Sustainability Matters

The NATO rules of engagement (ROE) are highly important political and strategic laws that determine the circumstances surrounding the use of armed conflict. However, these laws are often ambiguous and confusing. It requires a great deal of situational awareness to assess a hostile act or intent, and to know when it is lawful to participate in direct hostilities.

Join us as we talk to Camilla Guldahl Cooper, Associate Professor at the Norwegian Defense Command & Staff College, whose book ‘NATO Rules of Engagement: On ROE, Self-Defence and the Use of Force during Armed Conflict’ provides clarity about the nature of military laws, especially in contexts where they risk being detrimental for the people involved and for mission accomplishment.

Guests: Dr. Camilla Guldahl Cooper
Host: Leigh Giangreco

The right to self-determination is, in some respects, the supreme right of rights, without which it is impossible to recognize a host of other human rights. The 2014–2015 crisis of Ukraine that continues with Russia’s invasion in 2022 calls into question whether the case of the secession of Crimea can be justified by the rules of international law on self-determination.

Joining us today on Humanities Matter are Dr. Majid Nikouei, SJD candidate at the University of Toronto, and Dr. Masoud Zamani, Assistant Professor of International Law and Law and Political Sciences Faculty at Shiraz University. Their paper, “The Secession of Crimea: Where Does International Law Stand?” published by Brill, delves into the controversial nuances of this issue.

Guests: Dr. Majid Nikouei and Dr. Masoud Zamani
Host: Leigh Giangreco

The post-World War 2 period saw the emergence of several peace-keeping institutions. The Council of Europe is one such international organization tasked with the responsibility to uphold democracy, human rights, and the rule of law throughout Europe. In times of war, the world bears witness to an overwhelming breach of human rights–Russia’s recent war against Ukraine is a case in point. During these difficult times, how does this organization–where expulsion of member states as punishment also means removing them from its purview of justice–maintain its integrity and fulfil its role?

In the latest episode of War and Peace, Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou, Professor in Human Rights Law at the University of Liverpool, and Vassilis P Tzevelekos, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Liverpool and a Member of the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, put forth the suggestion that with the change in international law over the years, stricter sanctions should be in place to prevent human rights atrocities. They discuss this in context of their work “The Aggression Against Ukraine and the Effectiveness of Inter-state Cases in Case of War”, published by Brill.

Guests: Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou and Vassilis P Tzevelekos
Host: Leigh Giangreco

In the advanced capitalist nations, a new form of economic hierarchy is emerging, that of the professional class. While the managerial class thrives, the non-managerial workforce is plagued with decreasing job security, overqualified professionals, lesser role in organizational decision making, and increasing underemployment. And to bridge this gap, education is no longer the saving grace.  

In this new episode, Dr. D. W. Livingstone, Professor Emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, presents a novel research on the class structure on the professional front, based on his work, “Professional Power and Skill Use in the 'Knowledge Economy'. A Class Analysis.” 

The book delves deeper into the employment structure of economies, which is failing to accommodate even skilled labor in its economic fabric.

Guest: Dr. D. W. Livingstone
Host: Leigh Giangreco

The sudden Russian aggression on Ukraine, besides wreaking havoc on the latter, has created a ripple effect impacting the socio-economic conditions of the rest of Europe and the world. The carefully built security order has been dismantled, necessitating the forging of new trade ties and alliances. 

In the second episode of our new themed series War and Peace, Dr. Wolfgang Ischinger, former German ambassador and professor at the Hertie School in Berlin, focuses on Germany’s reaction to Russian aggression on Ukraine. He talks about the stringent measures that Germany has had to take as an outcome, driven by a sense of moral duty toward Ukraine in this humanitarian crisis, in the context of his work “International Security in the 21st Century. Chapter: The Ukraine Crisis and the European Security Order." 

Guest: Dr. Wolfgang Ischinger
Host: Leigh Giangreco

Access to adequate food and nutrition is an essential human right. But ensuring food security has become a real challenge today. Climate change, natural disasters, and inefficient political systems are roadblocks in fortifying this basic need of human existence. 

In this new episode, Dr. Olga Śniadach, Assistant Professor of European law at the University of Gdańsk, talks about the changing definition of food security over time and the evolving policies to tackle the same, based on her co-authored work, “Towards a Redefinition of the Food Security Concept in the Light of Climate Change.” 

The article provides a legal perspective to food security with emphasis on European laws that now focus on sustainability as a basic principle to achieve the objective.

Guest: Dr. Olga Śniadach
Host: Leigh Giangreco

The UN has established a legal framework for marine and maritime activities called the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It is a convention that allows fishing, shipping, and exploration rights, among others, to countries over waters owned by them. However, with wars and annexations of territories, the rights of ownership become ambiguous. In such cases, how far is the UNCLOS competent in solving sovereignty issues?

In the first episode of our new themed series War and Peace, Dr. Valentin Schatz, a postdoctoral researcher at the Chair for International Law of the Sea and Environmental Law at the University of Hamburg, talks about the issues of arbitration concerning territorial domination, citing examples of Chagos Archipelago and the South China Sea, while emphasizing the need for a reasoned and balanced argument when it comes to territorial sovereignty, in the context of his work “The Status of Crimea and the Sea of Azov as a Jurisdictional Hurdle in Ukraine v. Russia”, published by Brill.

Guest: Dr. Valentin Schatz
Host: Leigh Giangreco

The climate crisis is here; its impacts are tangible. But surviving heat waves and hurricanes doesn’t mean we get through the crisis safe. What we need are systemic changes to the way we live and think. 

If science tells us about the climate crisis and its consequences, the humanities tell us how to navigate the crisis through systems’ changes. 

So, in this episode, we stitch together our conversations with five experts from various fields of the humanities. We speak about moral duties and the ‘collective’ nature of the climate problem, the trap of fossil capitalism, a historic litigation holding a corporate giant responsible for its global carbon footprint, the need to include gender in policy discussions on climate action, and the wisdom in starting young when attempting to effect a mindset change.

We’ve come together to solve climate crises before (see here); we can do it again.

Amid recent debates on racial injustice in the U.S.A, it is important to acknowledge the brutal historical roots of modern-day racism. To truly understand this problem and stimulate more meaningful societal change, one cannot disconnect the present from the past.

In this episode of Humanities Matter, Dr. Christine Sleeter, Professor Emerita at California State University Monterey Bay, discusses her new thought-provoking novel, “Family History in Black and White”. The book looks at contemporary racial dynamics, through the individual journeys of two competitors—white male and black female, vying for the same opportunity.

With this book, Dr. Sleeter hopes to inspire her readers to confront their own (uncomfortable) familial histories so as to effectively engage with the issue of racism today and become better allies.

Guest: Dr. Christine Sleeter
Host: Leigh Giangreco

One of the outcomes of globalization is the growth of diasporic communities worldwide. This population has continued to face a lot of complexities due to differences in ethnicities. However, these communities have the potential to contribute immensely to a nation’s development through their knowledge and skills. What is needed is to shed the ethnocentric lens for an inclusive one. 

In the third episode of our new themed series Migration, Dr. Sarah Peck, a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at the Centre for International Development in Northumbria University, examines the role of diaspora in the development of a state, in the context of her work “Re-orienting the Diaspora–Development Nexus”, published by Brill.

Guest: Dr. Sarah Peck
Host: Leigh Giangreco