On May 24, the first-ever GNSI Policy Dialogues convened at the 51在线 in Tampa. This new platform, created by the Global and National Security Institute
(GNSI), is specifically designed to tackle often overlooked challenges that are, nonetheless,
deeply connected to global and national security.
This first event focused on the theme 鈥淗unger as a Weapon.鈥� The concept of hunger as a weapon dates to the beginning of written history with Homer鈥檚 Iliad describing the siege of Troy. In war, military leaders often consider foodstuffs as it relates to their war effort while analyzing ways to use this basic need against their foe. Sherman鈥檚 March to the Sea in the American Civil War followed a 鈥渟corched earth鈥� policy, destroying everything in its path, including crops and food stores. Despite recent attempts to reduce the use of hunger against populations, the practice continues.
showed that hunger is frequently caused by and contributes to instability and conflict.
The new Provost and Executive Vice President for USF, Dr. Prasant Mohapatra, delivered welcome remarks to the crowd attending at the Patel Center for Global Solutions,
along with virtual attendees from as far away as the UK. Despite beginning his new
role only a few weeks before the conference, Mohapatra already knows the vital role
USF plays in the everyday lives of so many.
Highlighting the opening session of the conference, General (Ret) Frank McKenzie delivered the morning keynote address. McKenzie is the Executive Director of GNSI, as well as Cyber 51在线 and is the former commander of the United States Central Command, whose Area of Responsibility (AOR) includes 21 countries, encompassing the Greater Middle East.
McKenzie鈥檚 career took him to all corners of the world. He has seen violence and cruelty
at nearly every post, but this topic 鈥� Hunger as a Weapon 鈥� is a special one, for
all the wrong reasons.
The morning session featured the first Panel Discussion of the Day: Global Hunger: Generator of Social, Economic and Political Instability. Aiming to answer these questions:
- 1) How does hunger and food insecurity affect economic development and political stability across the globe?
- 2) Since the end of World War I, how has hunger been used as a weapon in conflict and war (e.g., Ukraine, Ethiopia and Syria)?
- 3) How have countries (like China) competed for food security through land purchases, increased food production and infrastructure development (e.g., China鈥檚 investments in Africa)?
.
Featured panel members and speakers:
- Moderator: Analyst/Planner for GNSI
- , Director of Global Health, Yale University
- Patrick Hamilton, Head of Regional Delegation (US and Canada), International Committee of the Red Cross
- , Professor of Anthropology, Tufts University
- , Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, University of Toronto
- , Senior Director, Public Policy and Thought Leadership, World Food Program USA
The afternoon session for Hunger as a Weapon kicked off with a keynote address from , a Professor Law at the Vermon Law and Graduate School, where she is also the Director of the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems.
Beyranevand focused on the lack of action by the United States government, pointing
out that the White House convened a conference on food nutrition and health for the
first time in 50 years.
The second Panel Discussion of the conference picked up from Beyranevand鈥檚 keynote address: Food Security in the United States: A Domestic Policy. The panel attacked these questions:
- 1) What role would hunger and food insecurity play on education and workforce readiness during time sof peach and conflict?
- 2) How has the military readiness been affected by hunger in the United States and its allies?
- 3) Given what the world has seen with the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine, how secure are food supply chains at the local/regional level across the United States?
Featured panel members and speakers:
- Dr. Kiki Caruson, Moderator, Vice President, USF World, 51在线 (
- , Agribusiness Development Manager, Hillsborough County, 51在线
- Dr. Joseph Dorsey, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director of Food Sustainability and Security, 51在线
- Dr. David Himmelgreen, Director of Center for the Advancement of Food Security and Healthy Communities, 51在线
- , CEO, Feeding Tampa Bay
The day concluded with three breakout sessions:
- 1) Fireside Chat with Peter Cloutier and Dr. David Himmelgreen. The USF professor spoke with the Professor of Development Security and USAID Chair for the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU)
- 2) Dangerously Hungry: The Link Between Food Insecurity and Conflict: , the lead author of the report, conducted a deep dive into the findings of the latest watershed report from the World Food Programme
- 3) Finding Solutions to Weaponized Hunger: A Multidimensional Approach: moderated by Patrick Hamilton, International Committee of the Red Cross.
Videos of the breakout sessions will be available in the near future.
SAVE THE DATE: Our next big event will be the 2nd GNSI Tampa Summit on September 27-28 at the Marshall Student Center on the Tampa campus of USF. It will feature the signature event, the 8th Great Power Competition Conference and the title of the conference is: The Future and Ethics of Uncrewed and Autonomous Warfare.