March 14: Experience the horrors and hopes facing child soldiers in Africa

An activist, a legal scholar, and a former child soldier show films and discuss “From Conscription to Justice and Reintegration: Child Soldiers in Africa”

When: Wednesday, March 14, 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Where: The Old Centrum 520 E. 12th Street Indianapolis 46202

Citizens for Global Solutions presents Bukeni Waruzi Beck, Executive Director of AJEDIKa/Projet Enfants Soldats, and Madeleine, a former girl soldier from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for a public discussion and screening on child soldiers and the work of Mr. Beck’s organization. A light reception will follow.

The systematic and widespread use of children—the most vulnerable members of the population—in armed conflict is not new. The plight of these children continues to shock the conscience and demands immediate and urgent action.

Created to provide justice and accountability to victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has commenced its first landmark case against a Congolese warlord accused of forcibly recruiting and conscripting tens of thousands of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In a recent visit to the ICC, Citizens for Global Solutions’ Legal Analyst, Golzar Kheiltash, met with a remarkable man fighting on the frontlines on behalf of child soldiers in Africa. Mr. Bukeni T. Waruzi Beck is an activist and filmmaker who has dedicated his life to not only revealing the plight of child soldiers, but to giving these children a second chance. Mr. Beck documents the stories of hundreds of child soldiers on film, revealing a stark and systematic cycle of recruitment and conscription, narrated by the children and their families in their own words. His films powerfully demonstrate the difficulties of many children who want to reintegrate into their communities after leaving the camps. This is especially true of girl soldiers who have suffered the added brutality of rape and sexual violence at the hands of their commanders.

Through his NGO, AJEDI-Ka/Projet Enfants Soldats, Mr. Beck combines the power of film with the power of hope: a dedicated staff of eight works tirelessly to demobilize and reintegrate girl and boy soldiers and maintain long-term follow up on the welfare of these children. In the words of Mr. Beck, “we at AJEDIKa/Projet Enfants Soldats devote our efforts to protecting the rights of children and the promotion of justice in their cause.”

Through their Connecting Global to Local initiative, Citizens for Global Solutions highlights Beck’s extraordinary work and provides those of us in Indianapolis with a unique opportunity to engage him on this critical issue.

• From the North: Take Central Avenue south to the intersection of 12th Street and Central Avenue. The Old Centrum will be on your left.


• From the South: Take Delaware Street north to 13th Street. Go east (right turn) on 13th Street to Central Avenue. Go south (right turn) on Central Avenue. The Old Centrum will be immediately on your left.


• From the West: Take 16th Street east to Central Avenue. Go south (right turn) on Central Avenue to the intersection of 12th Street and Central Avenue. The Old Centrum will be on your left.


• From the East: Take Washington Street west to Delaware Street. Go north on Delaware (right turn) to 13th Street. Turn east (right turn) on 13th Street to Central Avenue. Go south (right turn) on Central Avenue. The Old Centrum will be on your left.


• Parking: The Old Centrum parking lot is on the east side of Central Avenue, just north of the Old Centrum building. There is also free parking along Central Avenue, as well as 12th Street.

For a clip of Bekeni Beck, go here.

If you like this event, make sure you see Bukeni, Madelaine, and Golzar when they discuss the International Criminal Court on March 13.

March 13: discuss the International Criminal Court and (and with) child soldiers

March 13: Discuss war crimes with international law expert Golzar Kheiltash and a former child soldier from Congo

When: Tuesday, March 13 registration starts at 7:00; presentation and discussion 7:30 to 8:45 PM

Where: Butler University, Jordan Hall Room 141.

The creation of the International Criminal Court has established a new venue for investigating and prosecuting war crimes, despite a lack of U.S. participation. Will the non-participation of the U.S. weaken the power of the ICC? What challenges are faced by the ICC in punishing war criminals?

As part of the Indiana Council on World Affairs Great Decisions series, we have a very unique chance to hear first hand reports about the current evolution of the International Criminal Court. The ICC is launching its first case, formally charging Thomas Lubanga Dyilo (the onetime leader of the country's Union des Patriotes Congolais) with "war crimes of enlisting and conscripting of children under the age of fifteen years." Although the US has opposed the ICC, fearing that American soldiers or policymakers could be subject to prosecution, it has cooperated in the case against Lubanga.

Explaining the significance of this development will be Indianapolis favorite, Golzar Kheiltash, of Citizens for Global Solutions. Golzar combines a rigorous academic legal background with strong advocacy skills to promote international legal norms and mechanisms that can prevent and punish the most heinous crimes such as genocide. Golzar has researched, analyzed, and advocated for the ICC in a personal and professional capacity for the last seven years, and currently coordinates the Washington Working Group on the ICC (WICC).

As Golzar said recently: "Thomas Lubanga Dyilo is exactly the type of person for whom the ICC was created -- a warlord who has forced children as young as nine to commit murder, rape, and mutilation, often against their own family members." She has been working closely on the case in DC and The Hague.

Tuesday March 13 at Butler University Golzar will be joined by two special visitors to Indianapolis. In a recent visit to the ICC, Golzar met Bukeni Beck, an activist and filmmaker who seeks to revealing the plight of child soldiers and to give these children a second chance. Beck documents the stories of hundreds of child soldiers on film, revealing a stark and systematic cycle of recruitment and conscription, narrated by the children and their families in their own words. His films demonstrate the difficulties of many children who want to reintegrate into their communities after leaving the camps. This is especially true of girl soldiers who have suffered the added brutality of rape and sexual violence at the hands of their commanders.

Bukeni and Golzar will be accompanied by "Madelaine," a fifteen year old former girl soldier from Congo.

What a fantastic opportunity to hear how these terrible issues are being addressed at a global and multilateral level, and at a local level as well.

For more information on AJEDI Ka/Projet Enfants Soldats, please visit: www.ajedika.org. For more information about Citizens for Global Solutions, please visit: www.globalsolutions.org.
For more information about the visit of Golzar and friends, contact Rich Stazinski at rstazinski@globalsolutions.org; and for information about the ICWA Great Decisions program, contact Bob Reardon at jrreardon@ccrtc.com.

If this sounds like an interesting event, make sure you check out Golzar, Bukeni, and "Madelaine" on March 14 when Bukeni shows and discusses some of his films about child soldiers and their rehabilitation.

The cost for a couple to attend this talk is $5.

February 22: Listen to Taner Akçam, the Turk who believes in the Armenian Genocide

Taner Akçam, one of Turkey's most historians, comes to the Indianapolis Committee on Foreign Relations's dinner to discuss "The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility"

When: Thursday February 22, 5:45 refreshments; 6:30 dinner; 7:30 presentation
Where: Five Seasons Country Club, 1300 E. 96th St.

Here's the publisher's description of his book, From Empire to Republic: Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide:

The murder of more than one million Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish government in 1915 has been acknowledged as genocide. Yet almost 100 years later, these crimes remain unrecognized by the Turkish state. This book is the first attempt by a Turk to understand the genocide from a perpetrator's, rather than victim's, perspective, and to contextualize the events of 1915 within Turkey's political history and western regional policies. Turkey today is in the midst of a tumultuous transition. It is emerging from its Ottoman legacy and on its way to recognition by the west as a normal nation state. But until it confronts its past and present violations of human rights, it will never be a truly democratic nation. This book explores the sources of the Armenian genocide, how Turks today view it, the meanings of Turkish and Armenian identity, and how the long legacy of western intervention in the region has suppressed reform, rather than promoted democracy.

For a taste of the controversy Akçam inspires, visit his book's page at amazon.com and read the reviews by readers.

To RSVP for this important event contact Courtenay Weldon at Courtenay@cweldon.net.

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January 14: Discuss race, law, and civil rights with legal scholar and activist Christopher Edley

One of the country's most important thinkers about race, law and culture speaks to the IU School of Law Indianapolis 37th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner

When: Sunday, January 14 6:00 PM
Where: the Downtown Marriott Ballroom

Christopher Edley, Jr., Dean and Professor of Law at Boalt Hall, University of California, Berkeley, will deliver a talk about "Building Success Through Unity” for the IU Indianapolis Law School's 37th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner.

Prof. Edley combines academic expertise in public policy and civil rights law with an impressive record of hands-on public policy work in the White House, on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail. A veteran of two tours of White House service and twice that many presidential campaigns, Edley has played a central role in the high-stakes world of national politics for nearly 30 years. A former professor at Harvard Law School, where he taught for two decades and co-founded its Civil Rights Project, Edley became Dean of Law at Boalt in 2004. As special counsel to President Clinton, he led the White House review of affirmative action programs and helped develop Clinton’s "Mend it, don’t end it" position on affirmative action; at the Office of Management and Budget he oversaw one-quarter of the federal budget. In the Carter administration he served as assistant director of the White House domestic policy staff, where his responsibilities included welfare reform, social security and a variety of anti-poverty measures. Edley has served on numerous boards and commissions including the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the Carter-Ford National Commission on Federal Election Reform, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

The dinner is co-sponsored by Indiana Black Expo, the IUPUI Black Student Union, the IUPUI Office of Campus and Community Life and the IU School of Law-Indianapolis. Tickets are $40.00 and are available until January 7, through the IUPUI Office of Campus and Community Life, 317-274-3931.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out Edley's colleague at Boalt Hall, John Yoo, on March 2. What a contrast! A couple of other discussions of civil rights and African Americans should touch on the same themes Edley will address: journalist Tavis Smiley on February 2, and public intellectuals Henry Louis Gates and John Hope Franklin April 5. Some of the same themes will be addressed by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on March 8.

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January 24-25: Discover opportunities in China at a two day conference

"China: A Two-Way Street: A forum on China's economic growth and opportunities for Indiana" -- An important conference about the opportunities China's economy offers to Hoosiers (It's more than only job losses!)

When: Wednesday January 24 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, reception 4:30-6:00 PM; Thursday January 25 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Where: Westin Hotel, downtown Indianapolis. Sponsored by Indiana State University.

This conference is organized by Indiana State University's Networks Financial Institute, which "exists to help the financial services industry transform itself through better leadership, creative collaboration, and community-based financial literacy initiatives." They do have a stellar line-up for the day and a half conference.

The January 24 session will focus on two questions:

• Why China? Exchange of ideas and information regarding the opportunities and benefits to Indiana from developing relationships and conducting business with the Chinese, especially related to capital investment and trade will be addressed.
• How to work with China? Specific issues such as Chinese tax law and acquisition, labor law and more will also be addressed.

Some of the stars speaking on the 24th will be Ted Fishman, author of the bestselling China Inc.: How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges the United States; Xing Yuanyuan, professor at Liaoning University and visiting scholar at Indiana State University; and Jack Perkowski, chairman and CEO of ASIMCO, one of the largest foreign invested manufacturing operations in China (often named one of the "ten best employers in China.")

The January 25 half day session will focus on "China's Changing Financial System: Can It Catch Up With, Or Even Drive, Growth." A panel of Chinese Business relations experts will address to several interesting questions:

• What are the current weaknesses and strengths in the Chinese financial system?
• What is the pace of reform and is it sufficient?
• Is the financial system impairing growth?
• Will the financial sector become a leading sector for rapid growth in the United States?

Speaking will be James R. Barth is the Lowder Eminent Scholar in Finance at Auburn University and a Senior Finance Fellow at the Milken Institute; and Morris Goldstein, the Dennis Weatherstone Senior Fellow at the Institute for International Economics.

The conference costs $75. For information and a registration form, contact Linda Beckwith at 317-536-0281 or 800-603-7113; or Register Online Here. The registration deadline is 17 January.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out events at the World Trade Club such as its review of US trade policy February 20. You can get a very different perspective on culture with a Chinese music and art event at UIndy Valentine's Day.

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Visit IndyBuzz's sister site "Views-PRI" for an essay that connects many of the events related to Asian economy and culture: "China, Japan, Indiana: Eastern and Midwestern Cultures Mingle."

February 1: Join Alice Kaplan in exploring writers' responsibilities and accountability

Award-winning author Alice Kaplan will discuss writers and responsibility, engagement and justice.

When: Thursday February 1, 7:30 PM
Where: Butler University, Jordan Hall 304

Alice Kaplan comes to Butler University as part of the Vivian S. Delbrook Writers Studio. Kaplan is a professor of romance studies, literature and history at Duke University. Her books include The Collaborator: The Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach, which won The Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History. Most Americans don't know about Robert Brasillach, a writer who was executed after World War II for collaborating with the fascists. Executed for intellectual rather than political crimes, for not for what he did but for what he wrote. Kaplan calls him "the James Dean of French Fascism," although presumably not because of the way he looked.

What makes Kaplan's work on Brasillach as well as other aspects of French literary fascism is not (only) that her father was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials after World War II. It is that her time at Yale coincided with the height of fashionability of Yale French professor Paul de Man. After de Man's death in 1983, it was revealed that he had himself written extensively for anti-semitic and pro-fascist newspapers in Belgium during the war.

This should be a very interesting talk. For interviews with Prof. Kaplan, go here and here. The Collaborator is a nicely written piece of history, you can read a chapter here. Here's an article that places Prof. Kaplan's work in a bigger context.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some other events that are curiously connected. Kaplan could help more sense of Europe, the emerging superpower in John McCormick's vision of the world (January 30). She also could help illuminate the Great Decisions groups' questions of war crimes and international justice to be discussed February 28 and March 13.

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February 27: Discuss whether Capitalism can possibly be in the Common Good

Joe Gunnemann--expert on ethics, morality, and economics--discusses ”Capitalism for the Common Good” for the Center for Faith and Vocation at Butler University

When: Tuesday February 27 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Where: Butler University Krannert Room, Clowes Memorial Hall

Within the reality of global capitalism and the ever increasing demand for market-driven profits, is there a place for the classic concept of capitalism as a force for social good? This exploration of capitalism will explore theological roots and challenges to the concept posed by stock markets, labor markets and consumer demands.

Speaking will be Jon Gunnemann, professor of social ethics at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University. His current research focuses on theology, ethics, and the economy; and on contemporary theories of justice. Dr. Gunneman has written and lectured extensively on issues of economic ethics, and on Christian ethics and social theory.

Responding will be a marvelous local expert, Dr. Carol Johnston, associate professor of theology and culture and director of lifelong theological education at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. She writes and lectures often about faith and economics and faith and the environment.

Responding too will be Edgar Davis, an adjunct professor in the College of Business Administration at Butler University and the Butler honors program. He spent 40 years working in finance and marketing for Eli Lilly, Inc.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the discussion of trust and business on January 30. This issue is clearly relevant to the discussions of global climate change on January 31, February 6, and April 18.

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February 27: Listen to heavy law from a clever prof, Nicholas Georgakopoulos

IU-Indianapolis Law Professor Nicholas Georgakopoulos delivers the Inaugural Harold R. Woodard Professorship Lecture

When: Tuesday February 27 Lecture 5:00 p.m., Reception: 6:00 p.m.
Where: IU School of Law-Indianapolis, Lecture in Wynne Courtroom; Reception in Conour Atrium

Professor Georgakopoulos was a Professor of Law at the University of Connecticut before moving to Indianapolis. The scion of an old Greek legal family, he began his legal education in his home country, graduating first in his law school, and completed it by studying law and finance at Harvard where he then held a postdoctoral appointment. His doctoral dissertation focused on insider trading, disclosure obligations, and securities fraud. One of the resulting articles was cited by the S.E.C. to the U.S. Supreme Court.

No title yet for his talk, but be warned that Prof. Georgakopoulos does serious and heavy-duty legalizing. If you want a flavor read his article, "Contract-Centered Veil-Piercing." Its abstract:

The application of the doctrine of piercing the corporate veil to contract disputes has been attacked as undesirable. This article shows that applying piercing to contracts is desirable. Contract-centered veil-piercing functions akin to a penalty-default clause that encourages the efficient production of information, avoids wasteful precaution, and promotes the use of the corporate form for entrepreneurship.

But here are three cool things about Prof. Georgakopoulos. His article on "Contract-Centered Veil-Piercing" starts with a meditation on this scene from "The X-Men." And that picture, with the pink robe fuzzing in and out of focus, that's cool. So are these 3D graphics.

For more information, visit the IU School of Law-Indianapolis events webpage or contact Shaun Ingram for more information: (317) 278-4789

February 28: Join Sheila Kennedy in discussing bringing war crimes before the International Criminal Court

Local legend Sheila Kennedy addresses the possibilities and constraints of international law for dealing with war crimes

When: Wednesday, February 28 7:00 PM
Where: Church of the Saviour, 6205 Rucker Road Indianapolis

The creation of the International Criminal Court has established a new venue for investigating and prosecuting war crimes, despite a lack of U.S. participation. Will the non-participation of the U.S. weaken the power of the ICC? What challenges are faced by the ICC in punishing war criminals?

Sheila is Professor at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, teaching Law and Public Policy, a member of IUPUI’s Philanthropic Studies faculty, a Faculty Fellow with both the Center for Religion and American Culture in the School of Liberal Arts and the Tobias Center of the Kelley School of Business, an adjunct professor of political science, a founder of the American Values Alliance, former director of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, author of many books and articles on too many topics to count. Sheila loves the law and despises bullies, which probably tells you where she plunks down on this issue. If you need confirmation, check out her article on "Terrorism and the Constitution." This should be a lively evening. Sponsored by the Bob Calhoun Memorial Great Decisions Series.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out Raj Purohit's talk about the topic on March 13. For a diametrically opposed view, hear the architect of the Bush Administration's legal strategy for fighting terror, John Yoo, on March 2 at the Economic Club and Sagamore Institute.

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March 2: Hear legal theorist John Yoo explain the Constitutional Powers of War and Peace

The Economic Club hosts Prof. John Yoo of Boalt Law School at UC Berkeley for his insiders view of the Bush Administration's legal thinking in the war with extremism

When: Friday March 2 noon
Where: Indiana Convention Center

John Yoo is one of the most controversial legal scholars in the US. If he were only the author of the book The Powers of War and Peace: The Constitution and Foreign Affairs after 9/11, he would have stirred up argument. He argues that the President has almost no checks on his power if the country is at war (and the country is at war for all practical purposes when the President deems it to be at war) and that treaties are not legally binding on American politicians. What pushed him from "controversial" to "notorious" was the position described by David Cole:

Few lawyers have had more influence on President Bush's legal policies in the 'war on terror' than John Yoo. This is a remarkable feat, because Yoo was not a cabinet official, not a White House lawyer, and not even a senior officer within the Justice Department. He was merely a mid-level attorney in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel with little supervisory authority and no power to enforce laws. Yet by all accounts, Yoo had a hand in virtually every major legal decision involving the US response to the attacks of September 11, and at every point, so far as we know, his advice was virtually always the same-- the president can do whatever the president wants.

Yoo has few supporters in academia or Congress ... but his ideas ought to be taken seriously since they will continue shaping the practice of American law and foreign policy long after the next Administration takes power. Yoo was in the center of the debate over President Bush's administration's position on torture, detention, surveillance, civil liberties, and so on. His new book, War by Other Means: An Insider's Account of the War on Terror, he moves from theory to the reality he witnessed and helped shape while advising the President and Attorney General. Geoffrey Stone in the Washington Post captures the book's tone well:

He sets an ambitious goal for himself: "to explain the choices that the Bush
administration made after 9/11," choices made "under one of the most dire
challenges our nation has ever faced." Yoo is mild-mannered, but he is angry,
and his anger pervades this work. He attacks the media, human rights advocates,
legal academics, civil libertarians, former attorney general John Ashcroft, the
Supreme Court, conservative pundit George F. Will, librarians and even the Bush
administration (among others) for cowardice, self-aggrandizement, overreaching,
ignorance, dishonesty and cupidity.

Information: 317-464-2212.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some of the Great Decisions discussions of the legal aspects of the "war on terrorism" on February 28 and March 13. I will surely disagree with John McCormick about this topic in our debate about the American empire on January 30. I would be very eager to contrast Ruth Bader Ginsburg on March 8 and the #2 guy at the FBI March 20.

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March 2: Meet John Yoo at Sagamore Institute

Following his talk to the Economic Club, John Yoo will talk informally at the Sagamore Institute about law, foreign affairs, and terrorism

When: Friday March 2 2:30 PM
Where: Sagamore Institute

This ought to be smaller and livelier than Prof. Yoo's talk at the Economic Club. Details about themes and format will be announced later. In the meantime, here are some suggested readings by Yoo that will give a flavor of his thinking: an excerpt from War by Other Means; articles written by Yoo from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times; a recent article from the Berkeley alumni magazine. Want something more critical of Prof. Yoo? Google "John Yoo" and "torture" ... you'll get more than 100,000 hits.

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March 6: Gear up for the return of the ACLU-Indiana's First Tuesday debates

For those anxiously awaiting news of the ACLU-Indiana'a "First Tuesdays" discussion series, worry not! We are assured they will begin again on Tuesday, March 6, 2007, from noon until 12:50 p.m. at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Cabaret Room, 140 West Washington Street, Indianapolis. The series will continue at the IRT until June, when the series breaks for a summer hiatus. Please check back in late January for the announcement of the March topic. Some previous "First Tuesday" debates addressed government spying on US citizens, same sex marriage, and teaching creation in the classroom.

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March 8: Meet Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at IU-Indy law school

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivers the James P. White Lecture on Legal Education at IU School of Law-Indianapolis

When: Thursday March 8 5:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.
Where: IU-Indianapolis School of Law Wynne Courtroom

Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was instrumental in launching the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union in 1971, and served as the ACLU’s General Counsel from 1973-1980, and on the National Board of Directors from 1974-1980. She was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1980. President Clinton nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat August 10, 1993.

Tickets for this event will be required, but free of charge. The ticketing process for the general public for the James P. White Lecture featuring the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the United States Supreme Court, will begin on February 1, 2007. If you have an interest in obtaining tickets, please contact us via phone or e-mail after February 1. Priority will be given to students and faculty at the IU School of Law-Indianapolis.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the talk by Colin Powell March 12.

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March 13: Ask expert Raj Purohit whether War Crimes belong in the International Criminal Court

Raj Puhorit, senior fellow with Citizens for Global Solutions, talks about the International Criminal Court for the Indiana Council on World Affairs Great Decisions Series

When: Tuesday, March 13 7:00-9:00 PM
Where: Butler University, Pharmacy Building

The creation of the International Criminal Court has established a new venue for investigating and prosecuting war crimes, despite a lack of U.S. participation. Will the non-participation of the U.S. weaken the power of the ICC? What challenges are faced by the ICC in punishing war criminals?

Providing answers to these tough questions will be Raj Puhorit, senior fellow with Citizens for Global Solutions. Citizens for Global Solutions is a nationwide organization that inspires America to engage the world, advocating closer American cooperation with and support for international institutions capable of responding to the threats and challenges of a new century. Despite this mission, Raj is very clear-eyed about the limitations of organizations such as the International Criminal Court.

Raj started at Citizens for Global Solutions as a Senior Fellow in Summer 2005. Most recently, Raj was Legislative Director for Human Rights First, where he was responsible for leading the organization's advocacy efforts at the Congressional and Executive levels, with a focus on international relations, judiciary and labor issues. Raj helped develop and implement new legislative initiatives and lobbying strategies. He also represented Human Rights First in a range of coalitions, including the Washington Working Group on the International Criminal Court, and was a media spokesperson. Before joining Human Rights First, Raj served as Legislative Director for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has also served as Director of Legal Services at the Center on Conscience and War. Raj received his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from Sussex University (1995) and his LL.M. in International Legal Studies from American University, Washington College of Law (1997), where he also teaches.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out Sheila Kennedy's talk about the ICC and war crimes on February 28, and the very opposed view of John Yoo on March 2.

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March 20: Ask the #2 guy what's up with "Today's FBI"?

John Pistole, Deputy Director and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, talks about “Today’s FBI” as Indiana University School of Law Indianapolis Distinguished Visitor Speaker

When: Tuesday March 20 5:00-6:00 PM
Where: IU-Indianapolis Law school Wynne Courtroom

Local boy made good. Alumnus of Anderson University ('78) and IU School of Law (’81) John Pistole will speak on the topic “Today’s FBI.” He ought to know: As deputy director of the Bureau, Pistole is the #2 person, the highest official not appointed by the president, and essentially "CEO of the FBI."

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out John Yoo's view of law and terrorism March 2. You also might want to hear from the head of the legal experts who fought art thieves in Baghdad after the US invasion on April 12.

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April 12: Learn about foiling art thieves in Baghdad

History Makers: IHS Distinguished Speakers Series Featuring Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, author of “Thieves of Baghdad: The Journey to Recover the World's Greatest Stolen Treasures”

When: April 12 7 :00– 9:00 p.m.
Where: Pike Performing Arts Center, 6701 Zionsville Rd Indianapolis.

A real-life "Indiana Jones," Colonel Matthew Bogdanos watched in horror with the rest of the world as looters raided the Iraq National Museum after the fall of Baghdad. His mission became clear: get the treasures back and secure some of mankind's most significant artifacts. Bogdanos will recount his undertaking amidst the chaos of post-war Baghdad and his hopes for the future of the world's greatest treasures. Tickets are $25; $20 IHS members. Registration deadline April 5. Call (317) 232-1882 for reservations. The program is sponsored by Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. Members New York Stock Exchange, SIPC.

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