The 2026 Borah Symposium opened on Monday, Sept. 28, as guest speaker Laurie R. Blank, the director of the International Humanitarian Law Clinic at Emory University School of Law, delivered her keynote speech in the Vandal Ballroom at the Bruce M. Pitman Center at 7 p.m., which was free and open to the public.
As the debut event of this year’s Borah Symposium, titled “The Human Cost of Conflict: War and Resilience,” Blank’s keynote speech laid the groundwork for the events in days to follow.
Being the director of the International Humanitarian Law Clinic at Emory University School of Law, Blank’s speech primarily focused on the institutions built around law in relation to war, discussing war crimes, the importance of law in wars and the importance of law in protecting human life in times of conflict.
Quoting Telford Taylor, the second chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg tribunal, Blank said that: “War does not confer a license to kill for personal reasons, or to put anyone out of the way that you don’t like. War is not a license at all, but an obligation to kill for reasons of state. It does not countenance the infliction of suffering for its own sake, or for revenge.”
“Why follow the rules if we’re fighting an enemy that doesn’t follow the rules? … The reason we follow the rules, even when they don’t, is because it’s about us. It’s not just about them.” Blank stated when discussing a question that was posed frequently following the United States’ entrance into conflict in the middle east following 9/11.
War isn’t supposed to be pretty, that’s not in its nature, however when understanding the human cost of war, the obligation of states to reduce the harm caused by wars as much as possible becomes clear.
This year’s head of the Borah Symposium, Dr. Andrew Nelson, answered a few questions regarding this year’s events and the symposium, providing a better understanding of its place in the community and its importance in a broader sense.
“The Borah Foundation Committee composed of students, faculty, and staff develop the theme and agenda each year to focus on topics that are relevant to our current times. Many previous symposia have focused on the causes of war and we felt it was necessary to put emphasis on how war affects civilians.”
Nelson goes on to state that “The most significant aspect of this year’s symposium is that the agenda is designed to probe the topic of conflict effects on civilians from various perspectives including legal, humanitarian, documenting, and personal experiences.” This wide variety of perspectives provides attendees with an all-encompassing understanding of the human impact of war across mediums, including a speech, a documentary, and coming this December, a visit from Nobel laureate Nadia Murad to end off the symposium. Nelson highlighted “the passion students bring to the symposium and their willingness to attend various events to learn and interact with our various invitees.”
Following the designated speech time, students, staff and community members were invited to participate in a collective question and answer segment with Blank, of which all three groups did. One question from a student asked how the laws discussed in the talk would apply to instances of gang violence, specifically in countries like Colombia which have continued to face issues related to armed gangs.
Blank responded by discussing how laws regarding conflict apply more broadly than just country against country conflict, and how the same standards are held when combatting armed non-state actors, such as gangs.
Nelson ended by stating: “We are very lucky to have this great symposium every year where dedicated attendees know they can participate in events and learn new information that may help influence how they perceive the world”.
Nobel laureate Nadia Murad, who is most notable for her work in ending sexual violence as a weapon of war, will be giving her talk on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2026; it will be free and is open to all.
Cooper Mollinego can be reached at [email protected].