When the World Must Act: Why Multilateralism Matters in Preventing Genocide

Why does "Never Again" keep failing? On the 75th anniversary of the Genocide Convention and the 20th anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect, this roundtable asks why the world still struggles to stop mass atrocities. From Rwanda and Darfur to Ukraine, Sudan, and Gaza, we invite you to consider why global commitments have repeatedly failed—and what can be done about it.

When the World Must Act: Why Multilateralism Matters in Preventing Genocide is a public panel discussion exploring the evolution, challenges, and future of multilateral cooperation in international affairs and conflict prevention.

What to expect:

• Learn how multilateralism developed in the international context
• Hear from expert practitioners and observers of multilateral systems
• Explore the role of international cooperation in preventing genocide and mass atrocities
• Engage directly with experts on the present challenges to multilateralism

Arrive at 6:00PM for networking reception and complimentary hors d'oeuvres. The speaking program begins at 6:30PM.

Featured Speakers

Dr. Mikhail Minakov is a political philosopher whose research focuses on political systems, historical consciousness, and democratic transformation in post‑Soviet and global contexts. He is currently a DAAD Guest Professor at the European University Viadrina and Editor‑in‑Chief of Ideology and Politics. From 2017 to 2025, Minakov served as Senior Advisor and Principal Investigator on Ukraine at the Kennan Institute. His scholarship and policy work examine how international norms, multilateral institutions, and political ideologies shape state behavior during crises. Minakov brings a comparative and philosophical perspective to questions of why global commitments to prevent mass atrocities repeatedly falter in practice.

Jonathan Hafetz is Professor of Law at Seton Hall University and a leading expert on constitutional law, national security, human rights, and international criminal law. A former senior attorney at the ACLU, he has litigated landmark cases challenging arbitrary detention, torture, and abuses of executive power, and his work has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court. Hafetz is the author of multiple books on accountability and the rule of law after mass violence, and he serves on the International Criminal Court’s List of Experts. His work critically examines the legal limits—and possibilities—of multilateral action in responding to genocide and mass atrocities.

Dr. Ruth Mostern is an interdisciplinary historian whose work examines how long‑term environmental change, governance, and human decision‑making shape political outcomes. She is Director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Spatial History Innovation and Project Director of the award‑winning World Historical Gazetteer, which links historical knowledge through place‑based data. Her book The Yellow River: A Natural and Unnatural History (Yale University Press) explores how state policies that ignored ecological complexity produced cascading social and human consequences. Mostern’s work brings historical depth to contemporary debates about state responsibility, collective action, and the structural conditions under which large‑scale human suffering becomes possible.

This event is presented by the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh European Studies Center, Department of History, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Center for Russian, East Europe & Eurasian Studies, Center for African Studies, Global Studies Center, and University Center for International Studies.