Alan Kuperman, visiting scholar, Center for International Studies at USC, will speak on “The Moral Hazard of Humanitarian Intervention” on Wednesday, May 1, at noon in the Hampton Room of the Malott Commons on the Scripps College campus. This talk, part of the European Union Center of California Spring 2002 Lecture Series, is free and open to the public, and lunch will be available for purchase at the Malott Dining Hall prior to the lecture.
Using comparative case studies, Kuperman’s work examines why some vulnerable communal groups take up arms against government authorities-in the face of explicit threats of massive retaliation-and thereby trigger their own demise via genocide or ethnic cleansing. His lecture at Scripps will address several aspects of this topic, with special emphasis placed on recent illustrative cases such as Bosnia and Kosovo.
Author of The Limits of Humanitarian Intervention: Genocide in Ruwanda as well as numerous published articles, Kuperman has participated in several conferences worldwide. He is a former fellow with Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; the U.S. Agency for International Development; the U.S. Institute of Peace; the Institute for the Study of World Politics; and the European Union Visitors Programme, among others. In addition, he has served on the staff of three U.S. Congressmen: as legislative director for Charles E. Schumer of New York, as legislative assistant for Speaker of the House Thomas Foley of Washington, and as chief of staff for James H. Scheuer, also of New York.
Currently completing his doctoral degree in political science at MIT, Kuperman received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a master’s in international relations with an emphasis in conflict management and strategic studies from Johns Hopkins University. In the fall, he will join the faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, teaching courses in international relations, American foreign policy, and conflict management.
The European Union Center of California, housed on the Scripps College campus, sponsors Dr. Kuperman’s appearance. Part of a network of EU Centers nationwide, the EU Center of California seeks to promote education, scholarly research, and public understanding of European integration and its consequences.