Speaker: Kate Cronin-Furman, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, International Security Program

Why do state perpetrators of mass atrocities stubbornly deny their crimes long after the evidence of guilt is clear? This talk will present an argument that such denials, even when totally unconvincing, can successfully affect members of the international community’s incentives to intervene. Evidence from Burma and Sri Lanka illustrates the specifics of this strategy and the conditions under which it is likely to succeed.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

This seminar will present an argument that states who are reluctant to comply with their human rights obligations employ "half-measures" as a coalition-blocking strategy to prevent the mobilization of cohesive international pressure and censure. A case study of response to international demand for post-conflict justice in Sri Lanka illustrates these dynamics and demonstrates that pursuing half-measures can successfully disrupt international pressure by targeting the set of less engaged states that act as veto points on multilateral action.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.