About Dead Men Walking: Conversations on Global Norms and Institutions
Are today’s global institutions and norms for peace, democracy, and human rights still alive, or are they just “dead men walking”?
In this thought-provoking new podcast series by the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT), organised in collaboration with Justice Info, we will try to answer the question.
At a time of growing polarisation, geopolitical fragmentation, and declining institutional trust, our Dead Men Walking series aims to open space for honest reflection and serious thinking not only about the problems afflicting 20th century global norms and institutions, but also about new ideas and innovations for a fast-changing world.
Each episode of the series will feature top thought leaders, partners and practitioners from IFIT’s 400+ global expert network.
In this fifth episode of "Dead Men Walking", we turn our attention to international aid.
What is driving the current sharp decline in international assistance to countries in transition? What are the immediate as well as longer-term implications for countries emerging from conflict or authoritarian rule? And what alternative models or sources of support are likely to emerge in this new landscape?
To examine these questions, IFIT Senior Adviser Seth Kaplan (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/seth-d-kaplan/) sits down with two leading expert voices from IFIT's 400+ global network: Alexandre Marc (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/alexandre-marc/), a member of IFIT’s Inclusive Narratives Practice Group and the former Chief Specialist for Fragility, Conflict and Violence at the World Bank; and Shruti Mehrotra (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/shruti-mehrotra/), a member of IFIT’s Transition Assistance Practice Group and the former Director of Policy for the Soros Economic Development Fund. Together, they unpack what is driving the sharp decline in international assistance, whether this shift is cyclical or structural, and what — or who — might fill the space that aid leaves behind.
“Dead Men Walking”: Conversations on Global Norms and Institutions is a podcast series produced by the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) in collaboration with JusticeInfo.net. In each episode, we bring together leading thinkers and practitioners from IFIT's global expert network to take an honest look at the problems afflicting 20th century global norms and institutions and to consider the new ideas needed for a changing world order.
29 Jul 2026
Episode 4: Comprehensive Peace Agreements
In this fourth episode of "Dead Men Walking", we turn our gaze to the topic of peacemaking, and in particular the ideal of comprehensive peace agreements (CPAs). Once considered the gold standard of international peacemaking, CPAs typically emerge through years-long processes that are highly participatory, with long agendas, a heavy international footprint, and transformative aims. The question we explore in this episode is whether this model – this ideal – is still viable or relevant, or whether contemporary conflict realities and trends require a very different type of ambition and approach.
To examine this question, IFIT Deputy Global Director Martha Maya (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/martha-maya-2/) sits down with three leading experts from IFIT's global network: Monica McWilliams (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/monica-mcwilliams/), a signatory of the 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement, currently serving on the Independent Reporting Commission on the disbandment of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland; Dr. Thania Paffenholz (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/thania-paffenholz/), award-winning peacemaker and founder of Inclusive Peace; and Ambassador Hesham Youssef (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/hesham-youssef/), a distinguished diplomat and Senior Advisor at the European Institute of Peace.
"Dead Men Walking": Conversations on Global Norms and Institutions is a podcast series produced by the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) in collaboration with JusticeInfo.net. In each episode, we bring together leading thinkers and practitioners from IFIT's 400+ global expert network to take an honest look at the problems afflicting 20th century global norms and institutions and to consider the new ideas needed for a changing world order.
23 Jun 2026
Episode 3: Transitional Justice
In this third episode of "Dead Men Walking", we turn our attention to transitional justice. Has the promise of accountability after conflict reached a breaking point? Has the gap between what transitional justice aspires to deliver and what it actually achieves become untenable? Or is transitional justice more resilient and transformative than its critics argue?
To examine these questions, IFIT Senior Research Specialist Dr. Jasmina Brankovic (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/jasmina-brankovic/) sits down with three leading expert voices from IFIT's 400+ global network: Prof. Ron Slye, (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/ron-slye/) Professor of Law at the Seattle University School of Law; Dr. Asli Ozcelik Olcay, (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/asli-ozcelik-olcay/) Senior Lecturer in International Law at the University of Glasgow; and Javier Ciurlizza, (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/javier-ciurlizza/) Ford Foundation’s director for the Andean Region. Together, they reflect on whether or not the idealistic assumptions and claims of transitional justice require adaptation to survive in the face of a changed conflict and rule of law landscape.
"Dead Men Walking": Conversations on Global Norms and Institutions is a podcast series produced by the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) in collaboration with JusticeInfo.net. In each episode, we bring together leading thinkers and practitioners from IFIT's global expert network to take an honest look at the problems afflicting 20th century global norms and institutions and to consider the new ideas needed for a changing world order.
26 Apr 2026
Episode 2: International Law
In this second episode of our new podcast, "Dead Men Walking", we turn our attention to international law.
Has respect for international law reached a breaking point? Has the gap between the “law in books” and the “law in action” become too wide? Or is international law more stable and resilient than its critics want to believe?
To help us think through these questions, IFIT Executive Director Mark Freeman sits down with three outstanding experts from IFIT's global network: Sarah Nouwen (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/sarah-nouwen/), Professor of Public International Law at the European University Institute; Shaharzad Akbar (https://ifit-transitions.org/experts/shaharzad-akbar/), prominent Afghan human rights defender and Executive Director of Rawadari; and Thierry Cruvellier (https://www.justiceinfo.net/en/auteur/tcruvellier), Editor-in-Chief of Justice Info, the world's leading news website on international justice.
“Dead Men Walking”: Conversations on Global Norms and Institutions is a new podcast series produced by the Institute for Integrated Transitions (https://ifit-transitions.org/) (IFIT) in collaboration with JusticeInfo.net (http://justiceinfo.net). In each episode, we bring together leading thinkers and practitioners from IFIT’s 400+ global expert network to take an honest look at the problems afflicting 20th century global norms and institutions and to consider the new ideas needed for a changing world order.
12 Apr 2026
Episode 1: The International Criminal Court
In this first episode, we turn our attention to the International Criminal Court (ICC), one of the most embattled international institutions of our time.
Is the ICC a bold but overextended experiment that was doomed from the start? A flawed but resilient institution finding its footing? Or a court caught in an impossible bind?
To help us think through these questions, IFIT expert and peace mediator Barney Afako sits down with three leading experts in international justice from IFIT’s global network: Beth Van Schaack, former US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice; Janet Anderson, a veteran journalist who has covered international justice from Rwanda to Sierra Leone to The Hague; and Phil Clark, professor of international politics at SOAS University of London. Together they take a hard look at the ICC: its promise, its failures, and whether it can survive a world where the rules are being torn up in real time.
“Dead Men Walking”: Conversations on Global Norms and Institutions is a new podcast series produced by the Institute for Integrated Transitions (https://ifit-transitions.org/) (IFIT) in collaboration with JusticeInfo.net (http://justiceinfo.net). In each episode, we bring together leading thinkers and practitioners from IFIT’s global expert network to take an honest look at the institutions and norms that have underpinned the world order and to explore what needs to come next.
Learn more about the ICC: https://www.icc-cpi.int/publications/factsheets (https://www.icc-cpi.int/publications/factsheets)
12 Feb 2026
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