Ann Marie Park
International Education, 308.865.8944
Many issues that shape the quality of our lives have an international dimension. Global economic interdependence, the development of appropriate environmental strategies, the resolution of regional conflicts and the enhancement of human rights all require a global perspective. An important component of the education experience is discussion and interaction with people from many cultures. Since 1964, Kearney State College, now the University of Nebraska-Kearney, has sponsored an international conference to discuss issues of global importance. In 1988, the name of the conference was changed to honor Professor James E. Smith.
The United States today is facing two wars and the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression. As critical as our own situation is, it makes up only one small part of the staggering turmoil that encompasses our globe. As well as addressing the world financial crises directly, among the other challenges confronting the planet to be addressed at the James E. Smith Conference on World Affairs are the genocide in Darfur, anarchy in Somalia, the war in Gaza, the struggles of indigenous peoples in Colombia and Nicaragua, terrorist movements in Sri Lanka, the conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the role of NATO and EU enlargement. Through speeches and discussion by international experts, diplomats, and scholars we hope to introduce UNK faculty, students, and the broader Kearney community to just a few of the crises currently active and how they impact the United States and Nebraska. As every year, it is our hope that at least some members of the audience will be sufficiently inspired by what they hear at the conference to maintain a lifelong interest in international affairs and pursue further information about the outside world through reputable media sources.
Sunday, March 9
3:00-6:00: p.m. Scott & Cheryl Morris International & Intercultural Food Festival
Health & Sports Center
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Monday March 9
Ponderosa E
9:05-10:00: a.m. James E. Smith Midwest Conference on World Affairs Opening Address
‘World Event Trading: How to Analyze and Profit from Today’s Headlines”
Mr. Andrew Busch
Global FX Market Strategist for BMO Capital Markets
Moderator: Dr. Robert Young, Department of Accounting and Finance
Ponderosa A& B
10:10-11:00: The Effects of Globalization on Intra and Inter-State Relations
Dr. Roman Kosodiy, Associate Professor, Finance Department, Sumy National
Agrarian University, Sumy, Ukraine
“The Impact of Financial Globalization on National Financial Systems and
Economics”
Dr. Shimin Liu, Associate Professor, School of Business, University of
International Business and Economics, Beijing, China
“Going Global: An Organizational Learning Perspective on the International Expansion of Chinese Enterprises”.
Mr. Jiri Ellinger, Political Secretary, Embassy of the Czech Republic
“The European Union in the World Politics at the beginning of the 21st Century: A
View from the current Czech EU Presidency“
Moderator: Dr. William Avilles, Department of Political Science
Ponderosa C & D
10:10-11:00: Bhutan-The World’s Youngest Democracy: Transition Without Conflict
His Excellency Ambassador Lhatu Wangchuk
Ambassador of Bhutan to the U.N.
Moderator: Dr. Pradeep Barua, Department of History
Ponderosa A & B
11:15-12:05: Ethnic Conflict and Civil Society in Central and South Asia
Dr. Muttukrishna Sarvananthan, Principle Researcher, Point Pedro Institute of
Development, Point Pedro, Sri Lanka
“Understanding the ‘Liberation’ Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and its Leader: A
Firsthand View”
Dr. Shamsidden Karimov, Director, Tajikistan Development Foundation, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
“Post-Soviet Tajikistan and Democracy: Strengthening Civil Society as a Tool of Conflict Prevention”
Moderator: Dr. Nyla Ali Khan, Department of English
Ponderosa C & D
11:15-12:05: Science of Conflict Management
Dr. Kamlesh Lulla, Award winning space scientist and consultant in Space and
Geospatial Technology
“Space Technology and its Implications for Conflict Monitoring, Management and
Resolution”
Moderator: Dr. Vijendra Boken, Department of Geography
Ponderosa A & B
1:25-2:15: p.m. Human Rights and Activism in Latin America
Katherine Hoyt, Director
The Nicaragua Network
Fredy Romeiro Campo Chicangana
Indigenous Colombian Poet
Moderator:
Ponderosa C & D
1:25-2:15: p.m. State Building and Ethnic Conflict in Central Europe
His Excellency Ambassador Nicolae Chirtoaca
Embassy of Moldova
Her Excellency Ambassador Bisera Turkovic
Embassy of Bosnia-Herzegovina
Moderator: Dr. Carol Lilly, Department of History
Ponderosa A & B
2:30-3:20: p.m. The Role of Higher Education in Conflict Avoidance
Mr. Thomas A. Farrell, Associate Vice President for International Affairs
Nebraska University System
Dr. Natalia Ilyashenko, Head of the Informational and Analytical Office in the
International Relations Department, Novgorod State University
2:30-3:20: p.m. The Role of Regional Powers in Conflict Management
Mr. Mahmoud Farouk Amer, Deputy Consul General
Consulate of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Chicago, IL
Mr. Machiel van Niekerk, Consul Political
South African Consulate
Chicago, IL
Ponderosa E
8:00-9:00: p.m. Keynote Address: One Man, One Year, a World in Conflict
Kevin Sites, Conflict Journalist of “The Hot Zone”
Tuesday, March 10
Ponderosa A & B
9:30-10:45: a.m. Stability and Peace in the Sudan
His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Akec KA Khoc
Embassy of the Sudan
Moderator: Dr. Frank Tenkorang, Department of Economics
Ponderosa A & B
11:00-12:00: Freedom: The Path to Lasting Peace in the Sudan
Reverend Heidi McGinness, Director of Outreach for Christian Solidarity
International
Moderator: Dr. Frank Tenkorang, Department of Economics
Nebraskan Atrium
12:00-1:45 Take a Delegate to Lunch
( Please contact Barbara Amundson x8640 if interested)
Ponderosa A & B
2:00-3:15: Russia and Central Europe
Mr. Jan Jires, Department of Political Science
Charles University
Prague, Czech Republic
“Central Europe and Russia: A Relationship Forever in Conflict?”
Dr. Hans-Peter Hinrichsen, Counselor, Embassy of Germany
Moderator: Dr. Christopher Stevens, Department of Political Science
Ponderosa A & B
3: 30-4:30: Challenges and Developments on the African Continent
His Excellency Ambassador Ombeni Sefue, Embassy of Tanzania
His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Akec KA Khoc, Embassy of the Sudan
Moderator: Dr. Joan Blauwkamp, Department of Political Science
Ponderosa E
8:00-9:00 p.m. Keynote Address: Touring the World in Conflict
