News and Events

Congratulations to our graduates! Lena Bullard (left photo) graduated summa cum laude, with majors in Government and French & Francophone Studies, and Julia Meyer (right photo) graduated summa cum laude, with majors in International Relations and Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies. Ahlaad Yalavarthi also graduated with a master's in computer science. We are so very proud of your academic achievements and cannot wait to see you thrive in your chosen careers!

The “no” vote reflects some of the American public’s views on the past. At Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, the Trump administration ordered the removal of information panels describing the daily lives of enslaved individuals at the time of the American Revolution. This photo from April 2026 shows some of the missing panels, and public commentary on the censorship of this information (cc) Good Authority. On March 25th, the International Day of Remembranc

We are excited to share the publication of "Mapping Truth: What Can Geospatial Analysis Contribute to Transitional Justice?" coauthored by IJL alums Alyson Reynolds and Chabeli Yumang and Dr. Zvobgo in Conflict Management and Peace Science. Dr. Zvobgo published her first two books this year: the first on how transitional justice is governed globally and the second on advances in the empirical study of human rights. Now, with Alyson Reynolds ‘24 and Chabeli Yumang ‘25 (and bui

Pulitzer Prize finalists and Wall Street Journal reporters, Drew Hinshaw and Joe Parkinson recently spoke about their investigation into the "New Cold War," with a focus on prisoner swaps, based on their new book Swap: A Secret History of the New Cold War. Their presentation was co-sponsored by the Russian Studies Program and the International Justice Lab. #IJLNexus

Dr. Chipo Dendere, Assistant Professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Wellesley College, recently presented her new book Death, Diversion, and Departure: Voter Exit and the Persistence of Authoritarianism in Zimbabwe (Cambridge University Press, 2025). There are many explanations for the survival of long-serving political parties, from access to state wealth to the use of excessive violence. A yet unexplored reason, particularly for parties that have survived under

We are proud to announce the publication of Innovations in Human Rights: Concepts, Data, and Measurement (Edward Elgar Publishing), co-edited by lab director Kelebogile Zvobgo and faculty affiliate Francesca Parente! Together with the volume contributors, Drs. Zvobgo and Parente present a practical framework for conceptualizing and analyzing human rights issues such as repression, compliance, and transitional justice in an increasingly fraught climate for human rights globall

It's great to see Teaching Human Rights in Political Science (Edward Elgar Publishing), edited by David L. Richards and Shareen Hertel, is now out! From the blurb: “Chapters cover key topics such as international organizations, international law and courts, domestic political institutions, public policy mechanisms and the spaces in which human rights defenders take action. Contributing authors also address approaches grounded in theory, political economy, and qualitative, qua

Damian Boldt, Postdoctoral Research Associate with the National Security Data and Politicy Institute at the University of Virginia, gave a talk on his research in progress on shaming and compliance with human rights norms. Abstract below. When countries name and shame does this generate a backlash and lead to greater public support for governments accused of violent repression? I argue that this is not the case; instead, shaming can reduce support for repressive governments b

The spring semester's first IJL Nexus Series talk was on February 13 at the Global Research Institute. Rebecca Cordell, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh, presented in-progress research "Targeting Truth and Accountability: The Global Crackdown on Human Rights Advocacy at the United Nations." The project examines why some states repress UN human rights reporters, focusing on domestic factors such as levels of democracy and international f

We are thrilled to share the publication of Governing Truth: NGOs and the Politics of Transitional Justice (Oxford University Press) by lab director Kelebogile Zvobgo! Available from Oxford University Press (hardcover, paperback, e-book) ​Best Dissertation in Human Rights American Political Science Association, 2022 Lynne Rienner Publishers Award for Best Dissertation in Human Rights International Studies Association, 2022 Lawrence S. Finkelstein Prize in International Organ

The Oxford Handbook of Norms Research in International Relations (edited by Sassan Gholiagha, Phil Orchard, and Antje Wiener) is now published! From the blurb: "The Oxford Handbook of Norms Research in International Relations ​​provides a state-of-the-art overview of past, current, and future norms research in International Relations. It provides a comprehensive overview of the toolbox that has developed over this time, mapping the field's development based on key conceptual

It was an immense pleasure to host Jill Dougherty at William & Mary last week and discuss her new book My Russia: What I Saw Inside the Kremlin, which traces her journey from a teenage Russophile, to an exchange student in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), to a front-row witness to political and economic change and upheaval under Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin during her tenure at CNN. We learned so much reading the book and attending this standing room-only event, moderated by IJL

Dr. Rebekah Klein-Pejšová, Associate Professor History at Purdue University, recently presented "Temporalities of Postwar Jewish Emigration." She discussed the role of time as a key factor in the excruciating process by which Jewish Holocaust survivors emigrated from their countries of origin out into the shattered post-World War II world. #IJLNexus

It's wonderful to see The Role of Networks in Advancing Human Rights: Making Human Connections (Edward Elgar Publishing), edited by Shareen Hertel, Mark Gibney, and Bonny Ibhawoh, is now available! From the blurb: “Chapters employ case studies and data to demonstrate how scholars, practitioners and activists build networks on a variety of intersecting issues. The book demonstrates how human connections enable knowledge sharing and collaboration across disciplines, driving inn

The fall semester's first IJL Nexus Series talk was on October 3 at the Global Research Institute. Gino Pauselli, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, presented in-progress research "Legitimizing States: Illiberal NGOs in the Universal Periodic Review." Abstract below. Who promotes illiberal NGOs within the human rights system, and what impact do these organizations have on state behavior in the human rights regime? Illibera

On September 30, Harrison Mann (W&M class of 2011) and IJL director Kelebogile Zvobgo sat down for a fireside chat on human rights and U.S. foreign policy. Mann is Associate Director for Policy & Campaigns at Win Without War. He served for 13 years in the U.S. Army and three years at the Defense Intelligence Agency, within the U.S. Department of Defense before publicly resigning in protest of the Biden administration’s policies towards the Israel/Gaza war in 2024.

Congratulations to Sammy Jennings, Katalina Li-Kroeger, Sarita O'Neill (left photo), Hannah Ray (right photo), and Elijiah Tsai on their graduation! Sammy will be a paralegal in Northern Virginia, Katalina is on her way to Switzerland to pursue a master's in International Relations at the Geneva Graduate Institute, Hannah will be a Fulbright English teaching assistant in the Republic of Georgia, and Elijah is headed to France to pursue a master's in Management at Institut Eur

Greater attention to human rights abroad could boost support for Harris among key Democratic voting groups. Protesters at the March on...

The U.N. General Assembly requested an advisory opinion on the legality of the occupation. Last week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague determined that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory – the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip – is illegal and must end “as rapidly as possible.” Without addressing the question of whether Palestine should be a state, the court’s advisory opinion clearly says that Palestinian territory doesn’t belong to

Daniel Posthumus (left photo), Alyson Reynolds (right photo), and JT Kaufmann and Leo Sereni (not pictured) graduated summa cum laude...

Prof. Zvobgo was recently interviewed by Ellen Ioanes and Nicole Narea and quoted in "Why ICC arrest warrants matter, even if Israel and...

Dr. Victoria Sanford, Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Lehman College–City University of New York, recently presented "Gender Violence and Migration: Co-Optation of the Guatemalan Judicial System and Post-Election Optics." She discussed the weaponization of the Guatemalan judicial system, gender violence, and migration in a conversation about her new book Textures of Terror that investigates the unsolved murder of a female law student and the pervasive violence

Here’s a recap of some of the year’s highs and lows. Women march in Al Koma village, North Darfur, in celebration of International...

Dr. Meg Guliford, Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics at Drexel University, recently presented "Shaping Violence: How...