School News AGS

As part of its educational and research mission, AGS is dedicated to fighting violence against women in the world. In 2014, AGS hosted an international conference on this theme, which brought together an audience of over 180 including scholars, policy-makers, diplomats, and other practitioners of international relations. The AGS research center is currently working on a second volume of the book Crimes Against Women (Ed. David Pike, New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2011), which examines three types of gender-related crimes: those rooted in law, those deriving from religion or tradition, and those perpetrated in times of war. The following article refers to the French case known as L'Affaire Jacqueline Sauvage. This case illustrates how the issue of violence against women takes place even in the most developed countries and the role of Law in addressing this issue.

By Eileen Servidio-Delabre, Ph.D.
President of the American Graduate School in Paris

The facts of this French case are shockingly appalling and even more shockingly common. Jacqueline Sauvage married Norbert Morot, had 4 children, one son and three daughters. During their forty-seven years of marriage, Morot terrified and abused, sexually and otherwise, his wife and his children. No one in their social environment noticed or at least did anything about it in spite of many visits to emergency rooms. The family was said to be under the threat of death if any one of them reported or did anything against Morot.

September 9, 2012, the son commits suicide; he hangs himself. The following day, Jacqueline Sauvage takes a rifle and kills her husband by firing three shots into his back.

A majority of the jury that tried her case in first instance found her guilty and sentenced her to ten years of imprisonment. The jury considered that Sauvage could have left or could have officially complained about her husband.

The defense had pleaded self-defense. Unfortunately, this choice had no legal support whatsoever. Self-defense is defined in the France’s Penal Code and has been narrowly interpreted for years. In this case, one needed to prove that:
- Sauvage reacted to an unjustified aggression against oneself or another;
- and that her reaction was proportionate to the aggression.
Neither of which were possible in the circumstances; her husband was walking away from her—and thus the shooting in the back—at a moment where there seemed to have been no aggression.

This decision was appealed, and confirmed.

The social shock of this second decision handed down in December 2015 lead to a petition signed by 400,000 persons asking for President François Holland to pardon Sauvage.

Many believe that the plea of self-defense should be acceptable even in a situation where the danger is not imminent. They argue that if a person is constantly living in fear for themselves and others of being abused, or murdered, the danger is always imminent. If this had been an accepted interpretation in France, then most likely Sauvage would not have been condemned. However, it was not and the lawyers, prosecutors…knew this.

There are now public demands to alter the law to include situations such as this one.

There seems to be no doubt that the family in question suffered for years with no help. Sauvage took justice into her own hands. No one else was helping. She was on her own and terrified for herself and her children; one of which was pushed over the edge just the day before.

However, if self-defense is so narrowly interpreted, one should realize there is a reason for this. Claiming self-defense when one is not in a situation of actual aggression would open the door to much abuse. It is not, in this case anyway, that the law should be put into question. It is the criminal justice system that is letting one down–a phenomenon that is happening around the world.

Criminal justice systems work in such a way that one may wonder how there is any justice being handed out at all. When it is – which does happen often – it seems like it is based more on luck or very fair judges or prosecutors than on the checks and balances of the system itself.

There are two parties in a criminal affair, the accused and the prosecution. In France, in all but minor cases the accused must be represented by a lawyer. The prosecutor in France is a magistrate.

Once a case goes to court, both parties want to win. It is as simple as that. The truth somehow can get blurred in this system. These are not civil or commercial affairs. One should not proceed as if they were.

Truth is little by little losing its value in criminal cases. The goal is no longer truth or as close as one can get to it. The goal is winning.

The actual accused person also loses some of his/her importance in all this. The system has turned our criminal trial into a game.

Now, let’s return to the Sauvage case. The defense wanted to change years of a narrow interpretation and become heroes, the prosecutor actually asked for a higher sentence than ten years… The jury surely was caught up in legal issues that they could not understand. And where was Jacqueline Sauvage in all this?

What is the truth here? Can one actually believe that Sauvage, while holding and firing that rifle the day after her son hanged himself and after years of sexual and other abuse to herself and children, was acting rationally and in entire control of herself?

January 29^th, Holland received Sauvage’s lawyers and family to hear them, and soon after granted a partial pardon. Jacqueline Sauvage will be released, although due to legal technicalities, this may not happen as soon as it should.

The criminal justice system in France and around the world, including the International Criminal Court, needs to be restudied, reworked. Neither the inquisitorial nor the accusatorial systems are actually working. If they were, Sauvage should not be waiting to leave prison, she would never have been sent there in the first place.

The spring semester has started at AGS. As always, the new students who have joined us this semester come from all four corners of the globe. This term we are welcoming students from the United States, India, Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, Italy, and Argentina.

Theresa Verdoscia, the Director of Admissions, who has been working with these students over the past few months to guide them through their decision to study in Paris, says: “Our students are not just international; they are internationally minded. They all have interesting educational or professional backgrounds, and a desire to think out of the box. This cohort promises to make for interesting class discussions.”

AGS is also welcoming a new faculty member this semester. Ambassador Michael Einik is a US senior diplomat who spent most of his career in Central and Eastern Europe. He was posted in Russia during the Soviet era when Gorbachev rose to power, in Yugoslavia when it broke up, in Bosnia and Slovenia when those countries declared independence. He was in charge of evacuating the US populations during two wars, and has extensive experience in defining policies as well as making urgent decisions during crises. He will be teaching the course on Foreign Policy Formulation and Diplomacy. He says: “I have always wanted to teach to transmit my experience. My course will complement the theoretical courses at AGS with the practicality of diplomacy and policy making. Both are equally important to give students knowledge as well as skills. When your decisions count, when your words count, you need to be prepared.”

See Ambassador Einik’s profile on the AGS website.

Ambassador Einik is one of two former Ambassadors who are on the AGS faculty. The other is Dr. Dominique Dreyer, who was Ambassador of Switzerland to India, then to China for several years, and teaches Asian studies at AGS.

Also to be noted this semester is a course entitled “Extreme-Crisis Situations: Terrorism, Government, and Media”, taught by journalist and international affairs specialist Joav Toker. Prof. Toker says: “In this course, we will look at media not only in terms of its role and responsibility, but also the other way around, as a tool that is used for the making of diplomacy. We will therefore not only look at the headlines, but we will approach the complex issue of terrorism beyond the headlines, in its intricate link with international relations and politics.”

Dr. Eileen Servidio, the president of the school, says: “In all of our classes, our interactive teaching style takes advantage of the multiple perspectives brought to the classroom by our international students. At AGS, we don’t just teach international relations and diplomacy in abstract, we practice the diversity, dialogue, and understanding of the other that should always sustain international politics. For this is what is at the core of the AGS mission: Education, Empathy, and Peace.”

For its last event of the Fall semester, on December 3rd, the AGS Middle East Society hosted a talk on the Human Rights Situation in the Gulf Region, highlighting Bahrain as one of the countries that participated in the Arab Spring in 2011.

The guest speakers were three human rights activists from Bahrain: Hussein Jawed, Chairman of the European-Bahraini Organisation for Human Rights, Said Yousif, Vice-president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, and his fellow activist Mohamed Sultan.

Below is an excerpt from the recount that they shared during the event. This quote reflects the perspective of its author. The American Graduate School in Paris respects freedom of expression and diversity of opinions (see AGS mission).

“Bahrain was influenced by the Arab Spring in 2011. Many of the people protested to demand true democracy and human rights. They were confronted with excessive force and violence by the government institutions, which received the support of Saudi Arabia. Over 140 people were killed either under torture during police custody, or by tear gas suffocation or extra-judicial killings. Amongst them were kids. Thousands were arrested and still linger behind prison bars, some of them serving harsh sentences of death penalty or life imprisonment. All human rights defenders in Bahrain are now either in jail or forced into exile, like myself. (…) Bahrain is a State Party of the United Nations’ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which establishes the right of everyone to freedom of association and participation in the conduct of public affairs, allowing for only very narrow restrictions ‘necessary in a democratic society’ to protect national security and the rights and freedoms of others. However, these recommendations were never implemented by Bahrain in a responsible manner. (…) Bahrain authorities have to act in a responsible manner by respecting and guaranteeing human rights in every aspect.”

The AGS middle East Society is a platform for information and discussion about Middle Eastern politics, culture, and current issues. It was started as a student initiative in Fall 2015, with the support of AGS faculty members. Activities include regular guest talks, screenings or debates and are open to students, faculty and the wider public. More information at info@ags.edu.

The Call for Papers is now out for the 11th AGS International Graduate Student conference. This year's edition will tackle the challenging topic of the role of religion in world affairs, under the title: "The Complexity of Religion in International Relations: Theoretical, Legal and Geopolitical Perspectives." The conference will take place in Paris on April 21st-22nd.

The goal of this conference is to explore the links between religion and politics beyond media headlines, through scholarly grounded research and analysis. "When talking about the links between religion and politics, the media often focus on Islam and recent events, but all religions, especially Catholicism, have become a central component of international relations for over forty years." says Manlio Graziano, AGS's specialist of geopolitics of religion, who will be one of the main faculty moderators of the event.The conference will seek to offer a platform for informed dialogue, in line with AGS's mission of promoting peace through education and academic research. The co-directors of the conference organization committee, Aurora Nilsen, from Norway, and Sakshi Mishra, from India, write in the call for papers: "There has been prominent focus on how religious differences create barriers to peace, and lead to war. However, all religions have deep roots in peace and have subtle conflict resolution mechanisms rooted in their scripture. Religion, like nationalism, allows its followers to rationalize peace or war depending on a variety of variables."

Participants are invited to address the links between religion and international law, NGOs, human rights, peace building, and global media. Submissions are welcome from graduate and doctoral level students, academics, and practitioners of international relations. The deadline for abstract submission is February 15th (accepted papers will then have to be sent in by March 27th.)

The AGS International Graduate Student Conference is organized every year by AGS students in the International Relations and Diplomacy program, under the impulse and supervision of Professor Ruchi Anand. Previous conferences have covered several key topics of international relations such as gender politics, environmental issues, or the influence of NGOs. Dr. Anand says: "Every year, we have graduate students, scholars and professionals from all around the world who come to share their expertise and exchange ideas. This conference has become a highlight of AGS's academic life and reaches well beyond the walls of the school and Paris."

See Call for Papers

(Photo: Kremlin.ru via Wikimedia Commons)

This is an opinion piece written by Ahmed Samy Lotf, a candidate in the Master’s program of International Relations and Diplomacy at AGS, after the 13^th of November terror attacks that took place in Paris. Ahmed was born in Egypt; he was in Cairo during the Egyptian revolution in 2011, and in Turkey during the Turkish protests in 2012 and 2013. He also lived in the United States and travelled around the world. He is currently interning at UNESCO in Paris, in the History, Memory and Dialog sector of the Culture Division.

This piece reflects the opinion of the writer. The American Graduate School in Paris respects diversity of opinions.

(Photo credit: www.francebleu.fr)

Another normal week had just passed in the City of Lights and Love. A nice relaxing weekend was expected after a long week full of work, studies, or traveling. A tragic surprise, however, was awaiting Paris on the 13^th of November 2015. Terror attacks took place in several different sites in and just outside of the city, resulting in 130 deaths and over 350 injured.

More than just lives were lost. The November 13^th event caused a severe wound in French society. Anxiety, depression and fear were tangible in the air of Paris. Nevertheless, looking at it from a social viewpoint, the reaction of the French was one of unity and maturity. After the attacks, instead of pointing fingers and accusing others of being extreme or exclusive of minorities, the French society has been trying to be more inclusive, more united, calmer, and more caring of the other.

Will the political leadership in France take advantage of this new form of social unity this time, and use it to eliminate discrimination, lack of sense of belonging, and fight extremism from within the society? Or will it be just a temporary state and a wasted opportunity, like what happened with the January 2015 Paris attacks known as Charlie Hebdo, which, after a first reaction of strong unity, caused French society to become more fractured, divided and politically conservative?

Politically, President François Hollande’s reactions were accepted by a large majority of the population of France. Even the government opposition had similar opinions to Hollande’s in response to this situation. (Hollande may just be using this as a tool to gain back the popularity that he and his party lost during the past couple of years.) However, in my opinion, the decision of more air strikes and more bombardments in Syria is to be strongly criticized and countered as it will be creating a vicious circle of violence, killing innocent people while being far from solving the problems.

Upping France’s participation in Syria may calm some local frustration and outrage; however, it is shortsighted and will only aggravate the problem. It is far from tackling the root causes of the problem that led to these terror attacks; the segregation, the discrimination, the alienation, the lack of sense of belonging, educational inequalities, and the problems caused by the media when it doesn’t remember that freedom comes with responsibilities. One needs to focus on and address these internal issues in France.

Extreme ideologies, whatever the political or religious group it sprouts from, are to be approached through social justice and to include everyone in the battle against it, especially the moderates in those groups. Therefore, if we are to fight against the few Islamic extremists in France, then that has to be done first and foremost with the French Muslims.

France may also have to spend more money on its national intelligence and security rather than on military budget, production of weapons that end up in the wrong hands, or another war – another version of what took place in Iraq.

Despite how sad and horrifying the reality of the terror attacks and the losses is, there may be something positive that can be taken from them. One may wonder if France needed, socially, a kind of shock to continue pursuing the aspirations of the French revolution. What did France need to gather the different parts of the French society in the same square? What did France need to lower the extreme voices within the society and listen to the open-minded, inclusive, and unheard voices? Did France need this? No nation deserves such a tragic human loss, but a social and political shock may be needed.

What we are seeing beyond this tragedy is an opportunity for a missing collective unity of the society, and for pushing the political will to direct more money towards education, towards including excluded sectors of the society, towards fighting poverty and towards improving the internal intelligence security infrastructure to protect all people in France regardless of their origins. Let us hope that the reasoning of the politicians as well as of the citizens becomes more peaceful, more constructive, and more efficient at “Building France” as a “République” that includes everyone.

Over that dreaded weekend, I locked myself in my house with a feeling of sadness mixed with fear. It wasn’t until late Sunday afternoon that I decided to make my way to my favorite place in Paris, Place de la République. The anxiety in the subway was tangible; it reminded me of my time in Cairo during the days of the revolution, all of those times that the city awoke to an overwhelming amount of innocent lives lost. The few words I kept overhearing were “Jeunes, Mort, Pourquoi”. When I arrived at the Place de la République I saw “all of France” there. I saw what should represent the “République française”: the white French, the African French, the Indian French, the Muslim French (Africans, Arabs, Indian or Asian), the Jewish French, as well as the tourists/visitors who were there to pay their respects. All of them were there for the same thing – mourning and honoring the victims. Their chants deeply moved me as they reminded me of the feeling of chanting in Tahrir Square (Liberation Square). My tears were not just for those who lost their lives in France, but also for those who continue to lose their lives in Egypt and in the rest of the world.

It is the chants for the victims of wars, genocides, and revolutions throughout history that were echoed in the Place de la Bastille in 1789, in Tahrir Square in 2011, and in the Place de la République in 2015. It is the words of Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Malcom X, that I heard that day, as well as that of the Prophet Mohamed, who fought against slavery, gender inequality, and racism fourteen centuries before any treaty or law.

What is our human struggle for justice, liberty, and equality but the series of voices that echo those of our ancestors into our squares, streets, and prison cells? This is a fact of our history and our human nature: struggles and victories come with losses. The 13^th of November is another loss for the sake of another hope.

By: Ahmed Samy Lotf

Based on an initiative by AGS students under the impulse of Professors Mariam Habibi and Joav Toker, the AGS Middle East Society was started this Fall as a platform for information and discussion about Middle Eastern politics, culture, and current issues. Activities include regular guest talks by specialists on the topic along with screenings or debates; they are open to students, faculty, and the wider public.

Professor Mariam Habibi, who brings her support and expertise to this initiative, says: "One of the objectives of the AGS Middle East Society is to foster a more diverse – and through that, more accurate – understanding of the Middle East in an international relations perspective. This understanding should balance insiders' and outsiders' points of view, for the reality of the Middle East is both internal and external."

The Middle East Society was inaugurated on September 24th, with an introduction talk and reception hosted by Ahmed Samy Lotf, an Egyptian-born and world-travelled candidate in the Master of International Relations and Diplomacy program at AGS, and Ryan Mills, a student in the AGS/Arcadia Study Abroad in Paris program, who worked as an Iraqi linguist for the US Naval Intelligence between 2008 and 2014.

"The term Middle East is not a Middle Eastern term; it was coined by the West," said Ahmed Samy Lotf. "Reflected by this term, what we are seeing is a tendency to refer to this region of the world as one global entity, thus reducing it to its essentials and simply ignoring all of its rich diversity. This essentialization bias is not specific to the Western perspective, it also happens from within the Middle East itself, especially with the Arab majority."

Giving an illustration of this diversity through the multiplicity of languages, Ryan Mills shared his experience as an Arabic linguist specializing in the Iraqi dialect, having worked during six years with Iraqi native Arabic speakers, specifically Christians, Chaldeans and Assyrians from one city in Iraq. He explained: "Iraq is roughly the size of the portion of France that lies between Paris and the Belgian border. In just that tiny part, there might be six different legitimate languages. Each of them forms the core of a specific cultural identity."

Ahmed Samy Lotf continues: "Better understanding the diversity of the Middle East will allow the future policy-makers that many of us, AGS students, are, to connect with Middle Eastern people at a human level. At the end of the day, decision-making is done by human beings, so taking into consideration the human diversity of a region will help us to do good politics."

The first guest speaker of the AGS Middle East Society was Kendal Nezan, President of the Kurdish Institute of Paris, who came on October 8th to present on the Kurds' history, culture, current issues and political prospects.

The following event, on November 12^th, was a talk by International Affairs journalist Diane Jean about the Turkish elections. A graduate of Sciences Po Paris who works for Australian News Agency Newzulu, Diane Jean covered the Taksim protests in 2013. She gave insight on why and how the AKP and Turkey's strongman and president Recep Tayyip Erdogan have tightened their grip on power.

The next Middle East Society event will be held Thursday, November 4th, will focus on the Human Rights situation of the Middle East through the case study of Bahrain, one of the countries that participated in the Arab Spring. Three guest speakers will discuss this topic: Hussein Jawed, Chairman of the European-Bahraini Organisation for Human Rights (EBOHR), Mohamed Sultan, human right activist in the Bahrain Center for Human rights, and Said Yousif, Vice-president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, social media activist and supporter for refugees in Germany.

Professor Eileen Servidio-Delabre, the president of the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at AGS, emphasizes the importance of this initiative as part of AGS's educational process and mission, which aims at fostering tolerance and peace through understanding and knowledge of the Other. She says: "I am grateful to our students for hosting these types of events that correspond to AGS's philosophy and goals. Events that encourage our students to ask questions that they would not have otherwise thought of asking. Events that help them to understand differently the countries, cultures and religions they are studying in their courses."

For more information or to attend an event of the AGS Middle East Society: info@ags.edu

The Fall semester has begun. New students have come from all corners of the globe – from Thailand to Liberia, from the USA to Georgia, from Canada to India – to pursue their Master's or Ph.D. degree of International Relations and Diplomacy at AGS in Paris alongside our continuing graduate students and the two study abroad undergraduates from Arcadia University who have joined us to explore Paris, learn about France, and do graduate coursework in international relations.

"Through AGS I am able to open up to new cultures as our school welcomes students from all around the world. Through this advantage we, students, are able to discuss various subjects and critical situations happening worldwide, and to study those problems from different angles and perspectives," says Fazola Nasretdinova, from Ouzbekistan, who is in the second year of the International Relations and Diplomacy M.A. at AGS while also starting her dual master's degree in Diplomacy and Strategic Negotiation at Université Paris Sud.

With courses such as the History of the Modern Middle East, Contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa, International Public Law, and NGO management, among others, students will be able to approach International Relations through various lenses: regional, historical, legal, economic, political, diplomatic. Throughout the courses, AGS emphasizes the combination of academic and professional perspectives, taking advantages of the resources and connections that Paris offers. This semester, for instnace, the Foreign Policy tutorial will be co-taught by Professor Ruchi Anand and a practising Ambassador posted in Paris.

"What I have found here is a place where learning a new language and learning about issues that impact the international community is supported by the faculty and the myriad international social justice initiatives and movements, both governmental and non-governmental, that Paris hosts." says Robert Simmons, M.Ed, one of the new students. Simmons holds a B.A. with a concentration in African Studies, History and English from Rutgers university in New Jersey, USA, and an M.Ed. in Social Justice and Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which took him to the University of Oxford, Trinity College for a summer doing research on feminist studies in black fiction. He adds: "In the near future, I would like to work with Spanish and French speaking communities of the African diaspora, and I believe my time at AGS, and in Paris, will greatly support that goal."

In her welcome address on registration day, Professor Servidio-Delabre, the President of the School of International Relations and Diplomacy, stressed the importance of tolerance as a means and end of that discipline. "I am very proud of our students, who have all come to AGS to acquire the knowledge and skills to support their desire to understand and help others. I strongly believe that our students will make a difference in the world."

See photos of registration and orientation reception on Facebook

Like every year for the past dozen years, AGS held its end-of-year festivities in the French Senate, under the sponsorship of a French Senator. This year, Jean-Léonce Dupont, Senator of Calvados, was AGS's official host. Graduating students and their families, along with fellow students, alumni, faculty, and guests from the AGS international community gathered around a sumptuous dinner served in the Salon Napoléon of the Senate to celebrate the end of the academic year, and congratulate the graduating students.

"Celebrating our American-style education with our community of students and faculty from around the world in this landmark of French political institutions is a nice symbol of AGS’s international character," says Dr. Eileen Servidio, President of the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at AGS. "Just tonight, for instance, we have guests from Canada, the United States, India, France, Egypt, Scotland, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Italy, Russia, Ghana, Israel, and Mauritius."

In her speech, Dr. Eileen Servidio recognized each of the graduating students individually for their achievements in the degree programs at AGS - the M.A. in International Relations and Diplomacy, or the International MBA, both offered in Paris in partnership with Arcadia University in the United States. Other students were recognized for their work in one of AGS's professional development tracks. "Congratulations. You have successfully completed a program that is demanding, and rewarding. You can be proud of your accomplishments. We are." As some of the graduating students had already left Paris to take on a career opportunity in another country, she added, "This is what happens when you have students from all over the world - they go back to all over the world."

Seizing the conviviality of the moment, Professors Joav Toker and Douglas Yates each ad-libbed a speech dedicated to the graduating students. Yates emphasized how higher education is more than job training, but an enrichment of the whole existence of the individual. "Education is not only about what you do, it is about who you are," said Yates. Professor Toker added that education changes the individual in an almost subversive way, shifting perspective and opening up new possibilities.

See pictures:

You can find more pictures on our Facebook page under these two links:

Photo album 1  |  Photo album 2

The inaugural issue of The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies and Development, an online-only annual academic journal published jointly by the American Graduate School in Paris and Arcadia University, has just been made available as an open source to users worldwide. AGS celebrated an "avant-première" soft launch with the international affairs community in Paris on June 3^rd. 

Focusing on International Relations, Diplomacy, and Development issues as well as Peace and Conflict Resolution, it reflects the interdisciplinary approach and complementary academic concentrations of the two institutions. It includes peer-reviewed articles, book reviews, opinion pieces, and interviews, exploring a wide range of political, economic, societal, and cultural issues. The editorial line emphasizes quantitative and qualitative research and analysis that are objective, critical, and innovative.

Arcadia and AGS decided to engage in this endeavor together two years ago, based on the initiative of two AGS faculty members, Patrick Clairzier and Dr. Steve McGiffen, as well as several AGS alumni, including Ashley Stepanek who has taken a leading role in marketing the journal. Through this publication, AGS and Arcadia University aim to promote their intellectual capital and shared commitment to furthering high-level academic research, innovation, and debate on important international trends and topics. The journal targets audiences in academia and research institutions, governments, civil societies, the nonprofit sector, multinational corporations, individual scholars, and industry practitioners. As Dr. Eileen Servidio, President of AGS, writes in the introduction editorial, "this journal aspires to encourage discourses that promote non-violence in all aspects of international affairs."

The first issue features an open theme, with scholarly works on the role of civil society and environmental issues in international relations, diplomacy, the war on terror, and the role of information in promoting equality and democracy. Among the articles, Dr. Patrick Bratton of Hawaii Pacific University provides an "Overview of the Diplomatic Landscape"; Dr. Steve McGiffen authors a book review on Corporate Europe: How Big Business Sets Policies on Food, Climate and War (Pluto Press); David Feldman, an AGS alumnus, now a Ph.D. Candidate at UCSB, reviews Bad News for Refugees (Pluto Press); and Ambassador Wilfried Bolewski, former Chief of Protocol to Chancellors Angela Merkel and Gerhard Schröder, shares a lecture he recently gave at Oxford University, on "Diplomacy and Crises: A Practitioner's Insight and Outlook".

Arcadia and AGS started their academic partnership in 2006. Founded in 1853, Arcadia University is Philadelphia's global university and a pioneer in international education. It is a top-ranked private university offering bachelor, master and doctoral degrees. In addition to six colleges and schools in the United States, Arcadia has 10 centers and offices around the world.

Link to The Journal of International Relations, Peace & Development Studies

For more information contact: Patrick Clairzier, Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Programs - journal@ags.edu

By Emirjona Cake, PhD Candidate at AGS

On Thursday March 19, 2015, Dr. Rahel Steinbach, Programme Officer at UNEP, Energy Branch, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics and Marie Jalabert, Gender and Energy Efficiency Consultant with UNEP, gave a presentation at AGS in Dr. Anand’s class on International Environmental Politics entitled “Gender and Sustainable Development”. This talk was embedded in a lecture on Environmental Justice, which argues that low-income and minority populations have been disproportionately targeted with ‘environmental bads.’ The Environmental justice framework focuses on two types of justice, namely procedural justice and distributive justice – in the context of which the topic ‘Gender and Sustainable Development’ was particularly relevant.

The following is a summary of the presentation with the important points that were made by Dr. Steinbach and Ms. Jalabert in regards to the link between gender and sustainable development.

A few key points made by Dr. Steinbach:

- Gender and the environment are inextricably linked. In order to combat environmental degradation, we must give women, men, boys and girls equal voice.

- Women in poor communities are most affected by climate change and environmental degradation. They have the most limited access to resources and don’t have other economic means to provide for themselves. Hence, they are less able to adapt to the negative effects of climate change such as drought, which results in scarcity of food and water.

Dr. Steinbach and Marie Jalabert showed, through a series of examples, that there is a clear link between the environment and the socially and culturally different roles of women, men, boys and girls. They demonstrated the disastrous impact of environmental degradation and lack of resources on poor women in developing nations. Furthermore, Dr. Steinbach was able to show how women all over the world lack sufficient representation and access to decision-making in their respective governments and that this prevents nations quite often from adopting more gender-sensitive policies, which would result in enhanced effectiveness and sustainable growth. In order to correct the gender gap, according to Dr. Steinbach, specific approaches have to be considered, where qualitative and quantitative inclusion of women in all areas and gender-sensitive policies and actions are key.

According to Dr. Steinbach, the gender gap goes far beyond a gendered difference in access to education and systematic differences in unpaid work; it is a norm in every country. In 2015, there is no single country on the planet where women boast the same kind of economic and political power as men.

When it comes to the environment, this gender gap is felt more prevalently in countries that are significantly affected by climate change, and it is especially affecting the poorest female-headed households. Energy and gender are inextricably linked, as women and girls from poor communities are lowest on the energy ladder, making it particularly difficult for them to obtain access to cleaner and more modern sources of energy.

The energy ladder starts at the bottom with crop waste and dung and reaches the top with access to electricity.

The idea of environmental justice applies to all and in this context it is particularly relevant to poor women, who are the most affected by environmental degradation. UNEP is taking on the task of demonstrating how women, men, boys and girls all have a role to play in environmental sustainability and how the concept of environmental justice applies to all. UNEP does so by integrating gender considerations into its key work streams, which are 1) assessing global environmental conditions and trends, 2) developing international and national environmental instruments, and 3) strengthening institutions for the wise management of the environment.

Dr. Steinbach expressed that an increase in “gender blindness” will lead to less effective environmental protection and management. In order to effectively address the gender gap, it is necessary to take a two-step analysis when working towards bridging this gap. Dr. Steinbach outlined the difference between practical gender needs and strategic gender needs.

Practical gender needs address the immediate needs of both men and women in relation to their societal roles (such as access to food, etc). Strategic gender needs help to change the existing gender roles and to address equality issues (such as access to a job which increases the woman’s income and changes her role and status within the community). Some examples of strategic needs are employment opportunities, access to resources such as credit and education, and enhancing participation and decision-making at various levels. Practical needs focus on more immediate problems, such as access to healthy food and non-polluted air.

The task of gender mainstreaming will take time, but it includes both institutional and cultural transformation, where the interests and needs of both men and women are taken into consideration. Gender and the environment are thus inextricably linked and environmental sustainability cannot be brought about without an equal, more just world. By rendering environmental policy-making more gender-sensitive, which includes ‑ but is not limited to ‑ ensuring that women and men are equal policy-makers, there is a sense of inclusion that creates better strategies for the sustainable development of nations.

A project presented by Dr. Steinbach, which peaked the interest of many students, myself included, was gender-sensitive public transport solutions provided by UNEP. The project ensures that women have access to transportation to work or for education purposes, which addresses their strategic needs (empowerment closing the gender gap) but also provides an environmentally friendly solution by causing less pollution. This project has, for instance, been implemented in some cities in India, where rape and crimes against women are shockingly high.

The talk was followed by a dynamic Q & A session.

On behalf of the students at AGS, we would like to thank Dr. Steinbach and Ms. Jalabert for their presentation on such a relevant and interesting topic, and we hope to have her present to us again in the future.