CfP: 'Human Rights, War, and Peace after the Cold War'

IPSA (RC 26) Human Rights Research Committee Korean Association of International Studies and Korea Future Foundation cordially invite you to submit proposals for a conference on 'Human Rights, War, and Peace after the Cold War' to be held in Seoul, Korea in June 16-18, 2011 Human rights and peace are two closely related concepts. In addition to being included among the missions of the United Nations (UN), they appear to have a causal relationship. Wars, international or civil, may be triggered by a sense of discrimination, deprivation of rights, or the desire to exercise peoples\' right to self-determination. Regardless of their cause, however, wars create conditions that inevitably involve copious violations of several rights, ranging from freedoms of movement and expression to the right to food, shelter and life, with more profound and harsher impacts on women. They also generate millions of refugees and internally displaced people who take place among the most vulnerable. The solidarity rights that were articulated in the 1970s included the right to peace, and in 1984, the UN adopted 'The Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace.' Moreover, the end of the Cold War promised not only peace but also a peace dividend that was expected by many to be channeled to the realization of social and economic rights. However, the end of the Cold War did not lead to a safer or more peaceful world but marked some changes in types of war. On the one hand, there is an increase in internal armed conflicts and civil wars. According to some estimates, today there are twice as many internally displaced people as international refugees. On the other hand, international conflicts and wars are not limited to those between states but involve states and international networks of armed groups. In addition to the casualties and violations stemming from the act of war, human rights groups are also concerned that repressive policies that used to be justified for serving the 'containment of communism' may now be introduced or revived as necessary to 'fight terrorism.' This three-day conference intends to bring together human rights scholars and practitioners to discuss human rights issues as related to peace and war in the post-Cold War era. Topics to be explored may include, but would not be limited to, the relationship between the international humanitarian and human rights laws, the approach and effectiveness of global and regional human rights regimes in preventing or addressing human rights violations in war zones, the impact of relatively new UN resolutions (e.g., Security Council resolution no. 1325) and treaties, the role and impact of the International Criminal Court, the role of international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the relevance and likely impact of new norms such as 'the responsibility to protect' and 'human security.' They can be explored in relation to specific conflicts and events, by focusing on individual or comparative case studies, or at the theoretical level. Papers on East Asian human rights issues are particularly welcome. Regardless of their thematic focus, however, all papers are expected to address human rights as a central issue. The conference is inter-disciplinary and open to all researchers who are interested in the study of human rights. The language of the conference is English. Interested researchers should submit a 250-300 word abstract of the paper that they would like to present by October 15, 2010. Proposals of panels that include 3-4 closely connected papers are welcome but should include both panel and paper abstracts. Abstracts should be submitted to the following all three members of the program committee: - Professor Sukhee Han at shan65[at]yonsei.ac.kr - Professor Anja Mihr at A.Mihr[at]uu.nl - Professor Füsun Türkmen at fturkmen[at]gsu.edu.tr The organizing committee will notify applicants by January 15, 2011. The accepted papers should be submitted by May 1, 2011, in order to be included in the program. The conference registration is open and free, but all participants are expected to pay for their own travel, lodging, food and other accommodations. Pending funding from the IPSA Secretariat, a modest travel support may be provided to 2-3 paper-givers from low income countries.