School News AGS

By Ambassador Wilfried Bolewski

In these difficult and disruptive times, we are all looking for orientation for pursuing the peaceful change initiated through the process of Globalization.  After collective emotions and motions following the recent events in Paris, it is time for reflection to move from grief to grievances. We should be reminded of the civilizing virtues of the diplomatic culture and mindset, and use the ethics of Diplomacy as a mode of living together in differences: Beyond the divergent domestic legislations on freedom of speech, religious freedom and the criminality of violence, we should all become “homo diplomaticus”.

The values of Diplomacy as a humanist legacy are developing from a mere (foreign) policy instrument to a transnational process of intersocietal relations: from the international level to the domestic level and full circle back to the global community.  The core message of Diplomacy as a statecraft spreading to a society-craft is the societal representation of separate collective identities.

This management tool of transnational governance is based on the following:

• Recognition and respect for differences

• Mediation of estrangement while retaining separateness

• Communicative discourse

• Combination of principles and values such as: reciprocity, prudence, good will, compromise, concessions and most of all mutual self-restraint

• Harmonization of interests in response to commonly defined challenges and threats.

This Strategic Moral Diplomacy as a process of communication should be practiced to facilitate social interaction between all human beings who have differences, through acknowledging the other’s moral universe and grievances in order to peacefully reach common goals.

To move from this reflection to responsible action I am reminded of the well-known medieval prayer:

“Please, give me the courage to change the things that should [and can] be changed, the patience to tolerate the things that cannot [now] be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference between the two.”

Following the recent tragic events that occurred in Paris, Natalie Marshall, an Arcadia University student enrolled in the study abroad program at AGS this spring , wrote this blog post where she shares the reassuring information she found about security in France, and explains why there is no reason to worry about studying in Paris. Also note that the Vigipirate national security plan is applied in the AGS/Alliance Française building so as to ensure that we can welcome our students in a safe and serene environment next week.

This blog post was published on the USA Today College website. Read the full post on the original website here

Viewpoint: Why students should not worry about studying in Paris

By Natalie Marshall, junior student at Arcadia University, Spring 2015 study abroad student at the American Graduate School in Paris

When I applied to spend the spring 2015 semester in Paris, I pictured myself relaxing in posh cafés, shopping in open-air markets and studying in one of the city’s famous libraries. What I did not imagine was being thrust into a fragile Paris after three days of terror shook the city.

Since the Jan. 7 shooting at the Paris office of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, the Jan. 8shooting of a policewoman, and the Jan. 9 hostage situation at a kosher supermarket , I have traded my fantasies of cafés and markets for evaluations of safety and security.

But despite the recent attacks, there are three reasons that I decided to follow through with my plans to study in Paris this semester:

1.VIOLENT CRIME IN FRANCE IS RARE

After gunmen killed 12 people at the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris, the incident was called “the deadliest attack on French soil in more than 50 years.”

This goes to show how uncommon gun violence is in France compared to the United States. According to GunPolicy.org, the death toll from firearms in France totaled 1,736 in 2010, whereas the United States came in at 31,672. To account for the size difference in the two populations, the website reported that the annual rate of firearm deaths per 100,000 people was 2.67% in France versus 10.3% in the United States.

The U.S. Embassy “Tips for Traveling Safely Abroad” page says that the majority of crimes that occur in France are non-violent, and that the country is “relatively safe.” As for Paris, it says “violent crime is relatively rare in the city center,” likening it to that of “most large cities.”

I therefore do not feel that I need to be any more worried about violent acts in Paris than I would be in any large city in the United States.

2. THE FRENCH ARE UNITY-FOCUSED

The largest event by far was a collection unity marches across France on Sunday. Up to 1.6 million people attended Paris’s march, including French President François Hollande and other world leaders. Hollande called for “vigilance and unity” among the French after the incidents,according to Euronews.France has held numerous events over the past few days to unify the country and collectively mourn the shooting victims. One of the most iconic examples came Thursday night when Eiffel Tower went dark and the French held a moment of silence for the victims of the attacks.

This focus on unity following the attacks has proved reassuring and suggests that the city will not remain shaken for long.

3. IT IS STILL THE SAME CITY

These recent events should not overshadow the numerous things that make Paris an exceptional city. Just two months ago, QS Top Universities ranked it as the No. 1 city for students.

This was determined by various factors, including university rankings, the student mix, quality of living, employer activity and affordability. And it didn’t even take the countless museums, historical sites, libraries and cultural experiences Paris has to offer into consideration.

While the recent terror in Paris has been alarming, the attacks have not changed all of these positive aspects of the city. And they will not stop me from getting on a plane to Paris next week. The City of Light still has a great deal to offer all of its visitors, and I predict that my time abroad will be just as enriching, challenging and transformative as it would have been had I studied in Paris before the attacks.

By Eileen Servidio, Ph.D.
President of the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at AGS

The recent terrorist attacks in France attempted, through terror, to cripple fundamental values – tolerance, non-violence, freedom of speech – that are at the base of human rights, and at the heart of what the American Graduate School in Paris has sought to defend through its teaching and research.

We wish to express our regret and support to all the victims and their families in France. We also wish to express our support to all the victims of acts of violence in the world, those who are tortured, raped, killed by groups such as Boko Haram,
Al Qaeda, Al Shabbaab, the so-called ‘Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’, or any other that uses terror as a method.

As I marched with demonstrators last week-end, I carried no banner, for it would have been too large:

Je suis Charlie, Je suis Musulmane, Je suis Juive, Je suis Nigériane, Je suis Congolaise, Je suis Syrienne, Je suis Palestinienne, Libanaise, Libyenne, Américaine, Française… Je suis Policier, Je suis un Homme, Je suis une Femme.

Je suis l’Humanité.

The solidarity and determination to fight terrorism that we have seen here in France, and across the world, must continue well after the attacks are no longer news.  This not only includes empowering the organs that lead this fight, but working to eliminate the deep causes of terrorism: the desperation, the exclusion, the ignorance of many who follow the calls of terrorist organizations.

As firm believers that knowledge brings tolerance, we at AGS are committed to participating in this fight through education.

On December 1-2, the group of undergraduate students went to Brussels for a two-day class trip. The focal point of the trip was a guided tour of the European Parliament, designed to complement the classroom study of EU institutions. The students also explored the city, walking around the historical area ("Vieux Bruxelles") and visiting landmarks such as the Grand place, the Manneken pis, and the Atomium building, which was originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World Fair. Designed by engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak, it stands 335 feet tall, with nine 59-foot diameter stainless steel spheres connected together to form the shape of a unit cell crystal, magnified 165 billion times. The top sphere provides a panoramic view of Brussels. The students also went to Christmas markets and enjoyed traditional belgian mussels and saukraut. This trip allowed them to extend their study abroad experience beyond the borders of France and discover different facets of European culture.

Two trips are organized every semester as part of the study abroad program: one trip to Nice on the French Côte d'Azur, and one to a European Union capital: Brussels in the Fall, Strasbourg in the Spring.

With inspiring speakers from around the world and over 180 in the audience, the AGS conference on Violence Against Women that took place in Paris on November 28 accomplished its objective: raise awareness of the public and bring together policy-makers, diplomats, human rights activists, lawyers, scholars, journalists, and other practitioners to combine their efforts toward a common goal – eliminating gender-based violence.

Carrying on with the spirit of the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25), the conference covered the multiple aspects of this issue, from crimes against women in concept and law, to those deriving from religion, custom and tradition, to those committed in times of conflict.

Organized and moderated by Lorraine S Koonce Farahmand, Esq., an English solicitor, New York attorney and gender advocate who teaches international law at AGS, the conference started off with an impactful speech by Linda Weil-Curiel, the internationally-reknowned lawyer and human rights activist who has been fighting against FGM in France since the 1980's. Weil-Curiel spoke of the dignity of women and paid tribute to Awa Gréou, who used to perform FGM and is now against the practice, as well as to Alice Walker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and author of Warrior Marks and Possessing the Secret of Joy, who said "Torture is not culture.” Weil-Curiel also spoke about the cases that she prosecuted, making France the first nation in the world to bring criminal charges against those who perform FGM.

Nazir Afzal OBE, the Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West of England, who is the first Muslim ever appointed Chief Prosecutor in England and an outspoken advocate against honor killings, forced marriage, and FGM, spoke about our duty to "be the voice of those who do not have a voice". Drawing from his personal experience of overseeing more than 100,000 prosecutions a year and managing 800 lawyers and paralegals, he spoke of the 10,000 girls who are victims of forced marriage every year in England, and those who are killed in the name of family honor. He insisted on the importance of giving prevailance to human rights over culture. “Women have been talking about these issues for a long time,” he said. “I’m not the first person to take up this fight in this country, I’m just the first man, and that makes it a lot easier.”

Another highlight of the conference was the speech pronounced by The New York Times journalist Marlise Simon, who spoke about her coverage of the international trials in which mass rape was judiciously declared a crime against humanity. She gave an extraordinary narration focusing on a brief history of mass rape in conflict and on the difficulty and courage of the victims who often face their rapist in open court, pointing out how their testimonies have contributed to the recognition that mass rape is a crime against humanity.

H.E. Ambassador Ursula Plassnik, former Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and current Ambassador to France, spoke of the multitude of gender-based acts of violence that are the products of war, such as mass rape, and specifically denounced Boko Haram's abduction of girls. She commented that not only are women the target of sexual offense, but men are as well, as demonstrated in the joint Congo-Rwanda military operations. She also spoke about Ban Ki Moon’s laudable stance on fighting violence against women. Referring to the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, she explained that this resolution on women, peace, and security marked the first time that the Security Council addressed the impact of armed conflict on women. Finally, she said: "If FGM had been MGM, this would no longer be a problem."

Carolina Lasén Diaz, the Head of the Gender Equality Unit at the Council of Europe, spoke on the Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. She stressed that the Convention creates a comprehensive legal framework and approach to preventing violence against women, protecting victims, and prosecuting offenders. She explained to the audience that under Art. 42 of the Convention, justifications on the basis of culture, religion or tradition may not be used in order to lessen punishment. This not only sends a strong message that such acts will not be tolerated, but also ensures that perpetrators are brought to justice.

Dr. Tobe Levin, the Vice-President of FORWARD Germany, a non-profit dedicated to fighting FGM worldwide, brought the audience's attention to the physical pain and the horrific physical consequences of genital mutilation practices. She spoke of the women’s fortitude in speaking about their experience. She explained that FGM is a mechanism operating under the cover of tradition to control women’s behavior and sexuality.

Jennifer Obaseki, whose London Law firm Obaseki Solicitors specializes in Immigration and Family Law, testified about the adversity faced by women who seek asylum based on a well-founded fear of persecution. Her eloquent speech touched upon the challenges lawyers face when delicately questioning and extracting pertinent information from these women, and the extreme difficulties that immigrant women have in having access to justice, particularly if previous actions such as undeclared work or forced prostitution weaken their asylum claims.

Angela Melo, now UNESCO's Director for Ethics, Youth and Sport, shared her recent experience as the organization's Director of the Division of Human Rights, Philosophy and Democracy. Reminding the audience of the famous words that were first heard at the UN World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, that "women’s rights are human rights", she stressed the importance that the international community recognize the relationship between gender and human rights violations.

Finally, the conference featured two AGSers, AGS alumna Erin Helfert and AGS professor Dr. Ruchi Anand. A gender specialist and policy advisor who has worked on various donor-funded projects with USAID, the UN, abd the US Dept. of Justice, Erin Helfert gave a personal testimony about pursuing a sexual assault legal case as a victim, revealing the dignity and courage of all survivors who have refused to be silenced by their gender abuse or their physical pain.

Dr. Ruchi Anand teaches courses on international relations, US Foreign Policy, environmental politics and gender studies at AGS. In her presentation, she addressed the complex issue of culture and pointed to how often human rights of women clash with cultural traditions such as patriarchy, which institutionalize and promote the debasement of the status of women and become a dominant force. She said that many pervasive forms of gender violence are heavily dependand on cultural customs and practices that often undermine human rights.

Lorraine Koonce Farahmand says: "The conference made it quite clear there is no single solution or means of putting an end to violence against women, which is the goal to be pursued. Addressing VAW without taking into account the wider context in which women evolve and the need to secure respect for women's fundamental rights is fatal. Putting an end to VAW is not the responsibility of one person, actor or group. Final eradication will require a collective response, in which everyone has a role to play men and women. When people struggle together, what was once unimaginable suddenly becomes imaginable."

View photo album on Facebook

Read blog article written by a student volunteer about the conference

Alyssa Barilotti, an International Studies student at Arcadia University who spent the Fall semester at the American Graduate School in Paris through the study abroad program offered by Arcadia's College of Global Studies, volunteered during the International Conference on Violence Against Women hosted by AGS. She writes about her experience.

"On November 25th the global community celebrated the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. To commemorate this day, the American Graduate School (AGS) in Paris pulled together amazing speakers from all over the world into one theater to address the issue of violence against women in its first Violence Against Women International Conference held on November 28th.

Being one of those lucky people in attendance, I can happily say that this conference was one of the most influential that I have ever been to. Organized by AGS faculty and staff, this conference was broken into four major sessions, violence against women in law, conflict, culture, and finally winds of change, with speeches made by leaders in the field of fighting for women and their rights.

Being a part of this conference taught me so much, and personally made an impact on my views about the violence that is being committed against women. Throughout the conference, the audience heard true stories of women who were forced into marriages at the age of 14, women being raped in conflict and war, and cultures that still are very much affluent in honor killings. The Istanbul Treaty, which was created by the Council of Europe on the Convention for the Prevention and Combat of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, was analyzed by lawyers, chief prosecutors, ambassadors and heads of state throughout the day.

The speakers brought to our attention that many women needed a voice, our voice, in order to help them overcome some serious discrimination in today’s world. Truthfully, before this conference, I had no idea just how in-depth and widespread these atrocities against women actually went.

Dr. Tobe Levin, a professor at Lady Margaret Hall of Oxford University, and Vice-President of FORWARD Germany (Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development) had passionately described about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and the safeguarding the health of African women and girls.

Marlise Simons, a journalist with The New York Times, enlightened the crowd about the International Courts and their role in dealing with mass rape in conflict. The crowd sat in stunned silence as she mentioned women who bravely testified about being raped by soldiers, some testimonies coming from three generations of women, the grandmother, mother, and daughter. Filled with sobering speeches, this conference was able to achieve not only awareness, but action towards ending violence against women. Questions were collected in order to be sent to the European Council, and donations were taken in order to help the women in need. This conference offered all in attendance a way to be informed about the violence against women, as well as the opportunities to make a difference.

Nazir Afzal, Chief Crown Prosecutor of the UK Crown Prosecution Service, told us of his work in the rights of women, as well as forced marriage, FGMs, and other cases. He told the audience of a woman he was helping who was forced into marriage. On one meeting, he noticed that she wore her wedding ring on the wrong hand. As he pointed this out to the woman, she told him she put it there purposefully. She said that she didn’t believe her marriage to be legal, because she did not give consent to this marriage. The ring was her way of speaking out, of being defiant of the situation she was forced into.

While the conference continued, I kept coming back to this one story, this one woman, this one ring. It was only after hearing all of the speakers that I realized that we, as a global community, need to be her voice. We need to be any woman’s voice. We need to stand up against all violence against women, and educate others on these atrocities. We need to be the ring on the opposite hand, and more, in order for these women to enjoy full equality.

This well organized and important conference opened the eyes and hearts of all in attendance. The speakers, as well as the conference itself, will continue to inspire and mobilize against the violence towards women!”

Read full article on the conference

A five-day trip to Portugal was organized by the AGS Graduate Student Association, which took fifteen students to Lisbon where they had a chance to explore the city and its surroundings, bond with fellow students, and create unforgettable memories of their AGS years - in addition to those of their student life in Paris!

The group visited such places as the Belem Tower, Monument to the Discoveries, St.George's Castle, the National Sanctuary of Cristo Rei, Oceanrio Lisbon (Lisbon Aquarium), Rossio Square, Rua Augusta Arch, Estrela Basilica, and of course Bairro Alto for the local nightlife. A perfect mix of fun and culture!

See the photo album:

The latest issue of the Journal of Political Studies (November 2014) features no less than three articles authored by AGS students or recent graduates. This bumper crop was performed thanks to the support of AGS professor, Ambassador Wilfried Bolewski, who strongly encourages student research through his teaching as well as by sharing calls for proposals and such opportunities.

" I congratulate all three authors for their achievement. It acknowledges the practical relevance of the work done by AGS students and should serve as an example for others to follow the same path. Such a publication not only provides personal satisfaction to the authors for participating in a global discourse and an incentive for them to intensify their studies, it also serves as a stepping stone for their professional aspirations."

The Journal of Political Studies is an Edinburgh-based open publication focusing on political systems, government policies, and international politics. It is affiliated with the University of Edinburgh's Buchanian Institute, Scotland's only student-led think tank and a member of the CampusPolicy international network of student think tanks.

Cherine Smith (MA, Class of 2013) published her article on "The Future of Network Diplomacy in Global Governance: On Diplomatic Culture and Small States", which was based on a paper that she had written for Prof. Bolewski's class on Diplomacy and International Law: Read article

Anna Busa (Ph.D. candidate) authored an article on the topic "How to Achieve a Lasting Culture of Peace: Considering Citizenship and Nationality Dimensions": Read article

Manuel Navarro (M.A. Candidate, Class of 2015) published an Op-Ed entitled "Basketball Diplomacy Rebound: Rodman's Basketball Diplomacy in North Korea and a Practical Guide to Future Success": Read article

As a reflection of the international profile of the AGS student body, the three young authors represent three different national origins: Cherine is from Barbados, Ana is from Latvia, and Manuel from the US.

See full issue of the Journal of Political Studies, November 2014 (Vol. 2, Issue 1)

On October 28th, AGS hosted a convivial cocktail event bringing together its Paris alumni to connect or reconnect around an informal buffet of French wine and cheeses.

AGS Paris alumni are from a wide variety of national origins - from Nigeria to New Zealand, from Germany to Iran, from Haiti to the USA - and typically decided to stay in Paris after they finished their studies at AGS. Among the alumni present were Sarah Ayewah, who now works for the Nigerian delegation to UNESCO, Tim Francis, now also working at UNESCO, Tierra McMahon, who is interning at the OECD, Joseph Mangarella, now a Ph.D. candidate in African Studies, who teaches legal English at the prestigious Université de Paris-Assas Law School, Brandon Roddey, account developer in the Energy sector, Christiane Peuker, Senior Sales Manager at Xing Events GmbH, Patrick Clairzier, Ph.D. candidate who teaches in the undergraduate program at AGS, as well as Bita Beni, Ashley Stepanek, and Wren Peyrard, who not only couldn't leave Paris, but couldn't leave AGS! All three now have administrative and academic responsibilities at the school.

Also present was Gankhet Ariunbold, from Mongolia, who happened to be on a business trip from Ulaanbaatar, where he works for the Mongolian government, in the department of defense.

"It is always great to have the chance to reconnect - or connect for the first time - with fellow alumni, says Wren Peyrard. It was especially nice to catch up with Gankhet Ariunbold whom I hadn't seen since he moved back to Mongolia. AGS is a special place that creates bonds across the world."

See photo album on our Facebook page

On November 28, 2014, AGS will host an international conference on the theme “Violence Against Women”, organized on the occasion of the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25).

This conference will bring together policy-makers, diplomats, NGO leaders, lawyers, journalists, scholars, and human rights activists from around the world. Speakers will include Nazir Afzal OBE, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West of England, Carolina Lasén Diaz, Programme Officer in the Gender Equality Unit at the Council of Europe, and H.E. Ursula Plassnik, Austria’s Ambassador to France and former Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The program will focus on three main types of gender-based acts of violence: those rooted in sources of law, national and international; those deriving from customs, religion, and traditions; and those perpetrated during armed conflict. “Up to 70 per cent of women experience violence in their lifetime” according to the United Nations. “Violence against women and girls is not inevitable. Prevention is possible and essential.”

The objective of the conference is threefold: to offer a forum for discussion and knowledge-sharing between contributors from different professions, to raise public awareness, and to call the governments as well as intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations to address this worldwide epidemic.

This conference is organized on the initiative of Lorraine Koonce Farahmand, Esq., English solicitor and New York lawyer, as a continuation of the work of the American Graduate School in Paris Research Center on International Relations and Violence, which published a book on the subject in 2010 (Crimes Against Women, New York: Nova Publishers, 2010. Edited by David Wingeate Pike, with a foreword by Taslima Nasrin). The conference contributions and findings should lead to the publication of a second volume on the same theme.

“Fighting violence in all its forms is at the heart of the mission of the American Graduate School in Paris.” says Dr. Eileen Servidio, who heads the Research Center and the School of International Relations at AGS. “By bridging academia with actors in the field through such conferences and publications, and by educating the policy-makers and influencers of tomorrow so that they can apply these values in their daily action and decision-making, we wish to contribute to this worldwide combat.”

This conference is open to the public, free of charge. RSVP: conference2014@ags.edu

More information here