CHIASMOS: The University of Chicago International and Area Studies Multimedia Outreach Source [audio]

A talk by Robert Repetto. Is development sustainable? Certainly not the way the world is now going about it. Major trends are heading straight toward ecological and human disasters and if they are not changed and changed soon, development efforts will fail for billions of people, comprising mainly the world?s most vulnerable populations. Climate change, water scarcities, pollution, population growth, and growing pressures on natural resources that are already extremely stressed reinforce one another in raising these vulnerabilities.

Is disaster inevitable? Of course not. But a change in direction is essential and bringing about that change will require significant, even drastic, changes in economic, political, and social patterns. The institutional, market, and political failures that have brought the world to this point will have to be addressed and reformed. If development is to be made sustainable, business as usual is not an option.

Robert Repetto is Professor in the Practice of Economics and Sustainable Development at Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. This event was the keynote address for "Is Development Sustainable?", a conference in honor of Ted Steck's retirement.

"Superclass" provides the first in-depth examination of the connections between the global communities of leaders who are at the helm of every major enterprise on the planet and control its greatest wealth. It is an unprecedented examination of the trends within the superclass, which are likely to alter our politics, our institutions, and the shape of the world in which we live. Rothkopf is also the widely acclaimed author of "Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power". He is currently a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and a teacher of international affairs at Columbia University's Graduate School of International and Public Affairs. From the World Beyond the Headlines Series.

A talk by Marda Dunsky, former Arab affairs reporter for the Jerusalem Post and editor on the national/foreign desk of the Chicago Tribune. As world attention is renewed and refocused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the sixtieth anniversary of its seminal year of 1948, Marda Dunsky takes a close look at how more than two dozen major American print and broadcast outlets have reported the conflict in recent years. Marda Dunsky has developed and taught a unique media literacy course on American mainstream reporting of the Arab and Muslim worlds at Northwestern University and DePaul University. From the World Beyond the Headlines Series.

A talk by Michael Levin. In The Next Great Clash, Michael Levin presents evidence of a global political order on the verge of a historic power shift from West to East. A reemerging China is the only nation with the latent capacity to challenge American hegemony, and Levin demonstrates that such challenges to the status quo usually lead to war. From the World Beyond the Headlines Series.

A historical overview of the situation in southern Thailand and southern Philippines is presented, followed by a discussion on peace building efforts in conflict regions. Panelists give special attention to welfare and security issues in these areas. The panel is moderated by Kikue Hamayotsu (Ph.D., Department of Political Science, Northern Illinois University). Panelists include: Kriya Lanputeh (Yala Islamic University), Abdulghoni Suetair (Prince of Songkla University), Pattama Hamingma (Asian Muslim Action Network and Asian Resource Foundation), Shahana Abdulwahid (Institute for Islamic Studies, University of the Philippines), Minalang Barapantao (Mindanao State University). From the World Beyond the Headlines Series.

This panel addressed the conflict in the Darfur region of The Sudan and the allegations of genocide; the adequacy of the international response to the crises and proffer solutions to end the conflict.

Vincent O. Nmehielle, Principal Defender of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and Associate Professor of Law, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) School of Law, Johannesburg, South Africa;

Samuel Totten, Senior Researcher (Fulbright Scholar), National University of Rwanda; Genocide Scholar, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville;

Ambassador David Scheffer, Mayer Brown/Robert A. Helman Professor of Law, Director, Center for International Human Rights, Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago; former U.S. Ambassador-At-Large for War Crimes Issues

Part of a two-day conference on "Genocide: Crimes Unpunished, Lessons Unlearned."

This panel will examine the response of home and international communities to acts of genocide. The panel will focus on a variety of responses including legal action, both national and international, social action, and memorialization. It will analyze how these various responses are used to try to stop genocide as it is occurring, restore justice, and prevent genocide in the future.

Hasia R. Diner, Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Professor of American Jewish History, Department of Hebrew & Judaic Studies, New York University;

Gerald Gahima, Senior Justice Adviser, Australian Agency for International Development, East Timor; former Judge, Bosnia War Crimes Panel; former Vice President, Supreme Court of Rwanda;

Chuck Meyers, Senior Program Associate, Facing History and Ourselves;

Kathleen Z. Young, Professor, Department of Anthropology, Western Washington University

Part of a two-day conference on "Genocide: Crimes Unpunished, Lessons Unlearned."

This panel will compare various instances of genocide and explore the possibility of developing models that can be used to prevent the occurrence of genocide.

Marie Fleming, Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University;

Juan Mendez, President, International Center for Transitional Justice, New York, & former Special Adviser to the U.N. Secretary General on the Prevention of Genocide;

Ervin Staub, Director Emeritus, Psychology of Peace and the Prevention of Violence, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Part of a two-day conference on "Genocide: Crimes Unpunished, Lessons Unlearned."

Keynote address by Ambassador Francis Deng, Research Professor, Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and Director of the SAIS Center for Displacement Studies; Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; Special Adviser to the U.N. Secretary General for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities. Part of a two-day conference on "Genocide: Crimes Unpunished, Lessons Unlearned."

A smash hit at the 2002 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Roksonaki pioneered the creation of a unique sound that integrates ancient Kazakh instrumentation with contemporary rock and jazz using motifs drawn from Eurasia's indigenous religious traditions. This tour gives lucky audiences an opportunity to learn about Central Asian culture directly from the source. A program of the Central Asian Cultural Exchange, with collaboration from the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United States of America. Generously supported by Air Astana, Lancaster Group, Kazakh-American Business Association, Keleshek Kazakhstan Public Foundation, Turkish Airways