Viewpoints on world affairs

17 April 2002 | The sobering events of the past year have reawakened public interest in the international situation. If you’re part of the trend — and want to learn more about globalization, national security, international conflict, human rights and related topics — stay tuned, as a number of prominent experts are slated to speak on campus this month.

Here is a roundup of upcoming lectures and forums.

The Millennium Development Goals: The Struggle Against Poverty in the Global Economy
Monday, April 22, 7:30 p.m., Pimentel Hall

Jeffrey Sachs is a professor of international trade at Harvard University, and director of the Center for International Development at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He serves as economic adviser to governments in Latin America, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Asia and Africa.

Internationalism In the Wake of Sept. 11: A Contrarian’s View
Thursday, April 25, 4-6 p.m.
Booth Auditorium, Boalt Hall

British-born commentator Christopher Hitchens, a prolific writer and public speaker, delivers the 2002 Sanford S. Elberg Lecture in International Studies.

Hitchens has written a weekly column for The Nation for nearly 20 years. Though a major figure on the British left and an outspoken critic of U.S. foreign policy, he is rarely predictable. His writing on the Sept. 11 attacks and abortion, for example, have stirred much controversy and debate.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For information, see globetrotter.berkeley.edu/Elberg/.

The Post-9/11 World
Thursday, April 25, 7 p.m.
155 Dwinelle Hall

Professor, political theorist and bestselling author Benjamin Barber will speak on “Jihad vs. McWorld: Terrorism’s Challenge to Democracy.”

A Harvard-educated political scientist and an adviser to former President Clinton, Barber is known as a compelling speaker. His 14 books include the current bestseller “Jihad vs. McWorld,” on the clash between tribalism and globalism, both of which he views as threats to democracy.

For information, call 642-8208.

After 9/11: American and European Perspectives on Security, Globalization and Conflict Resolution
Monday, April 29, 7-9 p.m., 1 Pimentel Hall

This first segment of the 2002 Peder Sather Symposium features distinguished panelists from Norway and Sweden: Rolf Ekéus, OSCE High Commissioner for Refugees; Espen Barth Eide, director of the U.N. Programme, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs; and former State Secretary in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

They will be joined by campus faculty members Steven Weber, professor of political science and director of the European Union Center, and David Caron, C. William Maxeiner Distinguished Professor of Law.

After 9/11: Human Rights at Home and Abroad
Tuesday, April 30, 2-5 p.m.
Maude Fife Room, 315 Wheeler Hall

The Peder Sather Symposium continues, with a panel including Berkeley law and human rights experts Ernst Haas, professor of government; Eric Stover, director of the campus’s Human Rights Center; and Law Professor Richard Buxbaum.

With them will be four distinguished Scandinavian guests: Henrik Syse, a researcher at the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo, Norway; Eric Östberg, senior prosecuting attorney on the former Yugoslavia Tribunal; Gerald Nagler, chair of the Swedish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights; and Rolf Ekéus, OSCE High Commissioner for Refugees.