By Sanam Amin
In the first couple of months here at the University of Kent, there have been many events and talks at the university, not just arranged by Kent Law School. A great many of them overlap and I’ve found myself trying to make a difficult decision on Tuesday evenings on which guest lecture to go to! Here are some highlights from the talks that I did attend.
Saleem Vahidy: (Former Chief of Witness and Victims Section, Special Court for Sierra Leone) – Between Security and Rights
A former police chief from Karachi, Saleem Vahidy provided witness protection during the trials in Sierra Leone and Rwanda. He provided insights into the war crimes procedures, and of the UN peace troops’ role in conflict. It was somewhat bleak, especially in his outline of the roles the UN and the international community plays: he stated that peacekeeping troops are only sent in once it becomes apparent that the fighting is nearing the end. He also said that high profile trials of perpetrators rely on the betrayal of their associates, therefore ends up protecting and rewarding the second tier of people responsible for mass atrocities, and that victims do not benefit from these proceedings. However, he inspired a good deal of debate and welcomed questions about how mass atrocities and war crimes can be addressed, and civilians be better protected.
Film viewing: Life and Debt, with discussion led by Dr Donatella Alessandrini
This film covered the tremendous damages done to Jamaica’s economy by forcing the nation to adhere to open market and globalisation policies after it attained independence. A former British colony, Jamaica had no capital when it joined the world as a new state, and was only allowed loans by the World Bank and the IMF on strict policy conditions that prevented them from focusing spending on education or healthcare. The film highlighted some obvious hypocrisies in not allowing farmer subsidies in Jamaica, although American farmers received them, and the import of migrant workers to the ‘Free Zone’ that was supposed to provide Jamaicans with jobs and viable income. The viewing was particularly topical as it was soon after Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to Jamaica, where he brushed aside Jamaica’s claim for reparations that recalled Britain’s profits made from the hideous history of slavery and colonialism.
Designer babies: One step further on the slippery slope?
The Cafe Scientifiques take place on the second Tuesday of each month, not on campus, but at the nearby pub Ye Olde Beverlie, which is a short walk from Woolf or Darwin. The ‘Designer babies’ talk was given by Professor Darren Griffin, who made creative use of balloons to give a lively overview of some of the current methods of genetic modification for us non-medical listeners. Although rather cramped compared to the seminar rooms and lecture theatres we have on campus, it was a nice change of environment, and Professor Griffin did a fair amount of mythbusting about genetic modification. This includes the very important point that genetic code does not define an individual’s destiny, or that a clone is an exact copy of the original – a popular interpretation in mainstream movies. There was also a pub quiz to keep us on our toes, with winners rewarded with Popsy sperm-shaped test tube shots. (They were disgusting, do not try them.)
Sundhya Pahuja, International Law and the Making of the World
The ambitiously titled lecture covered and connected chunks of world history, from imperialism and colonisation to the World Wars and the foundation of the nation states that we currently know. She reminded us that the nations of the world seem quite established to us now, but that they are still quite new. From here, she picked up the thread of ‘development’ and the methods used by the Bretton Woods institutions to ensure that the former colonies remain at the bottom of the pecking order, and that the superpowers retain their superpowers. There were some thoughtful moments from her when she candidly shared that there is more to research and add to her existing book, particularly in examining the mindset of the first leaders of newly independent nations, such as Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. In my opinion, towards the end it became slightly reductive: she said that we (governments, politicians, lawyers) can prioritise a new school over a new mining project, i.e. push for education and healthcare over ‘development’. However, this doesn’t really consider that if someone were to propose a clinic or hospital for a community that doesn’t have one, the first consideration will be how to provide electricity – and with that, the coal mine, oil field, offshore gas block, all immediately return to focus.
The UN at 70: has it run out of steam?
Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the former UK Ambassador to the UN (1998-2003) and UN Special Envoy to Iraq (2003-2004), spoke on the role of the UNA-UK, of which he is the current chair. Dr Phillip Cunliffe from the University of Kent’s School of Politics and International Relations also spoke at the event, as did two members of the Model United Nations. Sir Jeremy was quite eloquent and more candid than I expected a politician or diplomat to be. I asked him if he could link his experience as UN Special Envoy to Iraq to the rise of the so-called ‘Islamic State’ or Daesh. In response, he clearly delineated the invasion, the destabilisation of Iraq, the US’s attempt to ‘do the administration on the cheap’ as the Americans ‘thought things would solve themselves’. Key factors that he said contributed to the rise of Daesh were that the money from the oil and gas not going to the people, and that the Shia-Sunni divide were worsened by poorly thought out decisions on Iraq’s leadership and in the army. Although he did shift much of the blame for Iraq’s current instability on the US, he acknowledged that the UK should have known better given its colonial history. He criticised the Iraq invasion as ‘careless and foolish, without having the slightest idea of what would come next,’ and openly acknowledged that it was ‘the worst legacy we could have left Iraq.’
Refugee Action workshop
This event was a short one, as it was a stop during a tour of the University by the independent charity Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN). They had with them a group of under 18 refugees who had arrived in the UK unaccompanied by adults, from several war-torn regions: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Afghanistan, to name a few. Those who are over 16 cannot be fostered and are in a bind at the moment, as new regulations don’t allow them to take educational courses if they don’t have a basic level of English, whereas there is not enough funding for those necessary foundation courses.
The person from the charity shared a significant historical fact: in 1914, Folkstone had a population of 20,000, and yet was able to accommodate 60,000 refugees from the start of World War I. A hundred years later, the UK is offering to take in only 20,000. Kent remains the borough that receives the refugees coming across the channel, and the influx since 2008 means there needs to be more support from the rest of the country. It can make all the difference for people in the UK to protest, raise funds, write to the MP, and do whatever they can to raise their voices in favour of protecting and helping refugees. In addition, KRAN recommended looking into the work of L’auberge des migrants, in order to help support the refugees in Calais, where a few days of volunteering can help significantly.
KRAN offers support to unaccompanied minors, and can use volunteers and mentors. You can find out how to support their work from their website: http://kran.org.uk/