In this lecture, Professor Kinsella will evaluate the United States military’s detailed Instruction on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR). What are its implications for conceptualizing CHMR as a strategic and moral military imperative and assessing the preeminent role of the United States under both the Biden and Trump administrations? What are its implications for democratic accountability and for engagement with civilian casualties and civilian harm?

Helen M. Kinsella is Professor of Political Science & Law at the University of Minnesota. She is also an Affiliate Faculty of Minnesota’s Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the Human Rights Center, and the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change. She is a Visiting Scholar at the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, Queens University, Belfast.

Event Schedule
4 :45pm – 4:59pm: Registration
5pm: The 2025 Astor Lecture ‘Beyond Mere Inconvenience: United States and Civilian Harm’, followed by a Q&A
6 :30pm – 7:30pm: Drinks Reception