Bahá’í Chair Event Examines Role of Violence and Global Governance

The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace is proud to present “Cascades of Violence and Global Governance of Peace” at 3 p.m. Nov. 16 in the McKeldin Library Special Events Room (6137). 

Dr. John Braithwaite, distinguished professor at Australian National University, will examine challenges to global governance and peace.

The talk will focus on nonviolent demonstrations and how they are often hijacked by violent actors or evolve into major conflicts, as seen with the Arab Uprisings and the Syrian civil war. Dr. Braithwhite will discuss norms of global governance as well as the role of the state, business entrepreneurs, criminals, and civilians in preventing the outbreak of large-scale violence. 

“Given the level of injustices in the world, we must reexamine how to better govern societies through existing government institutions, international organizations, and private sector actors. The Bahá’í Chair is interested in discussing the gaps and identifying possible solutions,” said Dr. Hoda Mahmoudi, research professor at the University of Maryland and holder of the endowed chair. “The Bahá'í Chair is interested in exploring new thinking and interventions about international governance that anticipates rather than reacts to future transformations. Professor Braithwaite’s impressive work in the globalization and governance of peace addresses this critical issue.”

Dr. Braithwaite leads the Peacebuilding Compared Project, which explores how peacebuilding can contribute to justice and development by analyzing data from sixty different wars since 1990. He is the founder of the Regulatory Institutions Network (RegNet)—a network of scholars that focus on governance and regulation issues, spanning themes of climate, human rights, law & justice, society, and trade. He is the author of several books, including Pharmaceuticals, Corporate Crime and Public Health (2014), Networked Governance of Freedom and Tyranny (2012), Regulatory Capitalism: How it works, ideas for making it work better (2008), Restorative Justice and Responsive Regulation (2002), and Shame Management through Reintegration (2001). His work has focused on peace movements, the politics of development, social movements for restorative justice, business regulation, and crime.

The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace is a renowned academic program within the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. It uses interdisciplinary discourse to examine the way actors and institutions effect social change and transform society. The Bahá’í Chair invites students, teachers, administrators, and other participants to discuss the challenges of global governance. This event will be cosponsored with UMD’s Center for the Study of Business Ethics, Regulation, and Crime (C-BERC).

For more information on the program, please visit the Bahá’í Chair website, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Published on Wed, Nov 11, 2015 - 10:20AM