Doha Institute Lecture Explores Genocide, International Justice, and Gaza Conflict

The Doha Institute for Graduate Studies hosted its opening lecture for the 2026-2027 academic year, featuring historian and genocide studies researcher Dr. Anthony D. Moses. His lecture, titled "From Nuremberg to Genocide Wars: Mass Atrocities and the Challenges of International Justice Today," examined the legacy of the Nuremberg trials and their impact on international criminal justice. Moses questioned the continued relevance of the principles established after the trials in addressing contemporary conflicts and political shifts.

He discussed the evolving concept of genocide, particularly in relation to the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, noting that while it has become a central legal and ethical standard, its scope and application remain debated. Moses, a professor at the City University of New York and a distinguished fellow at Central European University, distinguished between "genocide" as a specific legal term and "genocide war" as a broader theoretical framework for understanding mass violence. He argued that focusing solely on the legal definition of genocide might obscure other forms of widespread violence.

The lecture, moderated by Dr. Leila Omar, a researcher at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, used the war in Gaza as a contemporary case study. It highlighted the international and academic debate surrounding the events in Gaza, including differing views on whether they constitute genocide. Moses connected this debate to the historical development of the concept of genocide, which initially encompassed broader forms of group targeting beyond mass killing.

Moses criticized the narrowing of the genocide concept within the United Nations, attributing it to major powers' insistence on differentiating between civilian casualties of war and acts that could be classified as genocide or crimes against humanity. He argued that this distinction has been used to absolve colonial powers of major war crimes and is currently being applied to the situation in Gaza.

Concluding his lecture, Moses called for a critical reevaluation of the conceptual and legal frameworks for understanding mass atrocities, urging the development of new tools to address the complexities of modern warfare. The lecture, attended by faculty, staff, researchers, and students, generated significant discussion on the limits of the genocide concept and the role of international institutions.

This was the tenth lecture in the Doha Institute's annual series, which began in the 2017-2018 academic year and has featured prominent thinkers discussing contemporary issues in social sciences, humanities, economics, and management.