Institute for the humanities

U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran may succeed on a military basis, but at what cost? Even if the U.S. and Israel succeed in bringing about regime change in Iran, they may create an even worse geopolitical situation.

McWhinney Professor in International Relations @jhorncastle.bsky.social on U.S.‑Israeli air campaign against Iran’s military bases and command structure, its air defences and strategic missile sites, and its leadership: ow.ly/23LF50YobN2

@ca.theconversation.com @sfuhellenic.bsky.social

Thanks to those who attended & performed (Nigerian-Ukrainian choirmaster Oleksiy Hrynyshyn and the Kolo Choir) at our book launch/panel discussion.

The book is now fully open access thanks to McGill-Queen’s University Press and the Olga M. Ciupka Memorial Fund.

See full text: ow.ly/Sgzu50YoV95

Trump's Attack on Iran About to Light the Middle East on Fire YouTube video by Energi Media

@jhorncastle.bsky.social, Edward and Emily McWhinney Professor in International Relations, talks to @energimedia.bsky.social about how taking out Iran's leadership could lead to rule by the Revolutionary Guard, who are actually far more radical than the clerics: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYm1...

How did JFK define political courage—and what can his presidency teach us about democratic leadership today?

Mar 5 | 6–8 PM PST | SFU Vancouver

Limited seating - Register now!
jfk-and-democracy.eventbrite.ca

@sfufass.bsky.social
@sfuintlstudies.bsky.social
@sfucmns.bsky.social

Join us on March 15–16 for this year's ASE on “Overcoming Caste Barriers for Social and Economic Equality," which brings together international scholars, activists, and policymakers to enhance awareness of caste-based discrimination in Canada and beyond.

Details: ow.ly/oPCu50YmLcp

Join us on Mar 3 @ 12PM for the next session of our webinar series featuring a panel of Ukrainian authors/scholars who will speak on the rise of authoritarianism and neo-imperialism and connections between the Russo-Ukrainian war and other world events.

Details and registration: ow.ly/5etW50YlGY9

Join us on Feb 26 @ 1PM for an in-depth panel discussion about the current uprising and incredibly complicated situation in Iran. Panelists include Mojtaba Mahdavi, Sara Naderi, Kevin Anderson, Janet Afary, and Peyman Vahabzadeh. Registration required for webinar access.

Details: ow.ly/UEJZ50Y53vc

SFU GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND WOMEN'S STUDIES; MARGARET LOWE BENSTON LECTURE SERIES IN SOCIAL JUSTICE; DECOLONIAL AND GLOBAL SOUTH FEMINISMS; Nada Elia, February 13; Julieta Chaparro- Buitrago, February 27; Nayla Vacarezza, March 10

SFU GSWS invites you to attend the Spring 2026 Margaret Lowe Benston Lecture Series on Social Justice.
Nada Elia | Feb 13
Julieta Chaparro-Buitrago | Feb 27
Nayla Vacarezza | March 10
Learn more and register: www.sfu.ca/gsws/news-ev...

Join us on Feb 8 @ 3PM for a book launch and discussion of "Terra Invicta: Ukrainian Wartime Reimaginings for a Habitable Earth." The event will include musical performances by Oleksiy Hrynyshyn and Vancouver’s Kolo Choir, followed by a reception with food and drink.

Learn more: ow.ly/8jbt50XVIps

Join us virtually on January 23 @ 6PM PST for a book launch and panel discussion of "After Savagery: Gaza, Genocide, and the Illusion of Western Civilization." Registration required for Zoom Webinar access.

Details and registration: ow.ly/7hZs50XIIyP

If you missed our screening of Director Fred Kuwornu's "We Were Here: The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe," the documentary is now a part of SFU's library catalogue and available for free to all SFU students, faculty, and staff!

Watch now: ow.ly/rkV850XIJJE

Donald Trump’s Ukraine peace deal would leave the country vulnerable to future Russian attacks The Ukraine peace plan negotiated between the U.S. and Russia is a non-starter for Ukraine, and also puts the country in the unenviable position of saying no to a mercurial American president.

McWhinney Professor in International Relations @jhorncastle.bsky.social on the U.S. and Russia's recent 28-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine: ow.ly/I7n950XG42F

@sfuhellenic.bsky.social @sfufass.bsky.social @ca.theconversation.com

The Challenge Before Us: Moving From a Politics of Identity to a Politics of Solidarity Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

The recording of our 4th Annual Professor Chinmoy Banerjee Memorial Lecture in Anti-Racism by Pragna Patel, titled "The Challenge Before Us: Moving From a Politics of Identity to a Politics of Solidarity," is live on YouTube!

Watch now: ow.ly/ccU950XB5lz

Join GLS' graduate chair Emily O'Brien on Dec 11th @ 6:30pm for a talk on "The Renaissance of Roman Ruins and Their Lessons for Today." Registration required. Reception to follow.

See details and RSVP instructions: ow.ly/IzjW50XtIYy

A full house at our 4th Annual Professor Chinmoy Banerjee Memorial Lecture in Anti-Racism with Pragna Patel, who gave an engaging talk about the shift from a progressive to a regressive politics.

The event was recorded and will be available soon. Subscribe now for notifications: ow.ly/2gO150XoMrI

Join us on November 20th @ 6PM for a book launch for and discussion of "The New Lives of Images: Digital Ecologies and Anthropocene Imaginaries in More-than-Human Worlds" with author @eevakheev.bsky.social and respondent @amjohal.bsky.social!

Learn more: ow.ly/m0j750X7vvv

Join us on November 13th @ 6:30PM for a screening of "We Were Here: The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe," followed by Q&A with director Fred Kudjo Kuwornu! Please RSVP to insthum@sfu.ca.

Learn more: ow.ly/iXQo50X7qur

Join us on Nov 5th @ 6PM for our Annual Professor Chinmoy Banerjee Memorial Lecture in Anti-Racism by Pragna Patel, the co-founder and co-director of Project Resist, an organization focused on work with marginalized and vulnerable women and girls throughout the UK.

Details: ow.ly/MsMG50X7qe9

Join us on Oct 7 (Indigenous Survivance, Traditional Knowledge, and the Arts) and Nov 4 (How Another World Might Be Possible) for the first two sessions of our J. S. Woodsworth Chair's hybrid webinar series on “Radical Hope in Feverish Times”! RSVP required for Zoom.

Learn more: ow.ly/Pg5f50X2pKg

Palestinian state recognition SFU professor, James Horncastle addresses Palestinian state recognition on CTV Your Morning Vancouver.

@jhorncastle.bsky.social, McWhinney Professor in International Relations, speaks to @ctvyourmorning.bsky.social about Canada's, UK's, and Australia's Palestinian state recognition. @sfufass.bsky.social

Watch now: ow.ly/xpFE50X1CZe

Join us on October 5th at SFU Surrey Campus for a free film screening of "Farming the Revolution," which is followed by a Q&A with director Nishtha Jain! Sussanne Skidmore, President of the @bcfed.bsky.social will make the concluding remarks after the Q&A session.

Learn more: ow.ly/Un8z50WZO03

The institute's director, Samir Gandesha, speaks to @cjsfradio.bsky.social's Kseniya on "Speak Up!" about Fascism, Populism, and Zionism. @sfufass.bsky.social

Listen now: www.cjsf.ca/contents/spe...

How Trump’s separate meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy have advanced Russian interests Given Donald Trump’s unwillingness to make firm commitments at the meetings with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, Russia has come out on top.

@jhorncastle.bsky.social , Global Humanities' McWhinney Professor in International Relations, on Trump's separate meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy and now his "balanced approach" have mostly benefited Russia.

@ca.theconversation.com
@sfufass.bsky.social

Read now: ow.ly/9xfO50WItlk

James Horncastle is an assistant professor and Edward and Emily McWhinney professor in international relations at Simon Fraser University Podcast Episode · Shaye Ganam · 2025-07-31 · 10m

McWhinney Professor in International Relations @jhorncastle.bsky.social returns to 880 CHED's @ShayeGanam Podcast to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war after Russia launched waves of missile and drone attacks on Kyiv.

@sfufass.bsky.social

Listen now: ow.ly/zVVk50WyMi8

Israel’s attack on Syria: Protecting the Druze minority or a regional power play? Israel’s strikes in Syria, framed as protecting the Druze, reflect a strategy to fragment the Syrian state and secure Israel’s role as the dominant regional power.

Israel’s aggressive revisionism seeks to violently reshape the Middle East.
This is my second piece in The Conversation on its escalating strikes in Syria, its claim to protect the Druze, and the broader fallout in the Middle East.
🔗 theconversation.com/israels-atta...

Summer has brought both hope and questions for Ukraine amid Donald Trump’s posturing Ukraine is managing to survive what could be Russia’s last chance at decisive victory if Donald Trump is serious about his ceasefire threats to the Russian regime.

@jhorncastle.bsky.social, McWhinney Professor in International Relations, on Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine amid Trump's recent threats: ow.ly/Oqy050Wx4Sa

@ca.theconversation.com @sfufass.bsky.social

How Israeli and U.S. strikes against Iran were facilitated by the Russia-Ukraine war The U.S. government may argue that supporting Ukraine is not in American interests, but Ukraine’s ongoing fight against Russia is actually assisting Americans elsewhere — most notably, in Iran.

McWhinney Professor in International Relations @jhorncastle.bsky.social on how the Russia-Ukraine war affected Iran's air defences, leaving it vulnerable to the Israeli and U.S. strikes. @ca.theconversation.com @sfufass.bsky.social

Read now: ow.ly/e6cX50Wh25i

Seeking advantages abroad: Ukrainian SOF in Africa Ukrainian Special Operation Forces (SOF) have been active in Africa since the start of the current phase of the Russia-Ukraine War. In perhaps the most notable instance, Ukrainian SOF supported Tua...

McWhinney Professor in International Relations @jhorncastle.bsky.social's new journal article on how Ukraine's Special Operation Forces in Africa represents part of its efforts to defeat Russia. @tandfresearch.bsky.social @sfufass.bsky.social

Read now: ow.ly/fioz50Wk0Tl

Join us on July 26, from 2:30–4:30PM, for a private screening of “I Am Gitxsan,” followed by a discussion with Director Hossein Martin Fazeli! Event is open to @sfu.ca's students/faculty, associates of the Institute for the Humanities, and those who self-identify as Indigenous. @sfufass.bsky.social

Why Israel and the U.S. are sure to encounter the limits of air power in Iran The U.S. military could certainly make an impact in any air campaign against Iran. But it will want to avoid another Iraq-like quagmire.

McWhinney Professor in International Relations @jhorncastle.bsky.social on the Israel-Iran conflict and Israel's calls for the United States' support.

@ca.theconversation.com
@sfufass.bsky.social

Read now: ow.ly/InUf50WczRe