Disinformation and the Seeds of Genocide

Disinformation and the Seeds of Genocide: Understanding and Dismantling the Tools of Hate

The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire, in partnership with Bellwether International and the Cohen Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College, invites you to a powerful and timely conversation on how disinformation, propaganda, and media manipulation have been used to enable genocide, and how individuals and communities can resist these tools of hate.

This public panel will feature three leading voices in genocide prevention and education: Rachel Miner, CEO of Bellwether International; Dr. Ashley Greene, Chair of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State and a specialist in genocide prevention; and Dr. Brian Crim, the Cohen Chair for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and a noted Holocaust scholar. Together, they will explore how language, media, and messaging are used to dehumanize and divide, and how we can build resilience to prevent future atrocities.

Attendees will hear about historical patterns and present-day parallels, develop strategies for identifying and countering harmful narratives, and consider how education, civic engagement, and critical media literacy can disrupt the conditions that allow genocide to occur. The program will include a moderated panel discussion followed by an audience Q&A session.

This event is free and open to the public, and will take place in person at Norma Walker Hall at Keene State College with a livestream option available for remote participants.

About the Speakers

Frank Lavin is active in U.S.-Asia policy, U.S. domestic politics, and trade policy matters. He serves as a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution as well as a Trustee of the Asia Foundation and as a Director of the Asia Society of Northern California.

Lavin served as Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Bush (43) Administration. In that capacity, Lavin served as lead trade negotiator for both China and India and was responsible for commercial policy, export promotion, and trade negotiations across the globe. Lavin was previously U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, where he helped negotiate the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

Lavin also served in the Bush (41) and Reagan Administrations, working in the Department of Commerce, Department of State, National Security Council, and White House. In the Reagan Administration, Lavin served as White House Political Director.

Lavin earned a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service and an M.S. in Chinese Language and History (both Georgetown); an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from SAIS (Johns Hopkins); and an M.B.A. in Finance from Wharton (Pennsylvania).

He is a columnist for Forbes.com and has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and elsewhere. Lavin is the author of “Inside the Reagan White House” (Post Hill Press 2025), “The Smart Business Guide to China E-Commerce” (Penguin), co-author of “Export Now” (Wiley), and author of “Home Front to Battlefront” (Ohio University Press), a World War II history book.

Lavin also is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and on the Advisory Board of ECIPE, a Brussels think-tank. Lavin has participated in two humanitarian missions to Ukraine. He formerly served as a Lt Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves.