Mershon Center for International Security Studies
September 28 , 2015
In This Issue
About Mershon Memo
Mershon Memo is a weekly e-mail newsletter distributed by the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, a unit of the Office of International Affairs at The Ohio State University.
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Mershon Events
Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Scott Snyder
Noon, 120 Mershon Center, 1501 Neil Ave.

Scott Snyder Scott Snyder is senior fellow for Korea studies and director of the program on U.S.-Korea policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. The program examines South Korea's efforts to contribute on the international stage; its potential influence and contributions as a middle power in East Asia; and the peninsular, regional, and global implications of North Korean instability. Snyder is co-author of The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash: East Asian Security and the United States (Columbia, 2015). In this talk, Snyder will isolate competing notions of national identity as the main obstacle to a productive Japan-South Korea partnership. Through public opinion data, interviews, and years of observation, he argues that incompatible, rapidly changing conceptions of national identity in Japan and South Korea have complicated territorial claims and international policy. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/snyderscott
Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Ali Çarkoğlu
3:30 p.m., 120 Mershon Center, 1501 Neil Ave.

Ali Carkoglu Ali Çarkoğlu is professor of international relations at Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey. His research focuses on voting behavior, party systems and political parties, religiosity, social capital, public opinion, and Turkish politics. Since September 2013, he serves as the dean at the College of Administrative Sciences and Economics. In this presentation, Çarkoğlu uses election panel survey data to account for vote choice in Turkey, aiming to contextualize the election storm for the larger shape of Turkish politics. How do the bases of electoral support change from one party to another? Are short-term economics more relevant than long-term ideology in shaping party preferences? Read more and register at go.osu.edu/carkoglu
Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Edgar S. Furniss Book Award Winner
Jacob Shapiro
12:30 p.m., 120 Mershon Center, 1501 Neil Ave.

Jacob Shapiro Jacob Shapiro is associate professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University and co-directs the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project. His active research projects study political violence, economic and political development in conflict zones, security policy, and urban conflict. He is author of The Terrorist's Dilemma: Managing Violent Covert Organizations, winner of the Edgar S. Furniss Book Award from the Mershon Center. The book is the first to systematically examine how terrorist groups are structured. Using agency theory, historical case studies, and terrorists' own documents, Shapiro discusses the managerial challenges terrorists face and shows how their political goals interact with the operational environment. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/shapiroj
Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Sarah Snyder
Noon, 120 Mershon Center, 1501 Neil Ave.

Sarah Snyder Sarah Snyder is assistant professor of history at American University, where she specializes in the history of the Cold War, human rights activism, and U.S. human rights policy. Her first book, Human Rights Activism and the End of the Cold War: A Transnational History of the Helsinki Network (Cambridge, 2012), analyzes the development of a transnational network devoted to human rights advocacy and its contributions at the end of the Cold War. Her second book, Dictators, Diplomats, and Dissidents: United States Human Rights Policy in the Long 1960s (Columbia, forthcoming), explores the development of U.S. human rights policy during the 1960s. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/snydersarah
Thursday, October 22, 2015

Gary King
3:30 p.m., 120 Mershon Center, 1501 Neil Ave.

Gary King Gary King is the Albert J. Weatherhead III University Professor at Harvard University, one of 24 with the title of University Professor, Harvard's most distinguished faculty position. He is based in the Department of Government and serves as director of the Institute for Qualitative Social Science. King develops and applies empirical methods in many areas of social science research, focusing innovations that span the range from statistical theory to practical application. His more than 150 journal articles, 20 open source software packages, and eight books span most aspects of political methodology, many fields of political science, and several other scholarly disciplines. King's work is widely read across scholarly fields beyond academia. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/kingg
Mershon News
October 1-2: Fall COMPAS Conference on Sustainability
 
Perhaps the greatest cultural, economic, and technological challenge facing modern democracies and global development groups is how to respond to the depletion of natural resources and the effects of climate change. The health of the planet as well as the future shape of human society is at stake.
 
COMPAS logo
Responding to these challenges will require a combination of scientific and technological expertise, social scientific analysis, and humanistic reflection. That is why the Conversations on Morality, Politics, and Society (COMPAS) program for 2015-16 will focus on the theme of Sustainability.
 
This year's fall COMPAS conference, co-sponsored by the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, will be on "Sustainability: Visions and Values."

The conference includes five panels featuring faculty members from Ohio State and other universities on:
  • What is Sustainability?
  • Institutional Responses
  • Global Justice
  • Future Generations
  • International Institutions and Cooperation 
The Fall COMPAS Conference will take place Thursday, October 1, through Friday, October 2, in the 11th floor of William Oxley Thompson Library, 1858 Neil Ave Mall. See the conference program here
 
The ethical and political issues raised by sustainability engage each of Ohio State's Discovery Themes: Energy and the Environment; Food Production and Security; Health and Wellness. The Sustainability COMPAS aims to unify Ohio State's many environmental research, policy, and educational programs within a single year-long "conversation" dedicated to finding feasible and socially responsible solutions to these challenges.
 
COMPAS is a program of the Ohio State Center for Ethics and Human Values.
Other Events
Monday, September 28, 2015

Gro Harlem Brundtland
Our Common Future: Global Sustainability in the 21st Century
3:30 p.m., Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St.
Sponsored by Provost's Discovery Themes Lecturer Program

Gro Harlem Brundtland Gro Harlem Brundtland earned her medical degree from Oslo University and a master's degree in public health from Harvard University. She later worked with the Ministry of Health in Oslo and focused on children's health. She also served three terms as prime minister of Norway, from 1981 to 1996. In addition, she served as Norway's Minister of the Environment, where she focused on issues of public health and the environment. Later, she served as the director-general of the World Health Organization from 1998-2003. In 2007, she was appointed as a UN Special Envoy for Climate Change. She is a founding member of the Elders, a group of 11 global leaders called together by Nelson Mandela, and chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to contribute their wisdom and integrity with the goal of conflict resolution of the world's problems. Read more and register
Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Ohio State Global Gateways
Fostering International Programs: Study, Research and Internships
1-4 p.m., 156 Thompson Library, 1858 Neil Ave. Mall

The Ohio State Global Gateways invite you to attend a workshop: Fostering International Programs: Study, Research and Internships on Wednesday, September 30 from 1- 4 p.m. in 156 Thompson Library. 

This workshop will consist of four sessions. Capacity is limited at the sessions and it is not necessary for you to attend all, but rather those most relevant to you. We ask that you please register for each session separately using the links below: 


Following the completion of the workshop, you are invited to join us on the 11th floor of the Thompson Library from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. for a Global Gateways reception. 

The reception will be a great opportunity to learn more about the Global Gateways and the programs and services they offer.  A selection of appetizers from each of the Global Gateway regions (Brazil, India, China) will be available for you to enjoy. 

Phoebe You (China), Ratnesh Bhattacharya (India) and Luke Barbara (Brazil) will be on hand to share recent developments from the Global Gateways.
Thursday, October 1, 2015

World Climate Exercise
Climate Change Negotiations Simulations with Dr. Andrew Light
9 a.m., 177 Scott Hall, 1090 Carmack Road
Sponsored by Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center

Andrew LightThe World Climate Exercise, developed by Climate Interactive, is a mock-UN role-playing event that engages participants in a simulation of the international climate talks that will take place in Paris in December 2015 (COP 21). During these talks, leaders from around the world will meet to reach a consensus that will address the global issue of climate change. Their goal: limit temperature increases to below 2 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. Participants in this exercise will take on the role of negotiator and will experience first-hand the obstacles in reaching an international climate deal. Andrew Light, director of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy at George Mason University, will be speaking to the participants about their experience with the simulation. As staff climate adviser in the Office of Policy Planning in the U.S. Department of State, Light has served on the senior strategy team for the UN climate negotiations and will help consult for the State Department during the upcoming talks in December. Read more and register
Monday, October 5, 2015

CHINA Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections
Chinese Investment in the United States
6 p.m., 120 Mershon Center, 1501 Neil Ave.
Sponsored by Institute for Chinese Studies and National Committee on U.S.-China Relations

Robert Rubin CHINA Town Hall is a national day of programming on China involving 70 cities throughout the United States. The 2015 program will feature a live webcast panel discussion with Robert Rubin (left), secretary of the treasury under President Bill Clinton; Sheldon Day, mayor of Thomasville, Ala.; Daniel Rosen, founding partner of the Rhodium Group; and Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. The panel will discuss Chinese foreign direct investment in the United States. The webcast will be paired with local presentations at venues across the country. At Ohio State, the presenter will be Rian Thum, assistant professor of history at Loyola University, and author of The Sacred Routes of Uyghur History (Harvard, 2014). Read more at go.osu.edu/chinatowntall15.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Monowar Hossain
2 p.m., E100 Scott Lab, 201 W. 19th Ave.

Monowar Hossain Monowar Hossain is professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, where he has also served as head of the Department of Water Resources Engineering and faculty dean of civil engineering. Hossain has served on many high-level government committees in Bangladesh, where he is currently executive director of the Institute of Water Modeling. His talk will examine structural and non-structural solutions to managing flooding and drought in Bangladesh in the face of climate change. This event is part of the Hydropolitics Lecture Series. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/hossainm
Other News
'Origins' examines runaway inflation in Argentina

 

Origins has published its new article: "Blue, Black, and Green: Inflation and the Fate of Argentina," by Carlos S. Dimas.

 

In the wake of the global financial collapse, the United States and other countries around the world have experienced historically low rates of inflation. Not so in Argentina. Although among the most advanced economies in Latin America, Argentina has been plagued for much of its history by sometimes unimaginable rates of inflation.

 

This month historian Carlos S. Dimas reviews the history of South America's third most populous country to ask why Argentina cannot seem to escape from the curse of inflationary cycles and their social dislocations. The whole article can be found at http://origins.osu.edu.

 

About Origins: Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective is a monthly ad-free magazine that features top scholars on today's most pressing topics. Published by The Ohio State History Department, its authors include National Book Award winners and world-renowned scholars. You can also explore reviews of popular history books on the Origins website as well as the new monthly feature Milestones.

Environmental film series: October 20 - November 24

 

The Office of Energy and Environment and the Environmental Professionals Network are hosting a film series designed to raise student awareness of climate change and the economic, health, political and environmental impacts resulting from climate change, on six Tuesday evenings this semester. Three evenings will screen episodes from the PBS series "Earth, A New Wild," and three evenings will screen episodes of the Showtime series "Years of Living Dangerously."

 

Each film is one hour in length, and a discussion session will follow hosted by a member of the Ohio State faculty. The film series is being offered as an independent credit course for students (ENR 4193 Section 35418) as well as open to anyone who would like to attend.

 

The film series takes place every Tuesday at 7 p.m. from October 20 through November 24 at U.S. Bank Theater in the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St.  See the schedule here 

Imam to hold weekend of events at Columbus church
 
First Community Church presents "Exploring the Myths, Realities & Spiritual Practices of Islam" with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf in a series of lectures, discussion, and spiritual practice to take place October 2-4 at the church's North Campus, 3777 Dublin Road in Columbus.
 

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf A leading voice for Islamic moderation and a renowned teacher of Sufi spirituality, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is founder of The Cordoba Initiative, a multi-national, multifaith organization dedicated to improving Muslim-West relations. For over two decades he served as Imam at the al-Farah Mosque in New York City, and is the author of Moving the Mountain: Beyond Ground Zero to a New Vision of Islam in America (Free Press, 2012) and What's Right with Islam Is What's Right with America (HarperCollins, 2005). He appears regularly at the Council on Foreign Relations and the World Economic Forum (Davos).

Friday, October 2, 7 p.m.
"Getting Islam Right: An Interview and Discussion with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf"

Former television news reporter and anchor, Minister of Spiritual Care Rev. Dr. Deborah Countiss Lindsay will be asking Imam Feisal a host of tough and engaging questions about Islam in America and globally, and will solicit further question-and-answer time from those in attendance.

Saturday, October 3, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
"Exploring the Spiritual Dimension of Islam: Sufi Teachings and Practice"
Imam Feisal leads a morning of teaching and practices to deepen our experience of the Holy through the wisdom of the Sufi spiritual tradition.

Sunday, October 4
Imam Feisal will be the guest preacher at First Community Church's 9:45 a.m. worship service at 3777 Dublin Road, and at the 11 a.m. worship service at the Tri-Village campus, 1320 Cambridge Blvd.

Read more and register for all events at fcchurch.com/imam
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