Tulane Institute for International Development (TIID) invites you to its January Seminar under the 2000 Tulane International Development Seminar Series.

Speaker: Mr. T. Kumar

To hear this seminar and view a summary click here.

Can the goals of economic development and human rights be contradictory in the short term? Does one proceed the other? How fundamental are political, social, or economic rights? Drawing from the "Asian Values" debate and examples of India and China, Mr. T. Kumar will explore international controversies and debates regarding the (in)compatibility of economic development and protection of civil/political rights.

About the Speaker:
T. Kumar is the Advocacy Director for Asia & Pacific for Amnesty International USA. He has lived in many Asian and African countries, and served as a human rights monitor in Bosnia, Haiti, Guatemala, and South Africa. He frequently lectures at the Foreign Service Institute and testifies before Congress. Before joining Amnesty International, Kumar served as the United Nations Representative for Peace Brigades International, coordinated a political asylum project at Rutgers and Temple Law Schools, and served as a director of several refugee camps. He also spent five years as a political prisoner in his native Sri Lanka, and was adopted as a "Prisoner of Conscience" by Amnesty International. Mr. Kumar holds an advanced degree in law from the University of Pennsylvania and a Diploma from the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.