Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, political scientist from the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock School of Public Affairs specializing in human rights and conflict-affected societies, and Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown and historian studying East Central Europe, reflected on how social sciences can help us understand the ongoing conflict.

They were joined on the panel by Dr. Oleksiy Gudz, vascular surgeon and assistant professor at the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (糖心Vlog传媒MS), and Dr. Kateryna Pitchford, professor of business at Central Baptist College in Conway, who represented the Arkansas Ukrainian community. Dr. Jess Porter, executive director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture, moderated the discussion.

The panelists covered a wide array of topics, from the differences in news coverage of the war between the US and Eastern European media, how the war has affected Ukrainians鈥� understanding of their own national identity, President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 use of history to justify the invasion, and the changing position of the US Congress on the issue of aid for Ukraine.

Gudz and Pitchford shared their personal experiences on how the war has affected their lives and the lives of their fellow Ukrainians. Gudz, who before joining 糖心Vlog传媒MS in 2023 lived and worked in Ivano-Frankivsk in Western Ukraine, recalled being woken up by the Russian missile attack at 5 a.m. on Feb. 24, 2022, the day the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

Pitchford, who comes from Dnipro in Eastern Ukraine, stressed the unprecedented nature of the attack. She noted that few expected a major global power to violate the integrity of national borders in the 21st century, especially in Europe.

In response, Wiebelhaus-Brahm reflected on the limits of international law. He pointed out that the United Nations (UN) is not able to do much because of Russia鈥檚 veto power as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. He also discussed the weaknesses of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which holds individuals accountable rather than nations. While ICC indicted Russia鈥檚 President Putin and some of his collaborators, the organization has limited means to hold the Russian leadership accountable for the country鈥檚 documented violations of international laws. More hopefully, actions to hold Russia accountable, however futile, may create legal precedent that constrains other countries in a future conflict.

Cieslak commented on how Russia uses history to justify the invasion by presenting a version of Eastern European history in which Ukrainians are not a separate nation, but what Putin calls 鈥淟ittle Russians.鈥� Consequently, that version of history undermines Ukraine鈥檚 right to exist as an independent state. Gudz added that Putin often claims Ukraine has been taken over by fascists and thus explains the invasion in terms of Russia鈥檚 supposed attempt to 鈥渄enazify鈥� Ukraine. Wiebelhaus-Brahm concluded that such false narratives 鈥渉elp Russians come to terms with what they are doing.鈥�

The panelists also discussed the changing sentiments towards Ukraine and Ukrainians in the US. Shortly after the invasion, the US Congress welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; today, the fate of US aid for Ukraine is uncertain. Gudz, Pitchford, and Porter specified that a huge part of the US aid for Ukraine stays in the US and boosts the American economy because the funds are direct investments in the defense industry. Camden, Arkansas, has been one of the largest beneficiaries of this trend.

Audience members in the fully packed room asked how they could support Ukraine. The panelists stressed that any help, not only financial, matters, including small individual actions. Wiebelhaus-Brahm pointed out the importance of staying informed by reading a variety of sources to discern between credible news coverage and misinformation surrounding the war.

Cieslak emphasized the significance of education. She noted each audience member could help their communities understand how the war affects us all now and how it may affect us in the future. She pointed out that the international community should be paying close attention to the war. Cieslak mentioned that Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which states an armed attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all members, has never been tested, and it remains uncertain if and how the war may escalate beyond Ukraine鈥檚 border.

Pitchford encouraged the audience to call their representatives in Congress and express their support for Ukraine. She also stressed the importance of spreading awareness about how Ukrainian people feel and what they experience on a daily basis, both in Ukraine and in the US where Ukrainian refugees are trying to establish new lives. She noted that some of the people in the audience were recent refugees who could use help with simple things, such as learning English language skills or finding a job.

Gudz stressed the importance of international solidarity and thanked the audience for attending the panel and supporting Ukrainians.

鈥淔or the Ukrainian people, it is the most important thing to know that we are not alone,鈥� Gudz said.

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The panel discussion, 鈥淭wo Years Later: Past, Present, and Future of Ukraine,鈥� is being held in light of the second anniversary of Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. The event is scheduled from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown (333 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock).

Experts Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, professor of public affairs, and Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown, will offer their perspective and insights on the current situation in Ukraine as well as their experiences teaching topics related to the ongoing events.

Two special guests from the local Ukrainian community, Dr. Oleksiy Gudz (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) and Dr. Kateryna Pitchford (Central Baptist College), will share their first hand experiences with the war, including how it has impacted their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Dr. Jess Porter, executive director of the Center for Arkansas History and Culture, will moderate the panel.

The event is free and open to the community. Parking will be available in the Central Arkansas Library System 鈥淟ibrary Square鈥� parking garage, situated behind 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown. Attendees are asked to bring their parking tickets for validation.

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Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, a professor of public affairs at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, traveled to Bogota, Colombia, to advise government officials, nonprofit employees, and activists on how to implement recommendations from Colombia鈥檚 Commission for Truth, Coexistence, and Non-Recurrence.

鈥淭ruth commissions, in many ways, are the start of the conversation about the past,鈥� Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. 鈥淭ruth is often needed before other things can happen to address the past. Truth commissions produce a final report with a history of what was investigated and recommendations about what else should be done about the past and how to prevent these things from happening in the future.鈥�

The commission was set up in 2016 as part of a peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). It was tasked with documenting human rights violations and explaining what caused the conflict to persist for so long, which began in 1964.

Colombia鈥檚 Truth Commission presented its final report in 2022, announcing that more than 450,000 people were killed and more than 121,000 people disappeared during almost six decades of conflict. The commission is part of a transitional justice system that is designed to help the country move towards a path of reconciliation and peace.

The commission drafted recommendations on eight issues with the goal of ending continued armed disputes, to build reconciliation between the people and institutions, and preventing the recurrence of armed conflict. A Follow-up and Monitoring Committee has been established in Colombia to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the commission through 2029.

Wiebelhaus-Brahm, author of the books 鈥淭ruth Commissions and Transitional Societies鈥� and 鈥淓xploring Truth Commission Recommendations in a Comparative Perspective,鈥� told his Colombian audience that there was a lot of reason for optimism.

鈥淥ur research on the recommendations from 13 truth commissions across Latin America reveals that, among other things, implementation of recommendations is more likely when victims and human rights organizations are strong, countries are comparatively wealthy, and the government prioritizes disseminating findings,鈥� he noted. 鈥淐olombia has all of these things going for it.鈥�

He added that truth commissions often recommend the creation of a follow-up body to coordinate and monitor implementation of the commission鈥檚 recommendations. This has happened in Colombia, but, in its first year of existence, Follow-Up Committee members have mostly been bogged down with determining which recommendations to prioritize.

鈥淒epending on how one counts them, the Colombian Truth Commission included more than 600 recommendations in its final report,鈥� Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. 鈥淯nfortunately, our research reveals that issuing a large number of recommendations reduces the odds of implementing any one of them.鈥�

While visiting Bogota, Wiebelhaus-Brahm also trained nonprofit officials and activists on how to combine different research methodologies to study efforts to address human rights violations and promote peace.

During the second week of his trip, Wiebelhaus-Brahm met with his fellow colleagues in the Gender, Justice, and Security Hub. The hub is funded by a 拢15.2 million, five-year grant from the Global Challenges Research Fund. The hub seeks to advance sustainable peace by developing an evidence base around gender, justice, and inclusive security in conflict-affected societies. As the research hub鈥檚 grant will end in 2024, Wiebelhaus-Brahm and his colleagues met to collaborate on on-going research.

鈥淲e have 30 different research projects going on in the hub, and the researchers are scattered throughout the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good time to go over our projects. With the hub coming to a close next year, we are also starting to identify the broader lessons we鈥檙e learning from our research and what will be the legacy of the Gender, Justice, and Security Hub.鈥�

In the hub, Wiebelhaus-Brahm鈥檚 research examines how foreign aid shapes justice and peacebuilding processes in conflict-affected societies.

鈥淒onor governments can be critical to providing the resources necessary to address human rights violations in countries beset by conflict,鈥� he said. 鈥淗owever, they may only be interested in funding initiatives that align with their conceptions of justice or their broader foreign policy agenda rather than programs that reflect local needs and desires.鈥�

Additionally, members of the hub had a chance to view local truth and reconciliation efforts in action. They met with a dozen local organizations in Colombia who are working to promote human rights, peace, and justice for violations that occurred during the civil war.

Some of the groups include a village that is using fiber arts to record the history of the village during the Columbian civil war, a dance academy that provides a creative outlet for youth that were affected by the civil war, and a support group for mothers that lost children during the conflict that use art and crafts to process their grief and memorialize their loved ones.

鈥淢any of these groups are people who are just trying to tell their story about what happened to them during the civil war and are finding new artistic outlets to express what happened,鈥� Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. 鈥淭he dance academy, for example, provides youth with creative outlets to process their feelings about what they鈥檝e experienced in their lives. Many of these youths come from poor backgrounds. Some of them have been displaced by the conflict, or their parents were before they were born. This is something that may also lead to a career.鈥�

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The Charles E. Scheidt Faculty Fellows in Atrocity Prevention program was created to engage faculty in a guided process of learning and exploration of the potential for their own disciplines to contribute to atrocity prevention.

鈥淭hrough building a community of about two dozen faculty members from across the country from a broad range of disciplines, we studied the state of academic research on atrocity prevention and supported each other in developing new pedagogy,鈥� Wiebelhaus-Brahm said.

Fellows come from a wide range of academic disciplines, including history, nursing, theater, education, business, data science, comparative literature, language and cultural studies, anthropology, political science, public administration, computer science, and environmental studies.

Fellows learn from I-GMAP鈥檚 faculty, staff, and practitioners resident at the Institute as well as each other. The program culminates with each faculty member developing or modifying at least one of their own courses to integrate an atrocity prevention lens, including designing relevant class activities and assessment tools.

The goal of the program is for college students to learn effective strategies to prevent atrocities and violence through the courses created and modified by Scheidt Faculty Fellows. Thus, more students will be asked to consider how they can contribute to the prevention of mass atrocities and other forms of identity-based violence throughout their educational and professional careers.

One other perk was that, after an academic year of virtual interaction, the fellowship culminated with attendance at the hosted by I-GMAP at Binghamton University. This year, the keynote was given by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, who co-founded Rappler, the top digital only news site that is leading the fight for press freedom in the Philippines.

Wiebelhaus-Brahm is currently revising his international human rights course, which will be offered this fall (POLS 3308), to consider the theory and practice of atrocity prevention. He estimates there are three additional courses he will restructure in the coming years with the knowledge he gained from the fellowship.

鈥淚鈥檓 really glad that I did this fellowship because it got me excited about revising and rejuvenating my classes,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ften, these classes can be very heavy, and dwell on the worst of humanity. I do not mean to diminish the suffering that happens around the world, but focusing on what interventions can happen to prevent or curtail violence and to ensure that it doesn鈥檛 happen again is empowering. I want students to think about what we can do when we see human rights violations. The assignments I鈥檓 developing will focus on what students can do in their communities and in society in general to help prevent future violence.鈥�

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