Humanitarianism & World Order Events

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Fall 2005

Full-day Simulation of a Refugee Relief Operation: April 2005

As part of the “International Humanitarianism and World Order” and a related course offering in the Department of Anthropology, Sharon Hutchinson, with colleagues from InterWorks and from the Disaster Management Center at the UW-Madison, staged a full day “simulation” of an emergency refugee relief operation in the imaginary country of Suremia.

This was a hands-on, experience-near simulation of a rapidly evolving, five-month-long, emergency situation—condensed into eight exciting hours in which some 30 graduate and undergraduate students and a few faculty assumed individualized roles and responsibilities in seeking to protect, feed, house and attend to the health needs of some 13-20,000 refugees distributed among three imaginary border camps, each with its own unique set of needs and constraints.

All major dimensions of a “real” emergency relief operation were represented, from the political intricacies of international funding partners, national and local government officials, various national and international non-government organizations, roving security personnel, black marketers, logistical specialists, translators, journalists and so on, right down to representatives of the refugees themselves. Since no one could know everything that was going on at all times, all participants struggled to optimize their own contributions to the whole, despite recurring funding shortfalls, communication break-downs, logistical bottlenecks, epidemic outbreaks, security risks, political tensions, rumors and suspicions and the like as the simulation gained momentum.

Although everyone received information about general role guidelines and simulation rules, each participant was able to exercise a great deal of flexibility in playing out his or her responsibilities. Individual decisions, however, had measurable consequences. Hourly tallies of the number of refugees who had died, remained at risk or were sustained put pressure on everyone to devise creative “fixes” and to anticipate impending disasters. The exercise concluded with a lengthy “debriefing” in which everyone was given an opportunity to explain how the whole operation appeared from their particular position within it and to recount some of the most difficult decisions they had made. These revelations were often surprising to other members of the group and, as such, succeeded in deepening everyone’s awareness of the broader dynamics and inherent uncertainties in running an emergency relief operation.

This simulation proved such a success with students and faculty alike. We hope that “International Humanitarians and World Order” research circle, which funded this exercise with support from the UW International Institute, will be able to offer this exciting exercise again in the Spring of 2006.

Fall 2004

Friday, November 19th

Public Lecture: An overview of the crisis in Darfur

" Why what you call it matters: A meaningful response to atrocities in Darfur" by Stefanie Frease (Coalition for International Justice)

12-1:30 pm, Sewell Room, 8417 Social Science

Stefanie Frease is director of programs at the Washington-based Coalition for International Justice (CIJ), which supports the work of the international war crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and justice initiatives in East Timor, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia. Last summer Stefanie directed a precedent-setting project in which a multi-national team of experienced interviewers collected over 1,200 statements of refugees from Darfur living in Chad. The team¹s findings subsequently became the basis for US Secretary of State Colin Powell¹s historic genocide determination in September 2004. From 1995-2000 Stefanie worked as a research officer in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. From 1992-1994 she worked in Croatia and Bosnia assisting war relief efforts for the International Rescue Committee.

Thursday, November 18th

Workshop: "Setting investigatory precedent in the midst of a genocide: Collecting testimony from Darfurian refugees"

Stefanie Frease (Coalition for International Justice)

5-6:30 pm, 336 Ingraham

The workshop will be for faculty, graduate students, and others interested in conducting humanitarian research or field research in conflict-ridden areas. Frease will focus on the mechanics and logistics of her study, which included a randomized survey of 1,200 Darfur refugees in Chad.

October 20

Colloquium and Seminar: Responding to Mass Violations of Human Rights and Genocide: Rwanda and Sudan

Noon - 3:20 pm, Lubar Commons (7200 Law)

Program:

• 11:45 A light lunch will be available in Lubar Commons.
• 12:00-1:00pm Colloquium Presentation: " What does Rwanda teach us about Sudan (if anything)?"
  by Scott Straus, Assistant Professor of Political Science, UW-Madison.
• 1:00-1:20 Break and optional additional discussion.
• 1:20-1:50 Seminar Presentation: "Responding to Genocide: Reflections on Genocide in Rwanda"
  by Aloys Habimana, Rwandian Human Rights Activist and Visiting Human Rights Practioner, UW-Madison, 2004-05.
• 1:50-3:20: Questions and discussion on the implications of alternative definitions and claims of gross violations of human rights and genocide.

Sponsored by the African Studies Program, the New Research Initiative on Humanitarianism and World Order*, and The Global Legal Studies Initiative.

September 15

Monitoring Military Attacks Against Civilians in Sudan: An Insider's Account of a U.S.-led Human Rights Field Operation

Sharon Hutchinson, Professor, Anthropology, UW-Madison.

Sandwich Seminar: 12 Noon; 206 Ingraham

The Humanitarianism Research Initiative is an interdisciplinary group focused on humanitarian issues in the contemporary world. The group aims to promote innovative scholarship and research on humanitarian concerns as well as foster dialogue between academics and researchers.