The World in Turmoil: Understanding Conflict
Spring 2009
Many issues that shape the quality of our lives have an international dimension. Global economic interdependence, the development of appropriate environmental strategies, the resolution of regional conflicts and the enhancement of human rights all require a global perspective. An important component of the education experience is discussion and interaction with people from many cultures. Since 1964, Kearney State College, now the University of Nebraska-Kearney, has sponsored an international conference to discuss issues of global importance. In 1988, the name of the conference was changed to honor Professor James E. Smith.
The United States today is facing two wars and the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression. As critical as our own situation is, it makes up only one small part of the staggering turmoil that encompasses our globe. As well as addressing the world financial crises directly, among the other challenges confronting the planet to be addressed at the James E. Smith Conference on World Affairs are the conflict in Darfur, anarchy in Somalia, the war in Gaza, the struggles of indigenous peoples and human rights activists in Colombia and Nicaragua, terrorist movements in Sri Lanka, the conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the role of NATO and EU enlargement. Through speeches and discussion by international experts, diplomats, and scholars we hope to introduce UNK faculty, students, and the broader Kearney community to just a few of the crises currently active and how they impact the United States and Nebraska. As every year, it is our hope that at least some members of the audience will be sufficiently inspired by what they hear at the conference to maintain a lifelong interest in international affairs and pursue further information about the outside world.
Sunday, March 8
Health & Sports Center
3:00-6:00 Scott & Cheryl Morris International & Intercultural Food Festival
Monday March 9
Ponderosa E
9:05-10:00 James E. Smith Midwest Conference on World Affairs
Opening Address
Mr. Andrew Busch, Global FX Market Strategist for BMO Capital Markets
“World Event Trading: How to Analyze and Profit from Today's Headlines"
Introducer: Professor Robert Young, Department of Accounting and Finance
Ponderosa C & D
10:10-11:00 The Effects of Globalization on Intra and Inter-State Relations
Dr. Roman Kosodiy, Associate Professor, Finance Department, Sumy National
Agrarian University, Sumy, Ukraine
“The Impact of Financial Globalization on National Financial Systems and
Economics”
Dr. Shimin Liu, Associate Professor, School of Business, University of
International Business and Economics, Beijing, China
“Going Global: An Organizational Learning Perspective on the International Expansion of Chinese Enterprises”
Mr. Jiri Ellinger, Political Secretary, Embassy of the Czech Republic
“The European Union in the World Politics at the Beginning of the 21st Century:
View from the Current Czech EU Presidency“
Moderator: Dr. William Aviles, Department of Political Science
Ponderosa C & D
11:15-12:05 Ethnic Conflict and Civil Society in Central and South Asia
Dr. Muttukrishna Sarvananthan, Principle Researcher, Point Pedro Institute of
Development, Point Pedro, Sri Lanka
“Understanding the ‘Liberation’ Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and its Leader: A
Firsthand View”
Dr. Shamsidden Karimov, Director, Tajikistan Development Foundation, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
“Post-Soviet Tajikistan and Democracy: Strengthening Civil Society as a Tool of Conflict Prevention”
Moderator: Dr. Nyla Ali Khan, Department of English
Ponderosa A & B
11:15-12:05 Science of Conflict Management
Dr. Kamlesh Lulla, Space Scientist and Consultant in Space and
Geospatial Technology
“Space Technology and its Implications for Conflict Monitoring, Management and
Resolution”
Introducer: Dr. Vijendra Boken, Department of Geography
Sandhills Dining Room
12:05-1:15 Luncheon Address: Women’s Rights in Bahrain (By Invitation Only)
Her Excellency Ambassador Houda Ezra Nonoo, Embassy of Bahrain,
Washinton, D.C.
Introducer: Dr. Linda Van Ingen, Director of Women’s Studies
Ponderosa C & D
1:25-2:15 Human Rights and Activism in Latin America
Dr. Katherine Hoyt, Co-Director, The Nicaragua Network
Fredy Romeiro Campo Chicangana, Indigenous Colombian Poet
Moderator: Professor Allison Hedge Coke, Department of English
Ponderosa A & B
2:30-3:20 The Role of Higher Education in Conflict Avoidance
Mr. Thomas A. Farrell, Associate Vice President for International Affairs,
University of Nebraska
Dr. Natalia Ilyashenko, International Education Department, Novgorod State University, Veliky Novgorod, Russia
Moderator: Dr. Finnie Murray, Office of International Education
Ponderosa C & D
2:30-3:20 The Role of Regional Powers in Conflict Management
Mr. Mahmoud Farouk Amer, Deputy Consul General, Consulate of the Arab
Republic of Egypt, Chicago, IL
Mr. Machiel van Niekerk, Consul Political, South African Consulate, Chicago, IL
Moderator: Dr. Chris Stevens, Department of Political Science
Sandhills Dining Room
5:30-6:00 Chancellor’s Reception (By Invitation Only)
Chancellor’s Dining Room
6:00-7:30 Chancellor’s Dinner (By Invitation Only)
Opening Remarks: John A. Gale, Nebraska Secretary of State
Ponderosa E
8:00-9:00 Keynote Address: One Man, One Year, a World in Conflict
Kevin Sites, Conflict Journalist of “The Hot Zone”
Tuesday, March 10
Ponderosa C & D
9:30-10:45 Stability and Peace in the Sudan
His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Akec K. A. Khoc, Embassy of the Sudan,
Washington, D.C.
Introducer: Dr. Frank Tenkorang, Department of Economics
Ponderosa A & B
9:30-10:45 Malaika Foundation / High School Program
Discussion with Kevin Sites
Ponderosa C & D
11:00-12:00 Freedom: The Path to Lasting Peace in the Sudan
Reverend Heidi McGinness, Director of Outreach for Christian Solidarity
International
Introducer: Dr. Frank Tenkorang, Department of Economics
Nebraskan Atrium
12:00-1:45 Take a Delegate to Lunch
Ponderosa C & D
2:00-3:15 Russia and Central Europe
Mr. Jan Jires, Department of Political Science, Charles University, Prague,
Czech Republic
“Central Europe and Russia: A Relationship Forever in Conflict?”
Dr. Hans-Peter Hinrichsen, Counselor, Embassy of Germany, Washington,
D.C.
Moderator: Dr. Christopher Stevens, Department of Political Science
Ponderosa C & D
3: 30-4:30 Challenges and Developments on the African Continent
His Excellency Ambassador Ombeni Sefue, Embassy of Tanzania,
Washington, D.C.
His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Akec K. A. Khoc, Embassy of the Sudan,
Washington, D.C.
Moderator: Dr. Joan Blauwkamp, Department of Political Science
Sandhills Dining Room
6:00-7:30 International Education Dinner (By Invitation Only)
Ponderosa E
8:00-9:00 Keynote Address: Touring the World in Conflict
Discussion with Kevin Sites
Introduction:Dr. Charles Bicak,Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs & StudentLife
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Biographical Abstracts
Mr. Andy Busch, Global FX Market Strategist, BMO Capital Markets’ Investment Banking Division
Andy is the Global FX Market Strategist for BMO Capital Markets' Investment Banking Division in Chicago. He is a senior fellow on economic issues for the Illinois Policy Institute. Mr. Busch consults with the staffs from the US Treasury, Congress, and the White House on economic and financial market issues. He was an adviser on the economy and the financial markets to US Republican Presidential nominee John McCain. He is a recognized expert on the world financial markets and how these markets are impacted by political events.
Andy has appeared for the last five years on CNBC's The Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo, he is a CNBC contributor, and he's host of Man v Market for CNBC. His guest blog is number one for CNBC. He is regularly quoted in the following press: Wall Street Journal, Reuters News Services, Dow Jones News Services, Associate Press, Agence France-Press, Australia's Au., UK's Guardian, and the Globe and Mail.
Andy is a prolific writer. His views appear daily in his newsletter, the Busch Update. Monthly, he writes a column for SFO (Stock, Futures, and Options) Magazine covering topics such as the U.S. 2008 presidential elections and sovereign wealth funds. Lastly, his book, World Event Trading: How To Analyze and Profit From Today's Headlines, is available on Amazon and was translated into Mandarin in 2008 and will be translated into Japanese in 2009.
Andy joined BMO Financial Group in 1990 in the foreign exchange trading room of Harris Trust and Savings Bank, which merged with Bank of Montreal's room in 1995. Prior to joining Harris, he traded foreign exchange at Northern Trust Company. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1983, and received his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1988.
Kevin Sites, Conflict Journalist
As one of the world’s most respected war correspondents, Kevin Sites has spent the past five years covering global war and disaster for several national networks. Sites helped pioneer solo journalism, working completely alone, traveling and reporting without a crew. As a solo journalist, Sites carries a backpack of portable digital technology to shoot, write, edit and transmit multimedia reports. His past assignments have brought him to nearly every region of the world, including the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South America, and Eastern Europe. Sites’ goal is to cover every armed conflict in the world within one year and in doing so to provide a clear idea of the combatants, victims, causes, and costs of each of these struggles and their global impact. Sites has recently been honored with the Payne Award for ethics in journalism, and the Edward R. Murrow Award, and has been nominated for a national Emmy Award. Wired magazine named Sites as the recipient of the RAVE Award—the first ever for blogging. Sites has a Master’s degree from the Medilll School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Fredy Romeiro Campo Chicangana, Indigenous Poet, Cauca, Colombia
Fredy Chicangana is a poet from the Yanacona Community of Sur-Oriente of the Cauca of Colombia and is a heavily lauded speaker for Quechua and other Indigenous peoples pertaining to permanence and human rights. His poems have been published by varied national magazines and newspapers in the Anthology of Indigenous Literature of America. He has participated in continental encounters and national events of writers working to preserve Indigenous languages in Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. Within his literary work, the Yanacona culture, songs, stories, and oral literature are brought to consideration. He is a charter member of the Yanamauta group, “Knowledge and Saberes Yanaconas”.
Mr. Thomas Farrell, Associate Vice President for International Affairs, University of Nebraska
Thomas Farrell has just been hired as Associate Vice President for international affairs for the University of Nebraska. Dr Farrell received an MA in Asian Studies form Claremont Graduate School in 1972. From 1978-1987 Mr. Farrell worked as a foreign services officer in the U.S. Department of State, including service in Iran and Canada. From 1987-2002, he worked for the Institute of International Education a NY based not-for-profit higher education training & information organization serving governments, businesses, foundations and multilateral donors. As an employee of IIE, he served first as director of the Houston regional center and then as Vice-President of Exchange Programs and Regional Services. From May 2002 until coming to the University of Nebraska he returned to the US Department of State as Depute Assistent Secretary of Academic Programs where his main responsibility was to promote the nation’s foreign policy objectives through educational exchanges.
Dr. Katherine Hoyt, Co-Director, The Nicaragua Network
Katherine Hoyt is Co-Director of The Nicaragua Network in Washington, D.C. Hoyt lived for sixteen years in Nicaragua and two years in Chile. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Rutgers University and is the author of The Many Faces of Sandinista Democracy, published by Ohio University Press. As Co-Director of the Nicaragua Network, she has worked on campaigns to change the policies of the IMF and World Bank in support of debt relief for poor countries against water privatization and in opposition to DR-CAFTA, among others.
Dr. Natalia Ilyashenko, Head of the Informational and Analytical Office, Novgorod State University,
Veliky Novgorod, Russia
Natalia represents the Office of International Education at Novgorod State University in Veliky Novgorod, Russia where she is the Head of the Informational and Analytical Office. She holds a Ph.D. in Pedagogy from Novgorod State University where she instructs courses in Applied Process Management in the Department of Business Administration. Dr. Ilyashenko also instructs a course called Introduction to Quality Management at the Northern Branch of the Russian State University of Innovative Technologies & Entrepreneurship, and offers courses in Quality Management of Higher Education Institutions to upper and mid-level administrators of Russian regional universities. She has published several articles related to Strategic Management, Quality Assurance, and Quality Auditing in Higher Education.
Mr. Jan Jires, Department of Political Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
In 2000, Mr. Jires interned at the Centre for European Security Studies (CESS) in Groningen, Netherlands. In 2003, he studied international relations at the University of Tampere, Finland. Between 2002 and 2004, he worked with the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) on a research project mapping the post-Cold War security sector reforms in Central and Eastern Europe.
After graduating with degrees in Political Science and History in 2004, Jan started teaching security studies at the Charles University as an assistant professor. At the same time, he joined the Prague-based public policy and regulatory consultancy firm Candole Partners, advising major European and U.S. companies on how to navigate the jungle of the Czech political and regulatory environment where he was managing director by the year of 2007. Jan’s doctoral dissertation deals with the reception of the idea of “Central Europe” in the U.S. after the Cold War. He aims at uncovering the “mental maps” in the heads of American foreign policy-makers, experts, academicians and journalists.
Dr. Roman Kosodiy, Associate Professor, Finance Department, Sumy National Agrarian University, Sumy, Ukraine
Roman Kosodiy works as associate professor at the finance department in an agricultural university in Ukraine. Currently he is the Fulbright Research Fellow in Colorado State University, studying the effects of financial and economic globalization. He also translates U.S. economic literature into Russian, and his last translation work is the monograph by Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz "Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960".
Dr. Shimin Liu, Associate Professor, University of International Business and Economics,
Beijing, China
Dr. Liu earned a PhD in 2001 researching organizational learning, innovation, and knowledge management. In 1998, she earned an MPhil/PhD at the Bristol Business School after earning a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics at Shandong University in Shandong, China. During her PhD study, she conducted case studies in Chinese-Western joint ventures in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. While working and studying at Bristol Business School, she also participated actively in the research at the Research Center for Organizational Learning and Change. The title of her paper is “Going Global: An Organizational Learning Perspective on the International Expansion of Chinese Enterprises”.
Dr. Kamlesh Lulla, Consultant in Space and Geospatial Technology
Dr Kamlesh Lulla is an award winning geospatial expert and has been involved in space based geospatial research and education for over thirty years. Dr Lulla is a highly respected scientist with over 150 publications and reports in international scientific journals. Dr Lulla has coauthored four books on remote sensing, geospatial imagery and human directed earth observations. Dr. Lulla holds two Ph.D. degrees and combines his expertise in Earth and Space sciences in operational and research activities. He served as a Senior Associate Professor and Director of Space Remote Sensing Research Center at Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana before joining NASA JSC in 1988. Currently, he is an adjunct professor at the University of Houston, Kansas State University, and the University of Delaware. He is also the Chief Editor of Geocarto International-a major international journal in Earth Science Remote Sensing and a Guest Editor of American Journal of Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing. Dr. Lulla currently serves as the Chair of Technical Committee of Houston Section of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
Reverend Heidi McGinness, Director of Outreach for Christian Solidarity International
As an ordained Presbyterian Minister, Pastor Heidi McGinness has worked tirelessly to champion the rights of all people, gaining her the reputation a human rights activist and a respectful, compassionate listener. Pastor Heidi left her native Germany as a young girl where she had the misfortune of witnessing the results of hate and the horrors of war and its debilitating aftermath. Trips to war-torn Sudan, Africa with the worldwide Christian human rights organization, Christian Solidarity International (CSI), in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 has catapulted Pastor McGinness into becoming a modern-day abolitionist and passionate defender of the victims of slavery, genocide and persecution. From 2004 through 2008, Pastor Heidi has worked with CSI teams in Sudan. She has been personally present to document the liberation of over 1,000 men, women and children from slavery, delivering tons of medicine and grain, thousands of survival kits, spiritual support and hope. As Outreach Director for CSI-USA, Pastor McGinness speaks in the United States and Switzerland reaching out to churches, synagogues, universities, schools, and civic groups retelling her gripping eyewitness account of the suffering of the Sudanese people. Through her speaking, preaching and advocacy for persecuted Christians and Black Muslims, she raises much needed funds to aid CSI carry out its life giving mission.
Dr. Muttukrishna Sarvananthan, Point Pedro Institute of Development, Point Pedro, Sri Lanka
Dr. Sarvananthan hails from Point Pedro (Northern Sri Lanka) and is a Development Economist by profession and the Principal Researcher of the Point Pedro Institute of Development, Point Pedro, Sri Lanka. He has worked as a Consultant to the Ministry of Finance and Planning, various private research institutions and international consultancy firms, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), German Development Cooperation (GTZ), International Labour Organisation (ILO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP - both the country office and the Asia Pacific Regional Centre Colombo), and the World Bank (IBRD) in Sri Lanka. He has been an intern at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 1996.
He has authored/co-authored/edited books on the Economy of the Conflict Region in Sri Lanka, People’s Verdict on Tsunami Recovery in Sri Lanka, Children of War, Smuggling between India and Sri Lanka, Gender Implications of Conflict in Sri Lanka, and Economic Reforms in Sri Lanka, and articles related to Indo-Sri Lanka Trade, Poverty and Income Inequality, and Civil War and the Economy in Sri Lanka.
Muttukrishna Sarvananthan earned a Doctorate in Development Economics at the Centre for Development Studies, University of Wales, Swansea in 1999, Master of Science in Development Planning and Administration at the Department of Social Policy and Social Planning, University of Bristol in 1991, Master of Science (Economics) in Economic Development at the Department of Economics, University of Salford in 1989, and Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economics at the Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi in 1986.
Dr. Shamsidden Karimov, Tajikistan Development Foundation, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Dr. Karimov received his first Ph.D. in Philologhy from Tajikistan State National University in 1997 and is now in the process of completing a second Ph.D. in Political Science on the topic, “NGO’s Role in Building a Civil Society in Tajikistan; A Historical and Political Study.” He has long been a Professor of the Tajik language but also the Country Representative of Global Training for Development Project, the Country Director for the START Project, the Country Director for CAIC and the Director of the Tajikistan Development Foundation. Currently Dr. Karimov is a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Diplomats
His Excellency Dr. Akec K. A. Khoc, Ambassador of the Sudan to the United Nations
His Excellency Dr. Khoc has medical degrees in clinical medicine, transfusion, and biological hemotology from Paris VI University in Paris, France. Before moving into diplomacy, Dr. Khoc worked as a physician from 1979 to 1991. During that time, he offered primary health care to refugees at Itang Camp in Gambella, Ethiopia and to internally displaced persons within Southern Sudan. From 1991 to 2003, he was a representative from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) for France, Belgium, Holland, Luxemburg, and Switzerland. He served also as Director of Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association organizing the delivery of humanitarian assistance for internally displaced persons. In 2006 he served as Deputy Director of the Department of International Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Then in 2007 he was named Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations in New York.
Her Excellency Houda Ezra Nonoo, Ambassador of Bahrain, Washington, D.C.
Born in Bahrain on September 7, 1964, Ambassador Nonoo received her MBA in Business Administration from the International University of Europe in Waterford, UK, in addition to a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Accounting from the City of London Polytechnic.
Her career has included positions as the Financial Director of both Gourmet and Jetflair International in the United Kingdom. Since 1993 she has served as the Managing Director of Gulf Compute Services in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
In 2006, Ambassador Nonoo was appointed by His Majesty the King, Shaikh Hamad Bin Salman Al Khalifa to the Shura Council; serving on the Committee for Finance and Economic Affairs. Ambassador Nonoo is one of the founding members of Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS) established in November, 2004 and elected General Secretary in September, 2005.
With her involvement in the organizations of various campaigns, Ambassador Nonoo has worked to improve working conditions in factories, raise awareness of the rights of women and children, campaigned for family and domestic law, and raised awareness of the plight of domestic workers.
His Excellency Mr. Ombeni Sefue, Ambassador of Tanzania, Washington, D.C.
His Excellency Ombeni Sefue received an M.A. in Public Policy and Administration at the Institute of Social Studies at the Hague, Netherlands in 1981. He also holds a Post -graduate Diploma in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Tanzania-Mozambique Center for Foreign Relations in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. As a career diplomat, Ambassador Sefue rose through the ranks and served as Counselor at the Embassy of Tanzania in Stockholm, Sweden from 1987-1992. In 1993, he left the foreign service to work as speech writer and personal assistant to the then President of Tanzania, His Excellency Ali Hassan Mwinyi. Following general elections in 1995, the new President, His Excellency Benjamin William Mkapa retained Ambassador Sefue as his speech writer and personal assistant until 2005 when his presidential term came to an end. From October 2005 to June 2007 Ambassador Sefue served as Ambassador to Canada. He began his work as Ambassador to the United States in June 2007.
Mr. Jiri Ellinger, Head of the Political Section. Embassy of the Czech Republic, Washington, D.C.
Mr. Ellinger was born in Dacice in 1974. He studied history at the Charles University in Prague (1992-1997) and at the Queen’s College, Oxford University (UK, 1999-2000). He lectured on British history and international relations at the Charles University in Prague (1997-2003) and obtained there his PhD in world history (2006)
Dr. Hans-Peter Hinrichsen, Counselor, Embassy of Germany, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Hinrichsen studied history, political science and law at the Universities of Kiel, Edinburgh and Bonn where he earned a Ph.D. in history. In 1994, he worked in the Protocol section of the German Foreign Office in Bonn. From 1998-2002, he was stationed at the German Embassy in Almaty, Kazakhstan before working in the German Foreign Office in Berlin, Germany from 2002-06 where he dealt with issues regarding nuclear non-proliferation and export controls. In 2006, he moved to the German Embassy in Washington, D.C. where he is in charge of security policy, NATO, nonproliferation, and arms control.
Mr. Mahmoud Farouk Amer, Deputy Consul General, Consulate of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Chicago, IL
Mr. Amer received a Master of Arts in International Development Policies from Duke University in 1991. He began his diplomatic service in 1989 as Attache Minister for Foreign Affairs. In 1992, he became Second Secretary to the Egyptian Embassy in Beijing, China; then in 1996 moved to the Department of China and Mongolian Affairs. In 1998, he was named First Secretary at the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Cyprus. In 2002, he was named Desk Officer of NATO and in 2005 Dof the Commonwealth of Independent States. In 2006, Mr. Amer moved to Chicago as Consul of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Mr. Machiel van Niekerk, Consul Political, South African Consulate, Chicago, IL
Machiel van Niekerk, Consul Political at the South African Consulate General in Chicago, is a former journalist from Johannesburg, who served on the South East Asian Desk at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pretoria after serving in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 1998 to 2002. The year preceding his posting to Copenhagen, Machiel was media spokesperson for the late Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo. Machiel also served in Tokyo, Japan, from 1992 to 1996 after he joined the South African diplomatic corps in 1990.
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Sponsors: Scott and Cheryl Morris, International Education, Artists and Lecturers, MALAIKA Foundation, College of Education- Dean, College of Business and Technology-Dean, College of Education-Dean, College of Fine Arts and Humanities-Dean, Graduate Studies-Dean.