To have Karina Korostelina here. She is an associate professor at the school for conflict analysis and resolution at George Mason University, she is a leading expert on identity based conflicts, conflict resolution and peace building, she has received numerous scholarships and is the author and editor of 13 books including most recently the author of history, education and the formation of social identity toward a culture of peace which came out in 2013. Today we have the provocative topic of political insults, how offenses escalate to conflict and i will turn the floor over to karina. Thank you very much. It is always a pleasure to be here. Thank you for a wonderful welcome and thank you for everyone for coming. I know that you people are out there for holidays or the rest of them enjoying this wonderful weather and thank you for coming for this talk. The topic in which you are interested, the most fun book for me to write so far. Why political insults . I have to say thank you in the beginning to jim former dean of my school, because in this conversation he asked me, do you note from salt . I was thinking is that with me . I did and i found good news and bad news. Theres no theory of insult and good news. Something we see every day on tv, new changes for the insult. So the idea was okay, how we can analyze in salt as political process. And started thinking about in salt. I do not analyze one strategic act of speech which people use, i see in salt as socially constructed several, sometimes long histories, and most important, and and different presentations. And the most important ideas i show you today is that actually the particular type of conflict particular the conflict people look at insults. When i found and continue to do now on a more personal level is people insult particular needs, sometimes with situations and in self is of this need so if you know what type of insult people you know why that is happening and empower you to do with in salt. So when they start thinking of them i come up with six forms of insult not very political today but give different types of insults, identity insults, people tried to increase their selfesteem by putting down other people, positive selfesteem is, their selfesteem and the group through insulting them. Egyptian in sold, people want sure they are blaming chris something they committed some actions, and to explain it with other people. I wonder why but they chorused me to do it because they are people and so on. Few people use them they feel some other people lower groups are too close to them and push them away. And they protect social boundary or in a position of growth and ideas with other people. And people record in social sciences a different situation because they have more probabilities and so on so they try to denied to other people and try to define situations, and different rights. And connected, people try to redefine the balance of power so that usually we think about powers and try to deny power to other people and finally legitimacy some people try to legitimize other groups. And give you wonderful examples today. And what we need to know insult is very dynamic, not just one way. In self can be transformed and some members of the group can tell other members of the group and and rolled them and explain to them. Also what we see today is sometimes the leader of the groups, there Group Numbers and you see what is happening, explaining other people and people can loaned the particular behavior, and also similar so in salt similar to them and stronger and also the same in again and again. Some insults can be delayed. And it seems they digitize it and he insulted me. And thought about it in deadpans. In cells can be confused when people are good about it but it can be activated. And different foundations sticking to you today is three cases. Ending ukraine, and also released. And all different cases, i use different methods and complications, and use speeches with people and official commands and almost everything i got from the internet, and Foreign Affairs is published information and so on. Using special methods that helps to create between those budgets. And what i told you today in russia. And giving some ideas about the production, it was important to the Fine National identity and support power, and National Identity in russia. And actually different opinions in several years, taking time for the book to be published and 70 people of fashion believe in that and the regime the National Identity does look but once again the interest in this is for it because 50 of russian people and 30 deal with the assortment for something even though some players, but they accept that is the important part. What is going on in russia that more and more are close to the governments. And different states that are in the region are equal but at the same time this law tells us they contributed to more than any other to sustain more than anyone else. So what we have now, involvement intergovernment and reviews. In russia before parliament. And he has protection. And diplomatic nichees in the russian government and asking you i give you some wonderful speeches going through with the passion support by the state. And present state build in the region for consideration of each citizen. At the same time only 30 of people are decent, and 30 believe in that because there are a lot of scandals entitled to use some of them in russia. So to protect his position the presentation as somebody who would define morality in the state the position for position. So delegitimize operations if you are against government you are evil. In all his speeches he promoted the idea that opposition is not a politically correct position or one who tried to vibrant political freedom, somebody who represents evil and being evil in society. One of the scandals, the scandal you will probably see on the left on the table, the deflection of the table. But it is expensive for the scandal, such expensive he didnt find anything better but moved from his hand but didnt seem the defection on the table which is the second pick. Which created even more scandals, you are not even just telling fat but demanded but also understand what is through that. And finally apologized, some young pilgrim decided to do it and of course a lot of caricatures in the russian media, jesus christ is asking what time is it now and he moves into the needle and she is over here or just dragging the car and you can see the reflection of the car. People are outraged by that or the connection between government or a lot of people believing in what was caught up. And one of the opposition was created for a group that the instrument of that region here is to fight this fusion of the government, promotion for the different article ideas, promotion of gender inequality so this that realized it was needed, something bound for Public Energy gains and the cultural and political opposition which seems important to all of us. Gender, up problems for conformity and political message, musical information and public discourse. There are two major each is we are trying to address. One issue was connected with prevalence in government and second one is gender inequality in russia. We tried several actions. The cellphone in whenever it was but no one actually took it, very few newspapers telling about it. They decided to take something more significant. In 2012 they decided a new form in the cathedral. Despite a lot of misunderstandings, they have not taken them out the only way they were doing it was putting them in down and it was only for the second one for the game and put them away. The main idea was to show about generic help after bringing that back to that country and really rated the country and we as women need support and help us and it was a type of prayer. But what happened trying to create this. To shows that the fusion of government, promoted by government, connected, and vladimir putin, north korea, cuba and salon. They created identity and divergence. It is very foolish and competent and indecent, but they are not only, remember what we discussed was sensitized to insult to say the population, you see what they did with believers but, and do not believe in god, and moved it through just offense to billions to that. So developed the insults, different blundering between those and the entire national they developed identity and foolish bowls who did not create the region or create patriotism and is not political. And you see people who were subordinate after several years. Finally it was a lot of insistence and he was interviewed and you know if something happened in jewish culture. And we are so good to them but we have consequence. So it does not involve political ideas or insult they tried to do. It was open space for hours all the time. And all of them and they received Death Threats and it was a complete denial of the legitimacy they tried to bring and this one to give you just something to give out. En represented the insult and government completely denied and in that, nothing about their belief in position. And insult this particular case received, both states and really positioned identity. Not only regions for people, but sensitizing from one group to another group creating the importance of insult, presented as aimed against the feeling of the russian people. They also developed this particular divergence. But also this case helped the national government, and anyone who insult the region insults and not only is it in the region of the state, that was the insult of the entire nation. And also denied any intention of political opposition. They denied their responsibility legitimacy to legitimize this particular thing. Next case is a day in ukraine, in 2012, and to understand what was going on in ukraine because it was very indicative for the conflict in ukraine and what happened in 2011, and this statesupported a replica of the red flag by the soviet union, world war ii or what was connected in world war ii. The whole law came from crimea and other places in ukraine. To Central Government an opportunity to use that during celebrations of the victory date. The idea of this every single deal that should have red flag, people who have red flags, requested the position for National Flag of ukraine. Opposition created divergence. The red flag for ukrainian independence and the soviet union ruining the whole idea of the independence of russia. And specific political sorts, and bringing control of russia. And imperialism of russia in ukraine. They allocated divergence and we are ukrainian citizens dont have any connection. The rest of the regions are full of this, western regions to bent. For use of red flags. So they told representative depressions of people and the soviets and they decided to remain the day of grief. They decided to invite in schools and ukraine were invited to school, and the soviet army, and invite representatives of ukrainian insurgents. And we are seeing real legitimacy which is growing out of world war ii and it is indicative of what we see right now so they east and south, they believe people in western ukraine, some people in western ukraine cooperated with nazis so speaking about as far as violence groups which committed crimes against jewish and communist, and they believe people in ukraine should be and the only group, both stalinthey came to western ukraine, the only group, the ukrainian citizens. And right . And this original in different types of history. And history toward others. And on both sides, used by both sides. East and south in many publications, and cooperated, and connected with nazism and wheat the people who were fighting for the freedom of ukraine. An example and different communist party. Why they in western regions. A day of grief because they are descendants of people who referred to special germany and most of their war. I distilled them very well. And the victory and soviet army. Whether is it the best idea . Absolutely unacceptable for a significant portion of ukrainian population. And foremost, the symbol of occupation or genocide. Sophistication and national humiliation. The brought mothers to put on the monument of unknown soldier. I was a big processional red flags and flowers, and during the procession also he had flowers to put on the soldier. And one of the major ideas which they brought, because of the thinking about the people in ukraine who prohibits who didnt want this particular event to happen. Against the red flags and called them jerks and told them our fathers have been at war. From the other side western region, they saw it as union marches in northern my god northern ireland. In northern ireland. So orange flags to show their power to show their position. The show it the same way. People from east with red flags to their own city. One group decided to tell other groups how it should be. That we are bringing you whatever you want, want to still bring to you. And they so the should allow not allow humiliation of ukrainian people. What happens that several hundred young people came to this event, and some were beaten. So the young people chanted shame. Destroy flowers from russian consul. It was some violence there. And pretty soon, few weeks few months later some group of young people representing those representing some other Youth Organization in ukraine, they decided to show their again, create insult the major idea is to create insult toward the soviet army so they fried eggs over a fire. Sausages and eggs over the eternal fire. So they were put on trial but not convinced. Put as hooligans and from russia this event for two years in labor camps. Here they just tell them okay, dont do it anymore. And they apologize, and so they didnt want to be put in prison time or anything else, but this was but they stated in statements that, yes, we want to create insult. We want to show that we do not respect soviet and so on. What we see here that both sides use a lot of insults. Both sides tried to put them as far as possible to reinforce social boundary and what we see in ukraine was this creation more and more of the social boundary between regions. Also see that they created legitimatey, trying to legitimatize their own prognosis and legitimatize other groups for history. Publication in russian newspapers showing ukraine as nazi country they tried to desensitize people in russia against ukraine. The war started russia immediately brought up history of this event to show you see nazi in ukraine, again taking complete control over a country. And of course representative of Eastern Ukraine, they tell you what to do and you will submit to us for this particular position. And finally started its start of the armenian soldier. What happened that during the Language School in budapest, they do a representative of Different Countries, from former soviet union two from an jerry azerbaijan and two from ukraine. And one brought on axe, sharpen the axe, and in the middle of the night, around 2 00 a. M. He came to the room of one armenian soldier and he hit him 16 times. Mostly and he also tried to kill another one but the door was closed. He tried to open the door, but it was closed so he did not kill second one. So he lighten a cigarette, smoked cigarette and put cigarette on the corpse. And then police finally arrived, he was completely calmed down. He was not nervous, and told of his actions, and commit by armenian soldiers. He told that he was fighting but he never kill anyone, and his major goal was to kill armenian. He needed to kill armenians because he only wounded some of them. Now told its really funny. Im glad i did it. And his family was refugee some of his relatives were killed in the war. His family was refugee living in baku. So he used projection and inassault. Moreover, very similar freedom conducted some interview in baku and this word from interview. I think he was a hero because he preserved honor and dignity of the azerbaijany people. Did the right thing by killing armenian. So again, not only public in baku represent the killing as projection insult as a result of insult from armenian. Armenian reaction was immediate and strong. They created insult presented the killing as example of policy in baku of the whole azerbaijani people. And they told this crime is the logical consequence of armenian hoyt which is undefined over the years, and military propaganda present, and armenian ambassador to United Nations also told propaganda and so on. So all the statements a lot of statements. Just give you two of them in a lot of statements a lot of insults from armenia by just this guy. They told it was azerbaijani government who killed the armenian soldier. So what happens next . Put on trial. He didnt accept his blame so he was given full life in prison. Immediately after he conviction azerbaijani government open consulate in hungary, and after seven years they made a deal. Sarafov could not visit him all the time its better to transport him, and the azerbaijan any government will give him fewer assurance he will be in prison for his life but only in azerbaijan. But a lot of what i could goodagain i could not not find exact support fort it but a lot of discussions of some oil deal or deal made between hungary ands azerbaijan. Both governments completely denied it. So then safarov came to airport, he actually came to baku by using the air force official air force. He was met in airport by the president ofs a sher buy azerbaijan. Given full pardon, given rank of full major. Given apartment for all seven years he was in prison. Named here roy by the asber shy january, and now going in different cities motivational speecheslets kill every single armenian. So this is the from speeches i give you here the speeches through official statements of the Foreign Affairs and ministry of minister of Foreign Affairs and government over azerbaijan. And then so far symbol. The psychological modern society, because the people of azerbaijan, do to the imprisonment in hungary, experienced in certain conflicts anxiety. Demonstrated in strength as a nation. So again the release was a projection in order to insult imprison opt of sarafov was commit his release was connected as a symbol of the victory of azerbaijan over armenia. Armenian reaction was immediate, and they created one more identity insult. So they speaking about the release as it was perceived of the entire Azerbaijan Society. There were protests, are meanan representative from armenia in Different Countries even the United States some armenians feel much of the hungarian embassy, and put on fire hungarian flags and president of armenia says