Former US Ambassador-at-Large for war crimes issues plans lecture for University students

David Scheffer (The Phnom Penh Post)

March 1, 2012
By BRITTANY FUTCH
RedandBlack.com (University of Georgia, USA)

Want to go?

• What: Presentation on war crimes
• Where: Larry Walker room of Dean Rusk Hall
• When: 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6

The University law school is hosting a former United States ambassador on March 6 to discuss his work on the prevention of atrocity crimes.

David Scheffer, who served as the first ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues from 1997-2001, is touring cities around the world to promote his new book “Missing Souls: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals.”

Scheffer’s presentation at the Larry Walker room of Dean Rusk Hall will address his role in developing tribunals to stop war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Cambodia.

In his speech to University students and faculty, Scheffer plans to talk about what he refers to as “atrocity crimes” and “atrocity law.”

“I will focus on the transformational developments in international justice that I participated in during [the 1990s],” Scheffer said.

He believes that these issues are extremely important for a new generation of voters to understand.

“Students need to be aware of the reality of atrocity crimes, how they shape politics and law and why the United States once was and again needs to be at the forefront of international justice,” Scheffer said.

Diane Marie Amann, the Emily and Ernest Woodruff Chair in International Law at the University, said she was honored that Scheffer is able to come speak at the University.

“He is a great speaker. He tells an inside story on United States involvement in trying to stop and punish war crimes,” Amann said about Scheffer.

Scheffer is now a professor of Law and the director of the Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern University. He also serves as the special representative in the United Nations that aims to correct problems with the tribunals in Cambodia and has published two books on the topic of war crimes.

“He is one of the preeminent experts on criminal law in the country, indeed in the world,” Amann said.

Nadia Gabriel, a freshman biological science major from Macon, agreed that students need to be informed on these issues.

“We’re upcoming voters, so stuff like that’s important to help us make decisions,” Gabriel said.

Scheffer also noted that atrocity crimes are relevant to University students because they are pertinent issues that appear in the news media.

“These issues are on the front pages of our papers and web sites every single day. Consider Syria. If you truly want to understand the significance of what is occurring in Syria today, my book provides the context from the 1990s that shows why accountability for atrocity crimes has become an imperative feature of international politics in our own time,” Scheffer said.

Amann hopes that this lecture will promote awareness of these issues and encourage students’ concern for the troubling issues unfolding around them.