Be sure to check out GMU’s event on Thursday, “The Nexus of Crime and Terrorism”, featuring the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Director of the Defense Combating Terrorism Center.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
- Syria in Transition: An Insider’s View
New America Foundation
12:15-1:30PMWhile fears of chemical weapons and of an impending “failed state” dominate discussions on Syria, a narrative is being largely lost: civil leaders inside Syria who are taking matters into their own hands. Please join the New America Foundation’s Middle East Task Force for a conversation with Mohammed A. Ghanem, senior political advisor at the Syrian American Council, who has just returned from Syria. Ghanem will discuss how Syrian civilians are creating a government of their own and how this movement may impact the country’s future.
RSVP on the event website. - Afghanistan: Endgame or Persisting Challenge with Continuing Stakes?
Brookings Institution
2:00 – 3:00PMOn December 11, Foreign Policy at Brookings will host the launch of a new book, Aspiration and Ambivalence: Strategies and Realities of Counterinsurgency and State-Building in Afghanistan (Brookings, 2012), by Brookings Fellow Vanda Felbab-Brown. Aspiration and Ambivalence analyzes the past decade of U.S. and international efforts in Afghanistan and offers detailed recommendations for dealing with the precarious situation leading up to the 2014 transition and after. In her book, Felbab-Brown argues that allied efforts in Afghanistan have put far too little emphasis on good governance, concentrating too much on short-term military goals to the detriment of long-term peace and stability. Felbab-Brown will be joined by Ronald E. Neumann, president of the American Academy of Diplomacy and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan (2005-07). Vice President Martin S. Indyk, director of Foreign Policy, will provide introductory remarks and moderate the discussion.
Register here.
Wednesday, December 12
- Human Resource Development in New Nuclear Energy States
Brookings Institution
12:00 – 1:00PM
On December 12, the Energy Security Initiative at Brookings will host a discussion of its latest research paper, ‘Human Resource Development in New Nuclear Energy States: Case Studies from the Middle East.’ Based on case studies from three countries in the Middle East, the paper offers a series of recommendations on human resource related risks for emerging market nations looking to enter the civil nuclear sector. Following a presentation of the report’s findings and recommendations, Senior Fellow Charles Ebinger, director of the Energy Security Initiative, will moderate a discussion with its authors.After the program, panelists will take audience questions.
Register here. - 6th Annual Terrorism Conference: Implications of the Arab Spring for Insurgencies, the Jihadist Movement and al-Qaeda
PAY-TO-ATTEND ($115)
The Jamestown Foundation
8:30AM – 4:15PM
Panels include “The Periphery and the Core: The Evolution of AQ and Its Affiliates”, “The Syrian Uprising: Militant Magnet and Regional Reactions,” and “AQ Affiliates and Jihadist Strategies: From North Africa to the Sahel,” with concluding remarks by GMU Adjunct Faculty General Michael Hayden.
Purchase tickets here.
Thursday, December 13
- Missile Defenses and American Security
American Foreign Policy Council
9:00AM – 12:30PMFor three decades, the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) has played an important role in the U.S. foreign policy debate. Founded in 1982, AFPC is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing information to those who make or influence the foreign policy of the United States. AFPC is widely recognized as a source of timely, insightful analysis on issues of foreign policy, and works closely with members of Congress, the Executive Branch and the policymaking community. It is staffed by noted specialists in foreign and defense policy, and serves as a valuable resource to officials in the highest levels of government.
RSVP to events@afpc.org - The Nexus of Crime and Terrorism: New Security Challenges in the 21st Century
George Mason University Arlington Campus
12:00- 2:00PMGeorge Mason University’s Terrorism, Transnational Crime, and Corruption center will host a talk by David M. Cattler, director of the Defense Combating Terrorism Center (DCTC) at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Please call TraCCC at 703-993-9757 or e-mail traccc@gmu.edu to secure a seat. - Toward More Effective Disaster Philanthropy
Center for Strategic and International Affairs
5:00-8:00PMFollowing a natural disaster, philanthropy plays a vital role in aiding affected communities and can have an equally critical role in building long term community resilience. As private entities, philanthropists can operate with flexibility across sectors and creativity that generates unique contributions across the lifecycle of disasters—from preparedness to recovery. Please join CSIS and the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation for an on-the-record panel discussion exploring how to move toward more effective disaster philanthropy.
RSVP here. - Export Controls Reform
PAY-TO-ATTEND ($35 non-members)
Washington International Trade Association
8:30-10:30AM
Many believe the current U.S. export control system, although crucial, has become a multi-layer unwieldy behemoth that no longer serves the national security of the United States. The cornerstone of the on-going Export Control Reform Initiative is to overhaul the control lists. Our expert panel will focus on the progress of revising the two control lists, the national security benefits of clearer control lists, the proposed structure of the revised United States Munitions List and the Commerce Control List, and the engagement and role of the Congressional oversight committees. The panel will also discuss the Export Control Reform Initiative’s prospects for the ultimate objectives of the ‘four singularities’: single licensing agency, single control list, single IT platform, and single primary export enforcement department.
Register here (by COB Wednesday, December 12)
Friday, December 14
- Egypt on the Brink (Again)
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
12:00-2:00PM
Nearly two years after throngs filled downtown Cairo to demand the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, tens of thousands are back demanding the ouster of his elected successor, Muhammad Morsi. For the ruling Islamists, winning the planned December 15 national referendum on a new constitution would be the turning point that ends the current crisis; for their opponents, the hastily scheduled referendum only stokes more fury at a democratic transition gone terribly awry.To discuss the fast-moving events in Egypt and their implications for U.S. policy and regional security, The Washington Institute will host a Policy Forum luncheon with Steven Cook, Shalom Cohen, and Eric Trager.
Request an invitation, watch the live webcast, or follow on twitter.
Monday, December 17
- The World in 2013 – Admiral Mike Mullen and Jessica Mathews
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
12:30-2:00PMHow will President Obama use American power in 2013? Will the United States ever restore its fiscal health? And how can Obama ensure the U.S. rebalance toward Asia succeeds?Join us for an in-depth conversation between Admiral Mike Mullen and Carnegie’s Jessica T. Mathews as they discuss the foreign policy landscape confronting the president in 2013.
Register to attend here.
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