"The Talibanization of South Asia: Can it Be Stopped?"
A talk by Pervez Hoodbhoy, Department of Physics, Quaid-e-Azama University. Dr. Hoodbhoy received his bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics, master's in solid state physics, and Ph.D in nuclear physics, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been a faculty member at the Department of Physics, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad since 1973. He is cha
"Photography as Prophecy: India 1839-1900"
A talk by Christopher Pinney, Professor of Anthropology & Visual Culture, University College London; Visiting Crowe Professor, Department of Art History, Northwestern University. From the South Asia Seminar.
"New Partnership Paradoxes in U.S.-China Relations"
Keynote Address at the 2008 China Symposium by Sun Zhe, professor of the Institute for International Studies and Director of the Center for U.S.-China Relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Professor Sun identifies three new "partnership paradoxes" in U.S.-China relations: Trade, Taiwan and Democracy. (1) China and the U.S. today are traversing an economic glacier of mutual interdepe
"Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan's Military Economy"
A talk by Ayesha Siddiqa, Islamabad-based independent political and defence analyst and author. Pakistan has emerged as a strategic ally of the US in the 'war on terror'. It is the third largest receiver of US aid in the world, but it also serves as a breeding ground for fundamentalist groups. How long can the relationship between the US and Pakistan continue? This book shows how P
"Ganesa versus Kusilavau: Myths and Reality of the Oral Composition of the Sanskrit Epics"
A special lecture by John Brockington, Emeritus Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Edinburgh. From the South Asia Seminar.
"The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order"
A talk by Parag Khanna, Director of the Global Governance Initiative of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. In "The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order", Parag Khanna examines the intersection of geopolitics and globalization to argue that America's dominant moment has been suddenly replaced by a geopolitical marketplace wherein the European Union an
Genocide Conference Panel 1: “Defining the 'Crime without a Name'"
This panel will compare various instances of genocide and explore the possibility of developing models that can be used to prevent the occurrence of genocide.
Marie Fleming, Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University;
Juan Mendez, President, International Center for Transitional Justice, New York, & former Special Adviser to the U.N. Secretar
"Muslim Peace Building in Conflict Regions of Southeast Asia"
A historical overview of the situation in southern Thailand and southern Philippines is presented, followed by a discussion on peace building efforts in conflict regions. Panelists give special attention to welfare and security issues in these areas. The panel is moderated by Kikue Hamayotsu (Ph.D., Department of Political Science, Northern Illinois University). Panelists include: Kriya Lanputeh (Yala Islamic University), Abdulghoni Suetair (Prince of Songkla University), Pattama Hamingma (Asian
"The Next Great Clash"
A talk by Michael Levin. In The Next Great Clash, Michael Levin presents evidence of a global political order on the verge of a historic power shift from West to East. A reemerging China is the only nation with the latent capacity to challenge American hegemony, and Levin demonstrates that such challenges to the status quo usually lead to war. From the World Beyo
"Pens and Swords: How the American Mainstream Media Report the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict"
A talk by Marda Dunsky, former Arab affairs reporter for the Jerusalem Post and editor on the national/foreign desk of the Chicago Tribune. As world attention is renewed and refocused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the sixtieth anniversary of its seminal year of 1948, Marda Dunsky takes a close look at how more than two dozen major American print and broadcast outlets have reported the conflict i
PGE Distinguished Lecture: "Is Development Sustainable? Not Even Close"
A talk by Robert Repetto. Is development sustainable? Certainly not the way the world is now going about it. Major trends are heading straight toward ecological and human disasters and if they are not changed and changed soon, development efforts will fail for billions of people, comprising mainly the world?s most vulnerable populations. Climate change, water
"Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight over Presidential Power"
A talk by Jonathan Mahler and Neal Katyal.
In his latest book, The Challenge: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight over Presidential Power, Jonathan Mahler chronicles the challenge to the assertion of presidential power in the designation of enemy combatants. Written with the cooperation of the attorneys who represented Hamdan, Lt. Commander Charles Swift and G
"Challenges for the New Administration in Iraq and Afghanistan"
A talk by Juan Cole.
Juan Cole will discuss the future of U.S. foreign policy in Iraq and Afghanistan beyond the November presidential elections. Juan Cole is Richard P. Mitchell Distinguished University Professor of History at the University of Michigan. He has written extensively about Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and South Asia. He studies and writes about contemporary Isl
"The Tyranny of Oil: The World's Most Powerful Industry, and What We Must Do to Stop It"
A talk by Antonia Juhasz, author, policy expert, and activist. Antonia Juhasz is an associate fellow with the Institute for Policy Studies, a fellow with Oil Change International, and a senior analyst for Foreign Policy In Focus. The author of The Bush Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time (2006), Juhasz has also written extensively on various aspec
"Crime and Responsibility: War, Indiscriminate Bombing, and Mass Killing"
A talk by Yuki Tanaka, Professor at the Hiroshima Peace Institute.
Dr. Tanaka examines the question of the criminality of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the responsibility of American political and military leaders who were closely involved in the decision-making and execution of the order to drop the bombs. Criminality is examined in ac
Alash Ensemble Concert
A performance by the Alash Ensemble at International House.
Tuvan throat-singing and traditional Tuvan instruments and music.
Sponsored by the Center for East European and Russian/Eurasian Studies.
“The Stones of Banaras: Conservation and Colonial Bureaucracy in a Small Indian City”
A talk by Michael Dodson, Associate Professor of History, Indiana University. From the South Asia Seminar.
“Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy”
A talk by Columbia University professor Joseph Stiglitz. The current global financial crisis carries a "made in America" label. In "Freefall", Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz explains how America exported bad economics, bad policies, and bad behavior to the rest of the world, only to cobble together a haphazard and ineffective response when
Executive Compensation: Over the Top or On Track?
Wharton accounting professor Wayne Guay talks with Knowledge@Wharton about his views on executive compensation, including the role of stock options in rewarding top managers.
FCC's Cable TV Ruling: Will the Competitive Landscape Change?
For cable TV companies in the U.S., August 28 was a day to celebrate. Ending several years of regulatory battles, a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals came down in favor of Philadelphia-based Comcast, which sought to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's contentious 30% market share limit on cable TV operators. Not everyone is happy about the ruling, fearing it will lead to cable monopolies. In contrast, Peter S. Fader, professor of marketing and co-director of the Wharton Interactiv
