In addition to the Royal D. Alworth, Jr. Memorial Lecture, forums and conferences, the Institute provides a series of international lectures by local, national and international authorities on subjects of timely interest. The Alworth Institute draws not only upon the rich store of local academics with expertise in a variety of areas, but also visiting international faculty.
Spring 2023 Lectures
(lectures listed in reverse chronological order)
Lectures providing analysis of aspects of the war in Ukraine are funded in part by the Global Awareness Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.
NATO and Russia’s War in Ukraine
Wednesday, April 19 - 7:00 pm - Virtual via Zoom
Register or sign in at z.umn.edu/NATOS23
Presented by Dr. Alexandra Chinchilla, Assistant Professor, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University
Dr. Chinchilla will examine what, if any, role NATO expansion and NATO-Russian relations played in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She will also discuss how NATO members built up Ukraine’s military both before and after February 2022, and the impact this has had in the war.
Alexandra Chinchilla is an Assistant Professor at the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University. She researches international relations with a focus on security
assistance, alliance politics, and proxy war. In her book project and related articles, she examines how powerful states use security assistance tools, like military training and advising,
and when these tools succeed in influencing other militaries. Another area of her research focuses on international security issues in the context of NATO, Ukraine, and Russia. Her
dissertation won an honorable mention for Best Dissertation from the American Political Science Association’s International Collaboration section. Chinchilla’s research has been published in the Journal of Peace Research, International Politics, the International Studies Review, and Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. She was previously a Rosenwald Fellow in US Foreign Policy and International Security and Niehaus Postdoctoral Fellow at The John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College. Dr. Chinchilla received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Chicago.
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International Legal Perspectives on the Environmental Dimensions of the War in Ukraine
Monday, April 10 - 6:30 pm - Virtual via Zoom
Register or sign in at z.umn.edu/EnvironmentWarS23
Presented by Carl Bruch, Director of International Programs, Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and founding President, Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAx) and Carroll Muffett, CEO and President of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
Through direct destruction or indirect triggers, wars leave staggering impacts on the environment far beyond the war zones. Drawing on examples from the current war in Ukraine, Carl Bruch and Carroll Muffett will offer a snapshot of the diverse environmental impacts of war and explore the linkages to the climate crisis. They will discuss the primary legal dimensions to be considered and examine the options for holding Russia accountable under international law.
Carl Bruch is the Director of International Programs at the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and the founding President of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAx). His work focuses on environmental peacebuilding (especially after conflict), environmental governance, adaptation, and environmental emergencies. He has helped dozens of countries— including in many conflict-affected countries—throughout Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe strengthen their environmental laws, institutions, and practices. He has edited more than ten books and authored more than 80 journal articles, book chapters, and reports. He is an adjunct professor at American University School of International Service. He holds a JD from the Northwestern School of Environmental Law of Lewis & Clark College, an MA in physics from the University of Texas-Austin, and a BS in physics (with additional majors in mathematics and anthropology) from Michigan State University.
Carroll Muffett is CEO and President of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL). He is a recognized expert on international environmental law and a leader in the emerging fields of climate litigation and climate-related financial and legal risks. He is co-editor with Carl Bruch and Sandra Nichols of Governance, Natural Resources, and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding (Routledge 2016) for the Environmental Law Institute and the United Nations Environment Programme. He served as lead author along with Carl Bruch and others on the 2022 open letter on the Environmental Dimensions of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Climate Accountability Institute and the steering committee for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, and co-chairs the legal working group of the Global Gas & Oil Network.
The Environmental Peacebuilding Association® (also known as EnPAx) is the premiere global association dedicated to bringing together researchers, practitioners, and decision makers working on issues of environment, conflict, and peace. Founded in 2018, the Association is a multidisciplinary forum with three main aims. First, it seeks to identify promising research avenues and best policy practices, as well as foster exchange of knowledge and data. Second, it builds capacity and awareness among practitioners to advance the field and increase impact. Third, it fosters interactions among scholars, practitioners, decision makers, and others across disciplines, genders, geographical locations, and stages of professional development. EnPAx engages members in diverse ways: Interest Groups, a biennial conference, an online Community of Practice, professional gatherings, educational opportunities, webinars, mentorship opportunities, online discussion forums, and a Membership Directory. For more information on Association activities, click here.
CIEL:
Since 1989, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) has used the power of law to protect the environment, promote human rights, and ensure a just and sustainable society. CIEL seeks a world where the law reflects the interconnection between humans and the environment, respects the limits of the planet, protects the dignity and equality of each person, and encourages all of earth’s inhabitants to live in balance with each other. CIEL pursues its mission through legal research and advocacy, education and training, with a focus on connecting global challenges to the experiences of communities on the ground. In the process, we build and maintain lasting partnerships with communities and non-profit organizations around the world
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The Struggle for Democracy in Iran
Wednesday, February 8 - 7:00 pm - KAML Library Rotunda
Presented by Dr. Khalil Dokhanchi, Professor of Political Science, Department of Social Inquiry, University of Wisconsin Superior
The current anti-government protests in Iran began in September 2022 following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police. The protests have transformed into the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement and show little signs of dissipating despite the government's arrest and prosecution of thousands of people and the execution of many of these protesters. The movement has become more than a call for women's rights but also the demand for the end of a regime. Dr. Dokhanchi analyzes the character of this movement (the largest since the Green Movement/Persian Spring in 2009), its issues with the regime, and the potential for democratic change in Iran.
Khalil Dokhanchi holds a PhD in Comparative Policy Analysis with a focus on Middle Eastern politics from Binghamton University in New York. He has been faculty at the University of Wisconsin Superior for the past thirty years. His teaching and research has focused on the international relations, international humanitarian law, peace and reconciliation in areas of conflict, and issues of refugee populations around the world. He has led study abroad programs in Bosnia and Herzogovina and Northern Ireland. Each year his students, in collaboration with the Northland Chapter of the American Red Cross, hold an interactive exhibit, Refugee for 50 Minutes: From Afghanistan to Germany.
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The US and China: History, Current Tensions, Future Prospects
Tuesday, March 21 - 7:00 pm - KAML Library Rotunda
Presented by Thomas Hanson, Alworth Institute Diplomat in Residence and retired US Foreign Service Officer
Hanson will examine the increasingly conflictual relationship between the US and China. His analysis will include the history of the relationship over time, the positions of the current leadership in both countries, the role of the war in Ukraine, technology competition, and mounting tensions over Taiwan. The complexity of great power politics, international issues, and domestic concerns for leaders of each country will be discussed. Are the statements and policies between the policy-makers of the two leading to an armed conflict? What role does and can diplomacy play in mitigating this possibility?
When with the U.S. Department of State, Thomas Hanson's foreign postings included East Germany, France, Norway, the Soviet Union, Sweden, and Georgia. He also assisted in opening new embassies in Mongolia and Estonia. Hanson has also worked on the Foreign Relations Committees of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was Director for NATO and European Affairs at the Atlantic Council of the United States in Washington, D.C. He serves on the St. Paul-Minneapolis Committee on Foreign Relations and as a lecturer/consultant for the Minnesota International Center. He is an occasional foreign affairs commentator on Minnesota Public Radio and serves on the boards of the Minneapolis chapter of the Oslo Center for Peace. Hanson graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in International Relations. He holds graduate degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University; the Geneva Institute of Advanced International Studies in Switzerland; and the National School of Administration (ENA) in Paris, France. He has served as the Alworth Institute's Diplomat in Residence since the fall of 2009.
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The Struggle for Democracy in Iran
Wednesday, February 8 - 7:00 pm - KAML Library Rotunda
Presented by Dr. Khalil Dokhanchi, Professor of Political Science, Department of Social Inquiry, University of Wisconsin Superior
The current anti-government protests in Iran began in September 2022 following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police. The protests have transformed into the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement and show little signs of dissipating despite the government's arrest and prosecution of thousands of people and the execution of many of these protesters. The movement has become more than a call for women's rights but also the demand for the end of a regime. Dr. Dokhanchi analyzes the character of this movement (the largest since the Green Movement/Persian Spring in 2009), its issues with the regime, and the potential for democratic change in Iran.
Khalil Dokhanchi holds a PhD in Comparative Policy Analysis with a focus on Middle Eastern politics from Binghamton University in New York. He has been faculty at the University of Wisconsin Superior for the past thirty years. His teaching and research has focused on the international relations, international humanitarian law, peace and reconciliation in areas of conflict, and issues of refugee populations around the world. He has led study abroad programs in Bosnia and Herzogovina and Northern Ireland. Each year his students, in collaboration with the Northland Chapter of the American Red Cross, hold an interactive exhibit, Refugee for 50 Minutes: From Afghanistan to Germany.