Departmental Seminars 2015-2016

During the academic year 2015-16 a series of lectures and seminars was held in the framework of the Swiss Center colloquium. These lectures cover a variety of topics, relevant to conflict, peace and inter-group relations from psychological, political, media related and sociological perspectives.

In cooperation with the Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations, we hosted two lectures related to international relations and conflict resolution during the first semester. Two scholars presented their work on Autonomy, Secession and Conflict: A Strategic Model and The Occupier's Dilemma: Foreign-Imposed Nation-Building after Ethnic War.  These lectures attracted both current and former students and teachers in the conflict research program, as well as research students from other programs at the Hebrew University.

All seminars are organized and coordinated by Dr. Yiftach Ron.

19.10.15

Meeting Title: Opening of the year meeting - acquaintance with the program and the program's lecturers

Date: Monday, October 19, 2015
Aba Even Hall, Truman Institute.

 

16.11.15

Lecture Title: Autonomy, Secession and Conflict: A Strategic Model

In collaboration with Prof. Danny Miodownik - Head, The Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations

Chair: Prof. Danny Miodownik

Lecturer: Prof. Simon Hug
                 The Department of Political Science and International Relations
                 Universite De Geneve

Opening Comments: Dr. Yiftach Ron

Date: Monday, November 16, 2015
Media Room no. 32, Central Library, Mount Scopus Campus

 

21.12.15

Lecture Title: The Geopolitics of Power Grids: The Case of Israel-Arab Countries

Chair: Dr. Yiftach Ron

Lecturer: Prof. Itay Fischhendler
                 The Department of Geography
                 The Hebrew university of Jerusalem

Date: Monday, December 21, 2015
Media Room no. 32, Central Library, Mount Scopus Campus

 

4.1.16

Lecture Title: The Occupier's Dilemma: Foreign-Imposed Nation-Building after Ethnic War

In collaboration with Prof. Danny Miodownik – Head, The Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations

Chair: Prof. Danny Miodownik

Lecturer: Prof. Nicholas Sambanis
                The Department of Political Science
                Yale University

Date: Monday, January 4, 2016
Media Room no. 32, Central Library, Mount Scopus Campus

 

14.3.16

A seminar held in cooperation with the Department of Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University as part of a conference organized by the Department of Communication and Journalism, The Swiss Center for Conflict Research and The Smart Family Institute of Communication. The conference discussed conflict from political communication, journalism, public opinion, discourse and psychological perspectives.

Panel Title: Journalism, Politics and Conflict 

Chair: Dr. Keren Tenenboim-Weinblatt

Speakers: Dr. Keren Tenenboim-Weinblatt, Prof. Motti Nieger, Dr. Christian Baden, Prof. Gadi Wolfsfeld, Prof. Moshe Negbi

Date: Monday, March 14, 2016
Room 501, Maiersdorf Faculty Club

 

4.4.16

Lecture Title: The Plan to Increase the Use of Mediation in Courts: Implementation,

                        Lessons Learnt and Future Implications

Chair: Dr. Yiftach Ron

Lecturer: Adv. Carmit Fenton, Adv. Nathaly Levi, Michal Lifshitz

Date: Monday, April 4, 2016
Media Room no. 32, Central Library, Mount Scopus Campus

 

30.5.16

A seminar held in cooperation with the Department of Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University as part of a conference organized by the Department of Communication and Journalism, The Swiss Center for Conflict Research and The Smart Family Institute of Communication. The conference discussed new media, conflict resolution and cultural, political and technological aspects.

Panel Title: New Media, Culture, Religion and Technology 

Chair: Dr. Nicholas John

Speakers: Dr. Nicholas John, Dr. Neta Kligler-Vilenchik, Prof. Menahem Blondheim, Dr. Hananel Rosenberg.

Respondent: Prof. Zizi Papacharissi

Date: Monday, May 30, 2016
Room 501, Maiersdorf Faculty Club

 

THE MARGUERITE WOLFF ANNUAL SEMINAR

Lecture Title: The Geopolitics of Power Grids: The Case of Israel-Arab Countries

Chair: Dr. Yiftach Ron

Lecturer: Prof. Itay Fischhendler, The Department of Geography, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem 

AbstractThe academic literature highlights the economic, social and environmental benefits of international electricity grids. Therefore, countries and international institutions often attempt to establish electricity integration via regional electricity grids. However, whereas research on natural resources, such as oil and gas, frequently seeks to understand policy outcome through a geopolitical prism, when it comes to electricity studies the prism is always economic or technical. This oversight may explain the failure of many attempts to establish power interconnections. Hence, this study is a first attempt to identify the geopolitical dimension of international electricity grids. The study argues that similarly to many other contentious natural resources issues, the resolution of conflicts relating to electricity transmission requires identifying how the geopolitical dimension interplays with the physical dimension of regional electricity integration. This study first presents the expected benefits from transboundary electricity grids. Then it suggests four geopolitical bottlenecks that may explain why many of the social benefits of electricity grids have not fully materialized. To examine the role of these geopolitical bottlenecks, the study examines negotiations protocols, spanning over 15 years, on establishing ten grid connections between Israel and its Arab neighbors. It finds that electricity geopolitics has been used both as a platform for deeper international cooperation and as a stick against neighboring states. When policies are driven by a peace dividend, proposals for grid connection appear to evolve and overcome the dependency and the security-economy bottlenecks. When relations deteriorate, proposals for grid connections appear to undergo reconsideration and to be held hostage by higher politics.  For both options, the geopolitical dimension  of electricity network is attributed to the nature of the electricity network as a twofold package.

Date: Monday, December 21, 2015
Media Room no. 32, Central Library, Mount Scopus Campus

Prof. Fischhendler is a member of the Geography Department at the Hebrew University. His research engages in environmental disputes resolution, and climates and political changes.

He examined cases in Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Canada, USA and Mexico. He publishes in academic journals dealing with environmental politics, geography, water, conflict resolution, ecological economics, changes in climates and more. Today he is involved in two projects of the European Union ( FP7) dealing with disputes in international waters and integrated coastal management.