Recovery and Hope: Reflecting and Taking Action in the Wake of Tragedy

My Humanitarian Action class on a visit to the Red Cross Society of Japan

It is hard to believe it has been almost two months since I last wrote to you; I have completed the first trimester of the fellowship at ICU, attended numerous conferences, met many incredible people, and enjoyed the stunning beauty and the cooler weather of 秋 (Aki) or Autumn here in Japan. As I write, I have been watching from the corner of my eye the brilliant Autumn trees fly past at around 300 kph (180 mph) on board the 新幹線 (Shinkansen), or Japanese bullet train, on my way back to Tokyo from the Tohoku region. Nonetheless, these incredible opportunities have been overshadowed by the ongoing horrors in Gaza, Sudan, and Myanmar, among other conflicts—but have also brought increased impetus and clarity to what I am studying, why I am here, the direction I plan to go, and how I can best equip myself to make a positive impact. This blog post will focus on a few significant themes that sadly seem to often come together in conflicts like the war in Gaza: International Humanitarian Law (IHL), humanitarian response and disaster recovery, and refugee law.

ICU students continue to participate in demonstrations on and off campus, have made and encouraged donations to humanitarian organizations, and tried to raise awareness of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and Israel.

Sadly, within hours of me posting my last blog on October 7th, Hamas launched a brutal attack on Israel—killing over 1,000 Israeli civilians. After less than two months of fighting, over 11,000 Palestinians have been killed; most of these likewise are civilians, 40% of whom were under the age of 18. While I have few answers to the difficult questions that the conflict raises for my studies, they have remained at the forefront of my activities during and after my time at the University. Peace Fellows and other graduate students wrote to our school professors and the administration to ensure that we did not stay silent while innocent people were being killed. While the university chose not to make any statements, they permitted students and professors to conduct protests, arrange lectures, and seek understanding both in the classroom and on campus. Several guest lecturers were invited to help increase our understanding of the ongoing events.

The Red Cross Movement and International Humanitarian Law

The director of the Rotary Peace Center asked Ms. Shoko Hanzawa, the head of delegation for the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) in Japan, to help us better understand the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Israel and Gaza. In line with ICRC’s stance of neutrality and impartiality, she did not make any accusations or take a stance. Rather, she brought humanity to the events by sharing her experience of the Gaza she knew and had experienced—filled with individuals like me or you—who played in and cheered on volleyball championships and were so hospitable with their few belongings in spite of their difficult situation. Nonetheless, she was unequivocal in her condemnation of all attacks targeting civilians. I had the opportunity to make a short reply and ask questions as the student moderator along with the deputy head of the Peace Center. I asked a question about what methods Israel should and is required to take in order to balance the fundamental elements of IHL: that of humanity and military necessity. Her explanation left us all with a better understanding of one of ICRC's mottos that even wars have limits. Furthermore, we discussed what we, as students, could do to make a positive contribution. This question of what we as individuals can do to stand up for justice remains on each of us, both in the immediate events and, of course, in our careers ahead following the fellowship.

Hanzawa-San, the head of the ICRC delegation in Japan (5th from the left) with Peace Fellows, Arakaki-Sensei (the Rotary Peace Center Director), and Obi-Sensei (the director of the Network on Humanitarian Action)

One of Ms. Hanzawa's recommendations for us was to educate ourselves in IHL. We referred to IHL at West Point as LOAC or the Law of Armed Conflict. So, while it is not a new concept to me, I have only tangentially studied it in military ethics courses, an international law course, and military training. I knew that this field of law would be important, but the events of the past months and the recommendations of Ms. Hanzawa, professors, and other ICRC members have made it a priority for me. To this end, I am participating in an IHL Moot Court run by the ICRC this weekend and taking an online course In IHL at Leiden University. It is in the protection of civilians caught in the crossfire of both state and non-state actors that I want to help protect through an organization like the ICRC. In this way, I intend to leverage my skills and background not as a departure to an entirely new field and career, but with the purpose of using them to effectively advocate for those impacted by warfare.

Humanitarian Response and Recovery

Planting Sakura (Cherry) trees in Rikuzentakata

As I mentioned, I am on a train returning from a study tour to understand recovery in the wake of disaster better. Our group spent the last three days in the city of Rikuzentakata in Tohoku to better understand how the town was rebuilt and how other cities can build back better (BBB) after suffering immense destruction from natural disasters or conflict. This town had 24,246 inhabitants in 2011—only a hair smaller than my hometown of Asheboro, North Carolina, with 25,514 inhabitants in the same year. Yet on March 11, 2011, 1763, citizens (7% of the population) lost their lives, and 80% of the city's buildings were badly damaged or destroyed by the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami. We talked to survivors, immigrants after the disasters, policymakers, and city planners who have reconstructed the city to be livable again. The experience was inspiring and helped me better understand human resilience and how a city can be rebuilt to be safer and better care for its citizens following such a tragedy. Two major pillars in the reconstruction have been the construction of a 12.5-meter-high sea wall and raising the city by ten meters, and numerous community organizations continue to promote healing and reverberance of those who were lost. We also had the opportunity to think of the event not only as a great tragedy but also as a message from the past, encouraging preparation to save lives and enable the next generations to prosper. We helped to plant 桜 (Sakura) or cherry trees along a line where the floodwaters reached to serve as a message to the future and a form of heritage to see how high the waters had come. This is a form of 防災(bousai) or the Japanese preventative approach to disasters. The cherry blossoms represent hope and positivity. After a decade of reconstruction, the town is still known as the town that the Tsunami destroyed; someday, perhaps it will be known as the city of the Cherry Blossoms.

Disaster Response and Recovery (continued)

In November, I also had the opportunity to learn more about the Red Cross Movement through a visit to the Red Cross Society Headquarters in Tokyo (ICRC’s sister organization). There, I learned more about the movement’s goal to alleviate human suffering in conflict areas and in the wake of natural disasters. Sadly, as the natural disasters of this Autumn demonstrate, natural disasters claim tens of thousands of lives. In fact, on the September 11th flooding in Libya, more people were either killed or remain missing than the civilians killed in Ukraine or the Israel-Palestine conflict since 7 October. While such events seem “natural” or acts of God, they are often foreseeable and preventable. The dams that burst in Derna in Libya on the early morning of September 11 had not received any maintenance since 2011, and a 2020 report found that they could not sustain heavy rainfall. You can read a bit more about my investigation for my Humanitarian Action class here. These interactions with the Red Cross Movement have confirmed that it remains a goal and dream to someday contribute to this organization to help protect the most vulnerable in conflict zones and to ensure that warfare is conducted as humanely as possible.

Refugee Law

The field that remains closely related to my thesis topic and a passion of mine is Refugee Law. I took a course on Refugee Law with the Center Director, where we learned more about the definition of refugees and the framework of the laws governing Refugees. It was an extremely relevant course, not only to what I hope to do but also to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. For our last class, the former Deputy head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for Palestine, Dr. Saul J Takahashiis, now a professor in Japan, talked to us about the history and ongoing conflict. While certainly much more opinionated than the ICRC lecture, the unfiltered speech gave us great insight into the frustrations with the Peace Process, which have brought us to this horrible situation. For my final paper, I chose to investigate the application of Refugee Law specifically to Palestine, as well as to investigate if it provided any clarity into potential solutions to alleviate the grief and suffering of the Palestinian and Israeli people. I was surprised to realize that Palestinian Refugees are not protected under the 1951 Refugee Convention as laid out by the 1951 Refugee Convention. You can read my investigation into this that I did for my Refugee Law Class here. The final class included a moot court with an actual Refugee applicant. We were able to study the confidential case, and the asylum seeker and his lawyer came to our class to conduct a mock hearing. It was very insightful into the refugee process and the challenges that applicants fleeing conflict face.

ICU Graduate students meeting with practitioners of Refugee Law in a Seminar on Statelessness

I had several other opportunities to understand better the situation regarding displaced people, including a seminar on statelessness, a refugee film showing put on by UNHCR and meeting members of ICU’s Syrian Scholar Initiative. I have made a good friendship with a reporter at Nikkei who is also passionate about displaced people, and together, we have tried to learn more and be engaged in the issues.

All Work, no play? Of course Not!

While my studies have taken up most of my time, we have also had the opportunity to grow together as a cohort, celebrating American Holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving. We are now planning a Rotary Christmas Party. Additionally, I have enjoyed exploring the beauty of Japan through running, cooking, and continuing to explore the beauty of the Japanese language. I still enjoy studying Kanji, or the pictographic characters used for writing and have loved jumping back into Arabic. I am very excited that Sylvia, my partner, will join me for around a month and a half after she turns in her PhD dissertation in December.

My Sponsor and I meeting with Chiba District leaders at the District Conference including Yamazaki-San (the Rotary Peace Center PR Ambassador for Japan ), my incoming District Governor and Mizuno-San (an incoming Rotary Director)

I have also continued to have many incredible moments with my Rotary mentor and sponsor, Fukui-San. This month was my club’s District Conference, so we gave a short speech in front of over 1,000 Rotarians. Other highlights included a visit to the Kamogawa Rotary Club in Chiba Prefecture, supporting a ride to end Polio, and even celebrating birthdays at a small family reunion with my incredible sponsor.

The Path Ahead

It is hard to believe that the first term has already come to a close, but it was a great first term and has been an incredible first four months in Japan. I am very excited about the upcoming trimester, where I will be taking a development course, continuing a class on conflict resolution in civil wars, the IHL course, and continuing my thesis research. In my last post, I expressed some angst regarding my thesis; however, it is starting to come together, and I have enjoyed researching in Arabic and French. I hope to return to Tunisia for several weeks in July as part of my Applied Field Experience. I am also applying for several internships with the International Criminal Court in the Hague and the United Nations.

Of course, what has been on all of our minds is what we can do now, not in some distant future, regarding the ongoing tragedies in Gaza, Sudan, and in many other conflicts across the world. Despite being five years old, this video by the ICRC really drove home the message to me of the urgency of action now with this video (The video is not overtly violent, but I have cried each time watching, so recommending some viewer discretion). In addition to ICRC, another organization that is helping both in the conflict in Gaza and Israel and across the world that I have given to is Doctors Without Borders (MSF). If you feel called to help those suffering not only in Gaza but also in conflicts and disasters across the world through a monetary donation, here is a donation link to both of these organizations: MSF United States /MSF Japan, and ICRC. Thank you for everything, and I look forward to talking to you all soon.