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Does COVID-19 Justify Turning Back Refugee Boats?

April 25, 2020

Matthew Smith sits down with Aliran to discuss Malaysia's decision to deny Rohingya refugees entry due to COVID-19 concerns.... Read more about Does COVID-19 Justify Turning Back Refugee Boats?



When Discrimination and a Pandemic Collide

April 20, 2020

Cornell Brooks joins HKS PolicyCast to examine how communities of color are disproportionately hit by COVID-19.... Read more about When Discrimination and a Pandemic Collide



A Harvard Ethicist Explains Why Reopening Must Be Done Carefully

April 20, 2020

Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center on Ethics advises states to reopen the economy with caution to prevent a second wave of COVID-19.... Read more about A Harvard Ethicist Explains Why Reopening Must Be Done Carefully



We Need to Take Bold Action to Contain Coronavirus, Say Harvard Experts

March 19, 2020

Kathryn Sikkink and other Harvard experts address crucial steps to tackling the coronavirus. 

... Read more about We Need to Take Bold Action to Contain Coronavirus, Say Harvard Experts



Coronavirus Versus Democracy: 5 Countries Where Emergency Powers Risk Abuse

April 6, 2020

John Shattuck and four other academics call out several political leaders that are using the global pandemic to exploit their authority.

... Read more about Coronavirus Versus Democracy: 5 Countries Where Emergency Powers Risk Abuse

2020 May 19
Kleptocrats, Coronavirus, & How to Combat Them
Registration Closed 12:00pm to 1:15pm
Location: 
Virtual Webinar (Registration Required)
The response to the Coronavirus pandemic will prove a bonanza for corrupt leaders who have historically robbed their countries of funds needed for the health and welfare of their citizens as trillions of dollars are disbursed without even the usual, ineffective safeguards. The panelists will discuss the immediate need to enhance transparency and accountability with existing resources, and the ultimate need for an International Anti-Corruption Court to punish and deter the shameless kleptocrats that the pandemic will eventually expose.
Panelists
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Timothy McCarthy. 3/30/2020. ““May You Rise to It”: A Love Letter to Students in an Unprecedented Time.” Medium. See full text. Abstract

In a letter to his students, Timothy McCarthy calls for a serious commitment to compassion.

My dear students,
Let me say this first: I love you — and I hope all of you are somewhere safe right now.
I know this doesn’t find any of us well. This global pandemic has profoundly upended our lives and livelihoods and routines and responsibilities, to say nothing of our capacity to work and dream together to build a better world. The corona crisis has catapulted us into complete chaos, accompanied by a disorienting mix of emotions: fear and despair, anxiety and anger, uncertainty and longing, concern and compassion. If you are like me, you’re experiencing all these things at once on any given day. As one friend put it: “I didn’t realize I could have so many mood swings before my first cup of coffee.” As a historian, I rarely use the word unprecedented — after all, almost everything has some kind of precedent — but I dusted it off last week and have been using it more and more with each passing day. History will have time to take full account of this moment, but first we must survive it.



Vivek Krishnamurthy, Bruce Schneier, and Mathias Risse. 4/2/2020. “The Ethics of Surveillance Technology during a Global Pandemic.” Carr Center Covid-19 Discussion Paper Series, 2. See full text.Abstract

Three experts on cyberlaw, security, and AI discuss how governments and businesses might ethically employ surveillance and AI technologies to address Covid-19.

We interviewed Bruce Schneier, Security Technologist and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Carr Center Fellow Vivek Krishnamurthy, and Carr Center Faculty Director Mathias Risse on the ethics and responsibilities of using AI and surveillance technology amidst a global pandemic. 

Read their full discussion, here. 

 

 



Jacqueline Bhabha, Laura Cordisco-Tsai, Teresa Hodge, and Laurin Leonard. 4/10/2020. “Upholding Non-Discrimination Principles in the Covid-19 Outbreak.” Carr Center Covid-19 Discussion Paper Series, 03. See full text.Abstract

Carr Center faculty and fellows discuss how we can employ principles of non-discrimination to address the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on our most vulnerable communities.

In our third Covid-19 Discussion Paper, Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights, Jacqueline Bhabha; Technology and Human Rights Fellows Laurin Leonard and Teresa Hodge; and Carr Center Fellow, Laura Cordisco-Tsai, outline how Covid-19 disproportionately impacts the world's most vulnerable communities. From prison populations to survivors of human trafficking, "Vulnerable communities often are not positioned to ensure their human rights are preserved in times of a crisis—they are often a historical afterthought."

Read the full text here. 



Mark Wolf and Richard J. Goldstone. 4/4/2020. “Coronavirus Presents Bonanza for Kleptocrats.” The Boston Globe. See full text.Abstract

In order to keep kleptocrats accountable, an International Anti-Corruption Court must be established. 

Very little is certain about the coronavirus, and we are only judges, not prophets. However, we can confidently predict that the response to the pandemic will be a bonanza for kleptocrats — an opportunity for the corrupt leaders of many countries to further enrich themselves.

Governments are poised to provide trillions of dollars to counter the pandemic, without even the usual, often ineffective, safeguards to assure that the funds are properly spent. The coronavirus will, therefore, provide additional compelling proof that the world needs an International Anti-Corruption Court to punish and deter kleptocrats who enjoy impunity in the countries they rule.

 

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