PubPol 495.001: Policy Seminar: Dangerous Peacemaking: Managing Political Transitions, Social Justice and Democratic Systems

This course will focus on five transitional societies in Africa and the Middle East emerging (or in the midst of) from national nightmares: South Africa, Rwanda; the DRC; Egypt and Syria. Considering the political realities in each country, this course will explore the opportunities and limitations of the different forums, and the dilemmas they present for enforcement; for sovereignty; for justice; for peace and for democracy. The course will briefly look at the structure and functions of the International Criminal Court, and its potential to be an instrument for ensuring global accountability for the most serious crimes. The course will briefly look at the structure, role and functions of the UNO in facilitating the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights after World War II. We will carefully explore the policy and moral complexities of the laws of war and peace.

Faculty Expert

Yazier Henry

Teaching Professor in Public Policy

Henry has written and published on the political economy of social voice, memory, trauma, identity, peace processes, Truth Commissions, international transitional justice and international humanitarian law. His research and writing projects focus on how structural and administrative violence come to be institutionalized during post-colonial transitions. His current work is on the discourse of human rights, structural violence and the politics of official voice.