Finkel to speak at SD World Affairs Council symposium

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BROOKINGS – Evgeny Finkel will make his first trip to South Dakota to appear in the South Dakota World Affairs Council’s Global Mass Violence and Atrocities Symposium. 

The event will be held Jan. 25-26 in the University Student Union’s Volstorff Ballroom.

Finkel, professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, will deliver the keynote address at 7 p.m. Jan. 25. He will also participate in a panel Jan. 26.

“The symposium will be an opportunity for me to discuss this important topic with people outside the typical D.C./East Coast-West Coast audiences,” Finkel said. 

“People should know that genocides and mass violence are not a force of nature. They are not inevitable and, in most cases, can be stopped or even altogether prevented if there is a will, on our part, to take these issues seriously and to pay attention before mass violence breaks out.

“We need to pay attention to what is going on in the world and not to assume that whatever happens outside the U.S. does not really concern us,” Finkel continued. “And no less importantly, make sure your elected representatives keep an eye on foreign affairs and human rights issues.”

The symposium schedule is:

 Jan. 25 – 7 p.m., keynote lecture, Evgeny Finkel

 Jan. 26 – 9 a.m., panel discussion, Collins Bugingo, Clara Hart and David Jal: “Global Mass Violence and Atrocities: Eyewitness Accounts”

 Jan. 26 – 10 a.m., film shown, “The White Helmets: Working with the Syrian Civil Defense”

 Jan. 26 – 11 a.m., panel discussion, Finkel, Jai-Ayla Quest and Kelsey Shantz, Stanley Foundation; and Taneeza Islam, South Dakota Voices for Peace: “Action and Involvement: Local, National and International.”