Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
Aftershocks: Geopolitics since the Ukraine invasion

September 22, 2022
5:30 pm
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Kiplinger Theatre
As the war in Ukraine rages on, how is the ground shifting across Eurasia and beyond? Leading journalists and scholars covering Russia, Europe, China and the global political landscape will discuss how international relations, security, trade and economics are shifting in ways not seen since World War II.
This Arts Unplugged event will feature:
Ann Simmons, the Wall Street Journal's Moscow Bureau Chief
Mark Landler, the New York Times' London Bureau Chief
Peter Katzenstein, the Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies
Jessica Chen Weiss, associate professor of government in the College of Arts & Sciences
Ray Jayawardhana, the Harold Tanner Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, will moderate the discussion.
Additional Information
Program
Institute for European Studies
Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
Einaudi Center for International Studies
East Asia Program
Was Commodus the Worst Emperor in Ancient Roman History?

Barry Strauss, PACS
Barry Strauss, professor in history and classics and former PACS director, weighs in on leadership during Rome's Imperial Period and eventual decline - from the heights of Marcus Aurelius to the infamy of Caligula, Nero, and Commodus.
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As Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit Rocks US-China Ties, Worse Way Be in Store, Analysts Warn

Sarah Kreps, PACS
Sarah Kreps, professor of government and public policy, says, “The Chinese media has been so anti-US that it has created … a difficult environment now for the Chinese government to actually now be seen reaching out to the United States government that they have taken such measures to really vilify.”
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3 Ways the China-Taiwan Standoff Could Impact World Markets

Sarah Kreps, PACS
Sarah Kreps, professor and director of the Cornell Tech Policy Lab, says China semiconductor chip imports, including from Taiwan, "have become almost a third rail," that China does not want to touch.
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Rule of Law or Rule by Force in Outer Space

November 3, 2022
11:25 am
War in space is not inevitable. Outer space is not ‘wild west.’ There are fundamental rules of international law that govern all space activities, including military space activities. Outer space must be used for the benefit and interest of all states and for peaceful purposes. Outer space must be explored and used in accordance with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, in the interest of maintaining international peace and security. However, the sources of international legal principles and rules applicable to all space activities are varied and thus they create a complex legal regime governing outer space.
Professor Ram Jakhu's lecture will address key principles of international law, which must be understood and studied from a neutral perspective and applied effectively. He explains that this is necessary to uphold the rule of law and avoid the use of force in outer space not only to maintain international peace and security but also to assure unprecedented benefits of outer space to the entire humanity.
Please join us for this virtual conversation. Register here
About the Speaker
Professor Ram S. Jakhu is a tenured Professor at the Institute of Air and Space Law, Faculty of Law, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. For the last four decades, he has been teaching and conducting research in international space law and public international law. He held several positions, including the Director of the McGill Institute of Air and Space Law, and the first Director of the Master of Space Studies Program of the International Space University, France.
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Presented by the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. Co-sponsored by the Gender and Security Sector Lab and the Department of Science and Technology Studies.
Additional Information
Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
Pelosi's Taiwan Trip Shows US and China Aren't Ready to Fight over 'Third Rail" of Chips

Sarah Kreps, PACS
"I think both the U.S. and China are starting to become a bit more pragmatic when it comes to semiconductors,” says Sarah Kreps, professor of government and public policy.
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Global Inequality Is Rising Again

Ravi Kanbur, PACS/SAP
This piece references research by Ravi Kanbur, professor of economics and policy, suggesting global inequality may rise in steady fashion for years to come.
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As Ruble Cascaded Out of Russia via Crypto, Binance Capitalized

Sarah Kreps, PACS
“People in emerging markets have always found ways to move their capital out of the country to seek a more stable currency,” says Sarah Krepps, professor of government and public policy.
Additional Information
Topic
- Development, Law, and Economics
Program
Why and How Gandhi Civilized Disobedience

October 20, 2022
11:25 am
Many contemporary theorists and practitioners of disobedience have questioned whether civility and nonviolence ought to be requisite components of legitimate dissent. While sharing their skepticism of overly narrow, prescriptive formulations of a moral or legal right to disobedience, Professor Karuna Mantena considers broader practices of civility and explores their purpose and function in terms of the political logic of nonviolent protest. She does so by way of a historical and conceptual analysis of why and how Gandhi introduced civility into the theory and practice of nonviolent disobedience. The emphasis on civility in disobedience marks a significant departure from Thoreau’s understanding, in which the term “civil” designated the object of resistance (namely, civil government or the state) and not its character.
Gandhi began to insist on civility in nonviolent protest as a remedy to the violence that accompanied his first attempts at mass satyagraha in India (1919-1922). He diagnosed this violence as stemming in part from the unmasterable character of political action. Civility as a form of self-discipline was devised to manage and mitigate action’s inherent hazards. The speaker will highlight two novel aspects of this formulation: the ways in which civility was to be formalized, performed, and dramatized in satyagraha and how such practices served to make protest more persuasive.
Please join us for this virtual conversation. Register here.
About the Speaker
Karuna Mantena is a Professor of Political Science at Columbia University and co-director of the International Conference for the Study of Political Thought (CSPT). She is the author of Alibis of Empire: Henry Maine and the Ends of Liberal Imperialism (2010), which analyzed the transformation of nineteenth-century British imperial ideology.
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Presented by the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. Co-sponsored by the Department of History and the Gender and Security Sector Lab.
Additional Information
Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
South Asia Program
Afghanistan One Year Later: Reflections on Life Under the Taliban

August 25, 2022
5:30 pm
Uris hall, Terrace
One year ago, on August 15, 2021, the Taliban entered the Arg (Presidential palace) in Kabul, completing their astonishingly rapid takeover of Afghanistan. At the end of that same month, US forces completed withdrawal from Afghanistan – marking an end to the longest war in American history. One year later, our speakers reflect on Afghanistan’s recent history, life under the Taliban regime, and what we might expect in the near future as the Taliban engages with the international community. We welcome attendees to join us for a fireside conversation about this critical geopolitical topic.
Speakers
Zinab Zhra Attai, Reppy Institute Director’s Fellow, Ph.D. student in Comparative Politics, Cornell University
Sharif Hozoori, Visiting Scholar, South Asia Program & IIE-SRF Fellow
Maryam Amini, Global Development, Cornell CALS
Moderator
Sabrina Karim, Hardis Family Assistant Professor for Teaching Excellence, Associate Director, Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
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Presented by the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. Co-sponsored by the South Asia Program and the Gender and Security Sector Lab.
Additional Information
Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
Comparative Muslim Societies Program
South Asia Program