Beyond Genocide
Image courtesy When I heard that the Northern Provincial Council had passed a resolution on Genocide, I put my “head in my hands” again- something I did often during the previous regime.…
Author: Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy
Pride with a difference
Photo courtesy Maithripala Sirisena Facebook page There are times in one’s life when one becomes very proud of one’s country. For many it is when we win in cricket or in war.…
PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT PRESIDENT
I want to thank Mario and the family of ICES for asking me to make this presentation on what should be the priorities for the next president. There are of course many…
The Role of Women in Countering Extremism
I want to thank the government of the United Arab Emirates for taking this important initiative to have debate and discussion on one of the most pressing issues of our times. I…
The International Community Weighs In for Peace: The Case Study of Colombia
Photo courtesy Al Jazeera For most of us growing up in the 1970s and living through the 1980s and the 1990s, the armed conflict in Colombia seemed to be absolutely intractable. A…
International Human Rights: Dispelling the Myths
Photo courtesy JDS A Talk given at the Colombo Club, August 2014 Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. I do so with trepidation since speaking to captains of…
SITA MAMI
Photo by La Shawn Pagan via NYC Views and News They had to postpone the funeral by a couple of days. The children wanted to pay their last respects. Flights had to…
Head in my hands
Image courtesy Justice in Conflict Five years after the war I often think of how it could have been. A President who, the day after the war ends, speaks to the people…
Women and Children: The Cutting Edge of International Law
Photo by UN/Myriam Asmani, via World Education Blog The Grotius Lecture 2014[1] PREFACE Sometime at the end of 2011, while I was still the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General…
Religion and Politics in South Asia
Photo courtesy London Cosmopolitan Let me that I have to thank my friends and colleagues who discussed and challenged me throughout the process of preparing this presentation. They may not be satisfied…
The Mahatma Gandhi Oration: Is Gandhi relevant today?
In November last year the New York Metropolitan Opera showcased its production of Gandhi- an opera by Philip Glass on Mahatma Gandhi’s struggle in South Africa. Though there were mixed reviews about…