Event Overview:

Despite the time gap between the Yugoslav Wars and the crisis in Myanmar, parallels and contrasts emerge in the conflicts and international responses. This panel discussion examines the challenges of applying international criminal and humanitarian law in both cases.

The Yugoslav Wars, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, reveal the brutal nature of civil conflict, where ethnic tensions led to violence among former neighbors. Specific incidents will illustrate these transformations, along with the challenges of gathering reliable evidence due to limited investigative technologies at the time. Eyewitness testimonies were often compromised by hearsay and errors, complicating post-conflict justice efforts.

In contrast, the Myanmar section will address the complex political history leading up to the current conflict, including the discovery of oil and its exacerbation of the resource curse, the significant role played by external influences including colonial powers, and the controversial leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi. The impact of modern technology on human rights abuses and investigations, such as the use of social media platforms like Facebook in spreading hate speech and the international critique of such platforms, will be highlighted.

The panel discussion compares how historical contexts shaped these conflicts and how evolving technology and international scrutiny have influenced justice efforts. Participants will gain a nuanced understanding of how global dynamics, technological advancements, and resource politics influence the reporting, investigation and prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity, alongside the enduring need for effective international mechanisms to address these grave violations.

Speakers:

Johnathan McCaskill is the Coordinator of TUJ’s General Education Program and the Faculty Advisor for the General Studies major. A US- qualified attorney, Johnathan is a legal practitioner who specializes in international humanitarian, human rights and criminal law. He has spent most of his 25-year legal career working in prosecution services or as an advisor to international organizations such as the United Nations Interim Administration Mission to Kosovo (UNMIK), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), and the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia-Herzegovina Special Department for War Crimes. He has also served as a legal expert or chief administrator on U.S. State Department- funded rule of law projects in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Liberia. Johnathan has been teaching courses on race & the law, the U.S. legal system, international law, and law & economics at the undergraduate level, and trial advocacy, property, criminal procedure, criminal law, international development law, and international human rights law at the graduate school level.

Johnathan McCaskill | Temple University, Japan Campus (tuj.ac.jp)

Peter Morris is a lawyer, journalist, and linguist who teaches law and "news topics" at TUJ. Peter began working on Myanmar issues in 2008 during an internship at Burma Lawyers' Council, an NGO on the Thai-Myanmar border. After law school, Peter moved back to Southeast Asia, where he wrote news articles, taught at "Peace Law Academy," and edited draft intellectual property (IP) legislation for Myanmar’s parliament. IP law is one of Peter’s focus areas and he occasionally gives lectures on copyright law and other IP issues. After obtaining his bar license in 2019, Peter opened his own law firm in Irvine, California. Most of Peter’s clients are tech start-ups, and he recently decided to work in-house for Peafowl, an AI research lab founded by Myanmar diaspora tech professionals.

Peter Morris | Temple University, Japan Campus (tuj.ac.jp)

Moderator:

Kyle Cleveland is the co-director of ICAS and associate professor of Sociology at Temple University, Japan Campus. His expertise ranges from political and theoretical sociology to race and ethnicity, popular culture and ideology.

Kyle Cleveland | Temple University, Japan Campus (tuj.ac.jp)