The International Issues Discussion (IID) series at Toronto Metropolitan University will present its first talk of the Winter 2025 series, “The End of Immunity: Holding World Leaders Accountable for Aggression, Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.”

Our guest will be Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, the 4^th President of the International Criminal Court (ICC). From 2012 to 2021, he served as a trial judge and appellate judge at the ICC. Prior to that, Dr Eboe-Osuji served as the Legal Advisor to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and at the Special Court for Sierra Leone as a senior prosecution counsel. Before joining the international public service, he practiced law as a barrister in Canada and Nigeria. He has held visiting professorships at the University of Windsor, UCLA, Stanford University , the University of Toronto, and the Harvard Kennedy School. He has also taught as adjunct lecturer at the University of Ottawa. His many honours include the Goler T. Butcher Medal of the American Society of International Law and the Chief Emeka Anyaoku lifetime achievement award. He is a member of the High-Level Legal Panel on Media Freedom, and a Senior Peace Fellow of the Public International Law and Policy Group. Amongst his publications is End of Immunity: Holding World Leaders Accountable for Aggression, Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity (2024). He is currently the Distinguished International Jurist at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at the Toronto Metropolitan University.

His talk will be held in-person on Wednesday, January 22nd between 6:30 and 8:30 pm in ENG 103 (the Vari Engineering Building, 245 Church Street, Toronto).

 Attendance is free and everyone is welcome.  

Founded in 2005, the IID is a non-partisan, student-led forum designed to engage all members of the TMU community on major events and issues in contemporary global affairs through reasoned, objective, and scholarly discourse. For further details about the IID and our series please see http://iid.kislenko.com  or contact the IID student leaders at iidseries@gmail.com

“The War on Terror” has become a hallmark of the contemporary international order. 9/11, the Bali bombings, 7/7, the Charlie Hebdo murders, the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, and many more incidents have become imbedded in our collective memories as symbols of a “new” global threat. Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, ISIS, and “the far right” have become terms in the common vernacular. Indeed, in many respects, both the realities and perceptions of terrorism affect the everyday lives of billions of people. But is it all really anything new?  Contrary to popular belief, terrorism has always been part of the international polity. From the terror cimbricus of ancient Rome, to the ?ashsh?sh?n of the Fatimid Empire, to the anarchists of 19^th century Russia: world history is littered with “terrorists.” But while we have used the word for more than two millennia, defining terrorism in any objective and universally agreed fashion has proven near impossible. This course will explore some of the many dimensions of global terrorism. Beginning with definitions, we will trace the development of terror as a political tool from the ancient world to the 21^st century: covering the cultural, religious, and ideological dimensions of some of the best – and least – known “terrorists” in history.  Examining terrorism as a contentious and subjective term throughout, this course offers an historical perspective with focus on the origins, structure, and dynamics of terrorism as an instrument of both state and non-state actors, as well as corresponding counter-terrorism strategies. Particular attention is on the 19th and 20th centuries, however we will also address terrorism in the current international order looking at groups like Al Qaeda, ISIS, continuing state-sponsored violence, the “lone wolf” phenomenon, and the many faces of so-called “homegrown” extremism.

For a country that no longer exists, the Soviet Union continues to have substantial impact on the contemporary global order. In 2005, Russian leader Vladimir Putin called the collapse of the Soviet Union “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century”.  He added that “for the Russian people, it became a genuine tragedy”, lamenting how millions of them were left outside of an “historical Russia”. At the time, many observers considered that and similar comments Putin made as nationalist rhetoric or simple nostalgia for a time when Russia represented more of a global power. However, following Russia’s 2014 occupation of Crimea, and its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Putin’s comments reveal a much more complex and dangerous world view: focused, at least in part, on the restoration of Russian and Soviet empires long since passed. In that respect, understanding the history of the Soviet Union is key to understanding modern Russia and the pivotal role it plays in today’s international order. It is also essential to understanding the fifteen other countries that used to be part of it, and the contemporary conflicts that haunt many of them.  This course explores the history of the Soviet Union from its origins to its collapse, with respect to both national and international dimensions. Topics include the collapse of imperial rule and the Russian Revolution; the civil war; Soviet efforts to reshape politics, the economy, and history; that nature of “everyday life” for the millions who lived in the country; the pivotal role of leadership, ideology, and ‘world views’; state violence and genocide; the Second World War; de-Stalinization and détente; Cold War foreign policy; division and decline in the Soviet empire; and the eventual collapse of the state. We will also examine the legacy of Soviet rule in the region today, particularly with respect to modern Russia, its role in global affairs, and the war in Ukraine.

What exactly are “human rights”? Can we define and promote concepts of “universal justice” across time and place? How do human rights and ideas about justice interact with the realities of conflict and security in international relations? This course is designed to explore some of the myriad issues shaping the relationships between human rights, principles of justice, and the realities of conflict:  focusing on both historical and contemporary international events. We will look at some basic philosophical and political conceptions, as well as how select major conflicts affected and affect the idea and reality of these notions over time. Within these parameters, we will tackle an array of complex and challenging themes, including colonialism, nationalism, radical ideologies, revolution, war, genocide, and sovereignty. Ultimately, this course is designed to introduce students to the perpetual struggles of humanity against tyranny and conflict in all its manifestations. In doing so, it should provide an expansive and wide-ranging context for the study of international relations through global history, but also through an interdisciplinary approach. Particular attention will be given to how nations and the international order have developed, or failed to develop, norms to preserve and promote human rights and the principles of “universal” justice.  With a better understanding of historical events, we can then turn to more contemporary examples: exploring different narratives on security, human rights, and justice around the world.  Using a “global lens” wherever possible, this course will hopefully facilitate an understanding of multiple – sometimes disagreeable – perspectives and narratives. The inherent controversies of that kind of approach will be embraced in order to discourage simplistic narratives of extremely complicated ideas and events, which makes meaningful discussion and change more difficult. In that light, maybe Walt Whitman was right when he said, “History’s not “was”.  It’s “is”.

akislenk@torontomu.ca

arne.kislenko@utoronto.ca

OFFICE HOURS:

at TMU:

Mondays        13:00-14:30 hours

Wednesdays   12:00- 13:30 hours      

Via Zoom: see your course outline/D2L shell

at U of T:

TUESDAYS 16:10-18:00 hours

LA 337

The Dale W. Nelson Award is available to students registered in the History BA programme or History majors in the Arts and Contemporary Studies (ACS) programme studying for at least one semester abroad as part of an international exchange. Further details can be found at Awards – Department of History – Ryerson University  and http://www.kislenko.com. 

Past Awards:

2007 – Julian Reid

2008 – Samantha Stevens-Hall

2015 – Muna Osman

2017 – Erin Pebesma and Noa Borden

One of two winners of the Dale W. Nelson Award in 2017 was Erin Pebesma. She received $2000 from the Award to help fund her studies at the University of Lincoln during the Winter 2017 term.

“Earlier this year I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a semester at the University of Lincoln in England. Thanks to the Dale W. Nelson award I was able to do more than just study history. Living in Lincoln for five months allowed me to be surrounded by more history than I’d ever experienced. Having never been out of North America, I was in love with all of the old cities and museums that made everything I’ve learned into something more real than images and words. Thanks to the Dale W. Nelson award I also had the opportunity to travel around England and Europe, exploring different cities and experiencing new cultures. York and Budapest were my favourite places to visit because of the mix of historic sites, green spaces, modern culture, and friendly atmosphere. After all of my travels, I’m now quite comfortable with being in new and unfamiliar places. I always knew that I wanted to study in England and travel the world, and now that I’ve had this experience I look forward to being able to travelling more in the future. I am so grateful for the community that so willingly took me in during my time in Lincoln, and I hope to maintain the relationships and connections I’ve made.”

Noa received $2000 from the Award to help fund her studies at Curtin University in Perth, Australia during the Winter 2017 term. Recently Noa reflected on her experience abroad and what the Nelson Award meant for her:

“This winter, I had the opportunity to escape cold and snowy Toronto for Curtin University in Perth, Australia. The campus is wonderfully designed to take full advantage of the warmth and sun of Australia’s west coast. Like Ryerson, Curtin is innovative and friendly, and there is a constant buzz of activity. Studying abroad has always been a dream of mine, and I was fortunate to do so in such a beautiful city. Being overseas, however, made me appreciate the community we have at home and our amazing space downtown. My primary interest as a history student has always been Europe, but the Dale Nelson award helped fund my travel in Australia and Southeast Asia, opening up my learning opportunities to regions I had not yet explored. I was able to participate in a number of cultural activities in Perth, such as Australian Rules Football, more commonly known as ‘Footy’, which is a mix of a number of sports with a special Aussie twist, and the ANZAC Day Dawn Ceremony which commemorates the sacrifices made by Australians in times of war.  Much like traveling from Toronto to either the East or West coasts of Canada, spending a week on Australia’s Eastern seaboard, in Sydney, during our mid-semester break gave me a very different perspective on what it means to be Australian, and the people who make up the incredibly diverse country. While there, I had the chance to give surfing a try at the renowned Bondi beach, followed by some well-deserved fish n’ chips. In Southeast Asia, the sights, sounds and smells were at times overwhelming, and it was truly a lifechanging experience. The major city centers exist on a scale that is difficult to comprehend, making the time we spent in the countryside even more special. it was refreshing to escape the crowds and learn about the local culture, language and food. It was also a good reminder of the privileged, stable lives we lead in Canada. With new perspective, and a little bit more comprehension, I look forward to this coming year at Ryerson, and sharing my experiences with incoming exchange students and those looking to go overseas.”

The 2015 winner of the Dale W. Nelson Award was Muna Osman. She received $2000 from the Award to help fund her studies at Radboud University in the Netherlands during the Winter 2015 term.

“This winter I had the amazing opportunity to study on exchange at Radboud University in the Netherlands. The chance to make new friends and explore different places are just some of the many benefits of studying on exchange. My exchange would not have been possible without the Dale Nelson Award. It allowed me to have a much more fulfilling experience in the Netherlands than I otherwise would have. It funded both my local and international trips where I was able to learn about new cultures, meet new people, and sightsee. For example, I had the chance to take part in the festivities at this year’s Kingsday in Amsterdam and get in touch with the Dutch. This was done by wearing a ton of orange and showing my Dutch pride. I also got to visit Denmark and was lucky enough to be there during Queen Margrethe’s 75th birthday celebrations and even caught a glimpse of her royal highness.  As a History student it was truly amazing to visit places I learned about in class such as Neue Wache in Berlin or the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and Palace of Versailles in France. And after going to museums such as the Louvre or Victoria and Albert Museum I probably won’t be able to look at the ROM the same way. Visiting museums for free is just a luxury us Torontonians sadly cannot afford. Not to mention I got to try my hand at learning new languages much to the amusement of the locals. It was also a bonus that my host university was located in one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. Where else but in Nijmegen can you have the world’s best hot chocolate in a pub built in 1542? Ever since high-school I always knew I wanted to go study abroad and in January 2015 I finally got to fulfil one of my dreams through the Dale Nelson Award. I now have new life-long friends, a second home, and heaps of memories that I will hold onto for the rest of my life.”

The Dale W. Nelson Award is available to students registered in the History BA programme, History Double Majors (with English or Philosophy), or History majors in the Arts and Contemporary Studies (ACS) programme studying for at least one semester abroad as part of an international exchange.

The award, formerly known as the History Travel Award, was founded by Dr. Arne Kislenko in 2006 with the belief that an international educational experience gives students a greater appreciation of diversity in the world, and simultaneously increases their self-confidence and independence. The award is now named for Dale W. Nelson (1958-1993), Dr. Kislenko’s best friend and brother-in-law, whose intellectual curiosity, legendary humour, and love of History were always inspirational.

Previous awards:

2007 Julian Reid

2008 Samantha Stevens-Hall

2009 – 2014 not awarded

2015 Muna Osman

2016 not awarded

2017 Noa Bordan and Erin Pebesma

2018 – 2024 not awarded

About Dale Nelson: About Dale Nelson