Exploring Sovereignty and Intervention at the EPIIC Symposium

We find ourselves in a political climate of great intensity. Our own country is contemplating a war that much of its populace does not support. A great nuclear belligerent is making dangerous overtures. Our allies in Europe are spurring fractious debate. This is not a time when isolationism and introversion are qualities to be admired, especially in an academic setting such as Tufts. We must also realize that the causes of these international dilemmas, as well as the potential solutions, are not abstract, faceless market forces or "globalization", but real, interested, powerful people. Some of them run non-governmental organizations, some are brilliant economists, some are generals, some are heads of state and some are victims.

Now, visualize these people in a room, debating the futures of notions of sovereignty and global intervention. Imagine they say something that proves everything you've come to believe from years of near-Ivy league overachieving completely false. Or better yet, imagine that they piece together and bring to life all the theories and abstract text that you have grappled with over the past several years. What would you think? What would you say? Now place this entire scenario on your campus, and give yourself a front row seat. Welcome to this year's EPIIC symposium on Sovereignty and Intervention.

In two weeks, a collection of incredibly distinguished academics, practitioners, theorists, victims and former heads of state will convene on this campus under the banner of non-polemical discourse. They will speak on a broad spanning range of topics, from pressing international crises ("Israel-Palestine: The Conundrum of Coexistence", "Market Evolution and Political Revolution: Mad Money in Latin America") and populations ravaged by famine and war ("Humanitarian intervention and Human Rights: The Responsibility to Protect?", "Preserving the Peace: Dilemmas of Nation-building") to transnational threats ("Transcending Borders: Global Governance and the Environment", "Transnational Crime: Subverting Sovereignty") and metaphysical questions of self ("Sovereignty of the Self: Genomics and Being Human in the 21st Century). Panelists include the former President of Ireland, a former Senior U.N. peacekeeping commander, former foreign minister of Australia, President of the Council of Foreign Relations, and the Secretary General of Interpol (invited). This international symposium provides a unique and important opportunity for Tufts students, not only to learn about the experiences, opinions, and visions of these captivating panelists, but also to challenge and engage in conversation with these speakers on such compelling issues.

The theme, sovereignty and intervention, bears a striking relevance to our current international condition. Considering these pressing circumstances, once again, we are reminded of our responsibility to think outside of our, often inflexible, Tufts bubble and beyond our traditional frameworks. The EPIIC symposium, featuring diverse perspectives, including non-western viewpoints stretching from all corners of our globe, grants us a forum in which we can explore the interplay among these deeply entrenched ideas. As members of a university that purports to educate students for a global community, it behooves us all to attend. It's an opportunity for interested minds, as well as those repenting for previous lack of interest, to think and inquire with these distinguished guests about what kind of global climate we are now entering.

Naomi Sleeper in a senior majoring in Philosophy and Environmental Studies and J. Jeremy Sueker is a freshman who has not declared a major.