Lawyering Peace

In this compelling episode of Lawyering Peace, Ambassador Keith Harper, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council, explores the intricate relationship between human rights and the establishment of durable peace.  Drawing from his extensive experience in global diplomacy, Ambassador Harper discusses how the promotion and protection of human rights are essential pillars of lasting peace....

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Hind Kabawat, Deputy Head of the Syrian Negotiation Commission Office in Geneva. Hind shares her insights from growing up in Damascus to becoming a key figure in the Geneva peace talks. Hind delves into the profound challenges faced during the Syrian conflict, from the brutal dictatorship to the devastating chemical attacks in Ghouta. She recounts the har...

In part two of our conversation with Robert Ford, former U.S. Ambassador to Syria, we delve into the turbulent years of 2011-2014, a period marked by the breakdown of dialogue, escalating conflict, and the Geneva Peace Talks. Key Topics Covered: The Role of Embassies: Ford emphasizes the importance of neutrality in diplomatic missions, highlighting how U.S. involvement often complicates matters. D...

This episode of Lawyering Peace features part one of a conversation with Ambassador Robert Ford, who led the political office in the U.S. Embassy in Iraq from 2004 - 2006, during a pivotal time in the country’s history. Charged with helping Iraq rebuild its government, Ford offers a candid reflection on the challenges and lessons learned from the 2005 Iraqi elections—an event that was as much abou...

In this episode of Lawyering Peace, we sit down with Ambassador Jorge Lomanco, a distinguished diplomat from Mexico who has served as an ambassador to both the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Organization of American States. As the chief negotiator of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, for which he and his team were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Ambassador Lomanco bring...

Dive into the riveting behind-the-scenes story of Sudan’s 2020 Juba Peace Agreement negotiations with Mohammed al-Ta'ishi, chief negotiator for the Sudanese Transitional Government and key architect of the Agreement. In this must-listen episode of Lawyering Peace, al-Ta'ishi reveals the challenges and triumphs of negotiating peace amidst Sudan's complex military and civilian dynamics. From his roo...

In this special episode of the Lawyering Peace podcast, we are honored to host Ambassador Juan Esteban Aguirre, who brings a wealth of experience from his distinguished career as Paraguay's Minister of Foreign Affairs and as the Vice President of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Aguirre has also served as Paraguay's Ambassador to the United States, Canada, and Brazil, and as Head of Missio...

Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran joins Dr. Williams on this compelling episode of Lawyering Peace. Mr. Rudrakumaran, or Rudra, served as the former legal advisor to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka that commenced in 2000. He is currently heading the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam in exile as its Prime Minister.  Rudra provides a...

In this episode of the Lawyering Peace podcast, Dr. Paul Williams engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Professor Meg deGuzman, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Institute for International Law and Public Policy at Temple University. Professor de Guzman, a distinguished judge at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals and Senior Peace Fellow at PILPG, shares he...

In this episode of the Lawyering Peace podcast, Anna Triponel delves into the challenging yet hopeful post-Gaddafi era in Libya. After nearly 50 years of authoritarian rule, the nation faced the monumental task of building a new identity from the ground up, with no existing rule of law infrastructure or constitution. The Libyan people encountered a myriad of obstacles, including the widespread cir...

This episode of Lawyering Peace, features Chief Prosecutor for the UN Special Court for Sierra Leone (Special Court), David Crane. Crane is renowned for indicting Charles Taylor, the former President of Liberia, marking the first time a sitting head of state was held accountable for atrocity crimes. Given this milestone, the Special Court has been used as a blueprint for subsequent international c...

Ambassador Stephen Rapp, former US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, joins Dr. Paul R. Williams in this compelling episode of Lawyering Peace, to delve into the crucial role of global criminal justice in shaping durable peace. In this episode, Ambassador Rapp shares insights into accountability related to the Arab Spring, the Sierra Leone conflict, and the Rwandan Genocide, and emph...

In this episode, Dr. Williams speaks with Kate Gibson, an experienced lawyer who has represented former heads of state, military leaders, and victims of international crimes before international criminal courts and tribunals since 2005. Kate discusses how these tribunals can sometimes hinder peace, especially in cases of victor’s justice and when the process is too disconnected from the affected c...

In this episode, Dr. Paul R. Williams speaks with Michael Scharf, a drafter of the Statute that created the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Initially intended by the international legal community as a symbolic gesture, the tribunal became a powerful instrument of justice under a prosecutor  whose unwavering commitment to justice over political convenience challeng...

In this unique episode, we speak with Ambassador Zorica Maric Djordjevic, to explore the subtleties of diplomacy and Montenegro's extraordinary journey in international relations. The discussion unveils Montenegro as an understated success story in U.S. foreign policy, spotlighting Ambassador Djordjevic’s instrumental role in enhancing ties with the U.S., the United Nations, and the World Trade Or...

In this episode of "Lawyering Peace," we delve into the intricate dynamics of peace negotiation delegations, with a special focus on the critical roles played by women leaders in the Syrian opposition delegation. Our guest, Betsy Popken, brings insights from her tenure as the chief legal advisor during the Geneva peace talks (2015 - 2017). Peek into the rigorous training and strategic planning tha...

In this episode of the Lawyering Peace podcast, we delve into Guatemala's journey toward peace through the lens of the 1996 Peace Accords process, which concluded 36 years of internal conflict. Ambassador Donald Planty, the United States Ambassador to Guatemala during the peace process, shares his firsthand experiences from engaging in the process, emphasizing the crucial role of international coo...

Robert Perito is an expert in security sector reform and governance and has been involved in post-conflict processes in regions and states across the globe, including Angola, Haiti, Liberia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya.  This episode explores Bob’s career as a Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Department of State, during which time Bob chaired the US delegation to the Angolan...

Matt Simpson has been engaged in several peace and post-conflict processes around the world, and is now Co-Chair of the Private Equity Practice at Mintz. This episode delves into Matt’s role as the Principal Legal Advisor to the Darfur Delegation in the Doha Round of Peace Negotiations, which aimed to resolve the Darfur conflict. In this position, Matt led a team of over two dozen international le...

Dr. Patrick Maluki is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Nairobi and Kenya’s top expert in peace and diplomacy.  Dr. Maluki has extensive experience in the peace and conflict mediation arena. He holds a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology in Kenya and is an expert trainer and researcher in international negotiation, mediation, human rights...

Yoonie Kim is a former PILPG-er, and is currently a Senior Political Affairs Officer and the Gulf Team Leader at the United Nations. This episode explores Yoonie’s time serving as Senior Advisor and Special Assistant to the UN Special Envoy Jamal Benomar on the Yemen peace process, examining the ways in which mediation teams operate when supporting challenging and complex negotiations, and the imp...

Vartan Oskanian, is the former Minister of Foreign Affairs for Armenia, and a former member of the Armenian Parliament. This episode delves into Vartan’s role as Armenia’s chief negotiator for the Nagorno Karabakh Key West negotiations in 2001, which sought to resolve the protracted Nagorno Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The episode in part explores the realities of negotiations...

Dr. Alush Gashi has extensive diplomatic and political experience in the peace negotiations and self determination space and is a widely respected human rights activist. This episode focuses on the integral contribution Alush has made to the realization of Kosovar self determination, exploring his time as Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic League of Kosova and Senior Advisor to Preside...

President Igor Luksic is the former President of Montenegro, having held myriad other positions in Montenegro’s government, including that of Finance Minister and Foreign Minister.  In this episode, the conversation explores Igor’s role as a key member of the Constitutional Commission which negotiated the Union Treaty of Serbia and Montenegro on Montenegro’s behalf. The Union Treaty provided for t...