Dr. Per Bergling is a Professor of Law at Umeå University in Sweden. Prior to this, he served as Senior Advisor on International Law at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, where he provided counsel to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other senior officials on matters of international law and foreign policy, particularly in the areas of rule of law, transitional justice, constitutional law, and matters related to the Holocaust and the prevention of mass atrocities, in addition to acting as his country’s R2P Focal Point. As Professor of Law, Dr. Bergling oversees research in the areas of international law, human rights law, rule of law, transitional justice, atrocity prevention, constitutional law, post-conflict State-building, and crisis management. He is a prolific writer, with scholarly articles appearing in a range of academic publications. In 2003-2004, Dr. Bergling was the Garvey Schubert & Barer Visiting Professor in Asian Comparative Law at the University of Washington’s School of Law, where he taught and conducted research while advising graduate-level students and organizing colloquia and research seminars as well as developing books, textbooks, and academic articles. Beyond his academic career, Dr. Bergling has widespread practical experience in the field, having worked as an advisor to numerous international organizations in addition to his post at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. In 2010 and 2012, he acted as Principal Legal Advisor at the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA), the Swedish government agency for peace, security, and development. At the FBA, he led the Rule of Law program, liaised with regional and international partners, and served as a member of the Expert Advisory Group for the Viking Military and Multifunctional Peacekeeping Exercises. Additionally, from 1999-2001, Dr. Bergling served as the Rule of Law Advisor to the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. On his decision to join AIPG’s International Advisory Board, he explains:

We need to recognize that atrocities happen today and will happen again. We can also observe how current political leaders seek to nourish historical myths and take advantage of ignorance, disappointment, and fear, despite much evidence that such strategies have often lead to violence and suffering. The Auschwitz Institute is a very important actor, not just by strategically and systematically contributing to a better understanding of the political and social dynamics that tend to pave the way for death and destruction, but also by providing current and future policy makers with the instruments they need to detect and intervene before it’s too late. I’m honored to be invited to the Advisory Board, and hope my background in international law, preventive diplomacy, and peace and State-building will contribute to AIPG’s important work.