Debate: Lessons from Nuremberg for the 21st Century | Inauguration of the Pilecki Institute in New York - Instytut Pileckiego
11.03.2026 (Wed)
Debate: Lessons from Nuremberg for the 21st Century | Inauguration of the Pilecki Institute in New York
During the debate we will look at how the Nuremberg Trials and the structures of international justice and cooperation between states that they initiated helped shape the post-war world order.
For while – in no small measure paradoxically – the Cold War brought about momentous achievements in the global recognition of human rights (manifested, among others, by the adoption of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide), it was, more understandably, marked by violent conflicts and crises in which war crimes and acts of genocide painfully undermined faith in the efficacy and impartiality of international justice.
The end of the Cold War and the world’s passage into the 21st century have not resulted in these tensions being finally overcome – on the contrary, many have even been exacerbated. Before our eyes, the dangerous doctrine of “might makes right” is marking a noticeable comeback, threatening the fragile order of international cooperation and the system of collective security built up over decades.
Thinking back to Nuremberg, it is worth asking what problems and unresolved issues existed at the very beginning of this project, and how they could have undermined the vision of world peace based on international justice – a vision that Nuremberg seemed to promise. At the same time, it is important to inquire what factors have enabled the emergence and maturation of institutions of global cooperation, such as the International Court of Justice or the International Criminal Court, and how the output of these bodies can be harnessed and developed in the face of contemporary and future crises.
Guests:
- Steve Crawshaw: A British journalist and writer, and a former correspondent for “The Independent”. He has held directorships at Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, and specializes in matters of international justice.
- Jack El-Hai: an American journalist and author specializing in history, medicine and science, and author of the bestselling reportage “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist”. A lecturer at leading universities (among others Yale and Harvard), and a speaker at renowned medical institutions. His articles have been published in various prestigious magazines, including “The Atlantic”, “Scientific American” and “Wired”.
- Mark Kramer: Director of the Cold War Studies program at Harvard University’s Davis Center. Editor-in-Chief of the “Journal of Cold War Studies”, and author of publications based on research conducted in archives of the former Warsaw Pact.
- Igor Lukeš: Professor of History and International Relations at Boston University. A specialist in the history of Central Europe and the operations of secret services. Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Boston.
- Krystian Wiciarz: acting Deputy Director for Scholarly Affairs at the Pilecki Institute.
Moderator:
- Dr. John Cornell, an Adjunct at the Center for Totalitarian Studies of the Pilecki Institute
More about the inauguration of the Pilecki Institute in New York (click).
See also
- Academic conference “Oppositional Engagement of Women in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Systems of the 20th Century: Poland in a Comparative European Perspective (1919–1989)”
News
Academic conference “Oppositional Engagement of Women in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Systems of the 20th Century: Poland in a Comparative European Perspective (1919–1989)”
The second academic conference in a series “Oppositional Engagement of Women in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Systems of the 20th Century: Poland in a Comparative European Perspective (1919–1989)” brought together representatives of various fields of the humanities and social sciences from numerous research centers in Poland and abroad.
- Accountability for War Crimes. New book from Pilecki's expert
News
Accountability for War Crimes. New book from Pilecki's expert
It is an expanded English-language edition of the monograph "Problem odpowiedzialności karnej za zbrodnie wojenne w pracach rządu polskiego na emigracji (1939–1945)", which in 2023 was awarded a grant under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education’s “Excellent Science II” program for the translation and open-access publication of the book abroad.
- 12 July | Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Augustów Roundup
News
12 July | Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Augustów Roundup
12 July is celebrated as the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Augustów Roundup. The roundup began 81 years ago on this day – on 12 July 1945, two months after the end of the Second World War.
- The Volhynian Crime: The Pilecki Institute and its scholarly and research activities
News
The Volhynian Crime: The Pilecki Institute and its scholarly and research activities
On the Sunday of 11 July 1943, units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, the armed wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (Stepan Bandera faction) – a radical fascist organization striving to build an independent Ukrainian state without any national minorities – carried out a coordinated attack on almost a hundred Polish settlements in the German-occupied Volhynian Voivodeship of the Second Polish Republic.
- Announcement
News
Announcement
The Witold Pilecki Institute of Solidarity and Valor, the sole shareholder of Pilecki Institute (USA), Inc., announces that the Board of Directors has appointed Jack Fairweather as the interim President (CEO) of Pilecki Institute (USA), Inc., effective as of 18 June 2026. His task will be to expand the program strategy in line with the statutory mission of the Pilecki Institute’s New York branch.
- The MODEERN FREEDOM exhibition at the Pilecki Institute NYC is now open!
News
The MODEERN FREEDOM exhibition at the Pilecki Institute NYC is now open!
The largest group presentation of Polish contemporary art in New York since MoMA’s legendary “Fifteen Polish Painters” exhibition in 1961.
- The Witold Pilecki International Book Award for historical books. Applications accepted only until the end of June!
News
The Witold Pilecki International Book Award for historical books. Applications accepted only until the end of June!
The Pilecki Institute is accepting applications for the Witold Pilecki International Book Award until the end of June. The competition, now in its sixth year, is organized with the participation of the Patron’s Family and in partnership with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.
- On better protection against crimes against humanity: Summary of the international conference “The Roots of Crimes Against Humanity”
News
On better protection against crimes against humanity: Summary of the international conference “The Roots of Crimes Against Humanity”
The international conference “The Roots of Crimes Against Humanity: Bridging the Normative Gap” successfully concluded at the Pilecki Institute in Warsaw. Organized on the 20th and 21st of April 2026, in cooperation with the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the event aimed to provide historical and academic foundations for the first-ever United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity.
- April 30 Deadline: Poland Proposes "Child-Sensitive Approach" for New UN Convention
News
April 30 Deadline: Poland Proposes "Child-Sensitive Approach" for New UN Convention
Beginning with today’s (April 30) deadline for all nations to submit their official comments to the United Nations on the draft of the proposed Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity, Poland has made an aggressive bid to become one of the leaders representing the globe’s most vulnerable victims.
- Recap of the 5th edition of the Pilecki Institute International Teachers and Educators Program (ITEP)
News
Recap of the 5th edition of the Pilecki Institute International Teachers and Educators Program (ITEP)
This year's online conference focused on the post-war decade of 1945–1955 – a time of rebuilding devastated countries, the beginning of the Cold War, and the birth of a new international order.
- Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visits the Augustów Roundup Memorial House
News
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visits the Augustów Roundup Memorial House
On 22 April 2026, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian democratic opposition, visited the Augustów Roundup Memorial House.
- Research cooperation between the International Centre for War Crimes Trials (ICWC) and the Pilecki Institute
News
Research cooperation between the International Centre for War Crimes Trials (ICWC) and the Pilecki Institute
The Witold Pilecki Institute of Solidarity and Valor has entered into official cooperation with the International Centre for War Crimes Trials (ICWC) at Philipps University in Marburg.