalization of a section of the Students Islamic Movement of India in the 1990s and the establishment of the Indian Mujahideen in 2002, form more recent additions to the homegrown movement.

What are the intentions, motivations, and perhaps perceived grievances of those attracted to the contemporary indigenous terrorist movement in India? Is there a connection between the rise of homegrown terrorism and the societal order or domestic politics that can inform our understanding of the former? The Indian security discourse on terrorism has related the issue as external- Pakistan-sponsored or cross-border terrorism. It is fundamentally seen as asocial and inspired by outside factors and any causes or relations to the society it targets are considered secondary. With ample evidence of the establishment of homegrown terrorist groups within India, this view needs to be revaluated with a focus on domestic politics. A parallel trend in Indian politics- the rise of right-wing Hindu nationalism or the Hindutva movement and its targeting of the Muslim minority, is of particular significance. Using key causal-process observations in a process tracing exercise, this link between Hindutva-sponsored communal riots and the rise of homegrown terrorist groups is established within the theoretical framework of Critical Terrorism Studies.

Description

This is a 60-minute conversation about public storytelling. You bring three questions and a notebook. Together, we’ll explore ways to
prepare, practice and present on big stages and in conference rooms. We’ll talk about how to create a mental teleprompter, tap
into audience empathy and utilize feedback. In one hour, we’ll produce a self-help checklist to deepen your storytelling ability.

Dr. MacInnis was formerly a member of the Trudeau Centre Advisory Board. He is a scientist and storyteller. The first person to explore the ocean beneath the North Pole, he was among the first to dive to the Titanic. A motivational speaker at IBM, Visa, Rolex, Toyota, Microsoft and the US Naval Academy, he’s hosted and written radio and television programs for CBS, CBC and the Discovery Channel. Currently, he’s producing a podcast called Beautiful Minds.

Description

The 2020 PCJ Student Conference served as a platform for discussions on the modern challenges and opportunities for Indigenous communities in Canada.  The PCJ Student Conference is an annual student-organized event that brings together the PCJ community outside of the classroom for an opportunity to learn about and engage with an issue pertinent to discussions of peace, conflict and justice.  This year, the conference served as a platform for Indigenous academics, practitioners, community leaders, Elders and traditional knowledge keepers to guide discussions on the modern challenges and opportunities for Indigenous communities in Canada. This theme served to provide a domestic context to issues of peace, conflict and justice that are often overshadowed by international events.  The two-day conference took place at the Campbell Conference Facility at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy with the following schedule of events:  Friday, January 31  5:00 PM ─ Opening Remarks and Land Acknowledgement 5:30 PM ─ Keynote Address (Professor Brenda Wastasecoot) 6:30 PM ─ Networking Event  Saturday, February 1  9:30 AM ─ Opening Remarks and Land Acknowledgment  10:00 AM ─ Session 1: Land and Environmental (TBA)  11:00 AM ─ Session 2: Legal and Treaty (Delbert Wapass)   12:00 PM ─ Lunch   1:00 PM ─ Session 3: Language and Culture (Debby Danard)  2:00 PM ─ Session 4: MMIWG (Lee Maracle and Jennifer Brant)  3:00 PM ─ Session 5: Economic Empowerment (Tabatha Bull)   4:00 PM ─ Final Remarks and Closing.