Columbia University to hold "The Armenian Genocide and its Relevance Today" conferenceApril 4, 2009 - 17:31 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - New York - Andrea Kannapell of the New York Times will moderate a Columbia University panel on "The Armenian Genocide and its Relevance Today," sponsored by the Armenian Club, on April 9. Prof. Taner Akçam, attorney Mark Geragos, and Dr. David Hamburg are the featured panelists at the 6 p.m. event in Davis Hall.Turkish-born historian and sociologist Taner Akçam holds the chair in Armenian Genocide studies at Clark University; he is the author of A Shameful Act and one of the first Turkish academics to openly discuss the Armenian Genocide. Renowned criminal-defense attorney Mark Geragos led successful federal class-action lawsuits against both New York Life Insurance and AXA for unpaid insurance benefits from the time of the Armenian Genocide. David Hamburg, Ph.D., president emeritus at Carnegie Corporation of New York, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996; he is the author of Preventing Genocide: Practical Steps toward Early Detection and Effective Action. The panelists will highlight why it is still important to remember and actively discuss the first genocide of the 20th century; how its denial has hindered subsequent attempts at genocide prevention; and how lessons learned from the Armenian Genocide can help to prevent future war crimes and crimes against humanity. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. U.S. reacts to Russia’s criticism of upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting Matthew Miller has weighed in on Russia’s criticism of an upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting. Lavrov sees ‘collapse’ of Russia’s ties with Armenia Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underscored heightened tensions between Russia and Armenia. Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. |