July 28, 2014
The Elusive Final Deal with Iran: Developments and Options Going Forward
Date: July 28, 12:00 – 1:30pm
Location: JINSA, Large Conference Hall, 1st Floor, 1307 New York Ave NW, Washington DC 20005
JINSA’s Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy will hold a lunch panel discussion with its Iran Task Force on the outcome of negotiations for a comprehensive deal on Iran’s nuclear program. The panel will also discuss steps going forward for U.S. policy to prevent a nuclear Iran.
Register here.
Changing Security Environment and Geopolitical Dynamics of East Asia
Date: July 28, 1:15 – 2:45pm
Location: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Kenney Auditorium, 1717 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036
Jung Hoon Kim, member of the National Assembly for South Korea, will discuss this topic.
RSVP here.
Nuclear Politics on the Korean Peninsula
Date: July 28, 3:00 – 5:15pm
Location: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036
The evolving security environment around the Korean Peninsula presents new challenges and opportunities for addressing the North Korean nuclear threat. What do South Koreans expect from Beijing after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Seoul? What do South Korean aspirations for full nuclear fuel cycle capabilities mean for dealing with North Korea and for the balance of power in the region? What do these trends mean for the U.S.-ROK alliance?
This event is co-sponsored by the Korea Economic Institute.
Register here.
July 29, 2014
National Security and Climate Change: What Do We Need to Know?
Date: July 29, 2:00 – 4:00pm
Location: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC 20004
What do a White House senior advisor, a member of Congress, scientists, military planners, and business people have in common? At a June 4 symposium in Seattle organized by the Jackson Foundation and PNNL, they all agreed that climate change is having an impact on national security that will only increase with time. Thirty-six leaders from federal agencies, state and local government, research organizations, business, and academia participated in the symposium titled “The Intersection of National Security and Climate Change – What do Decision-makers Need to be Prepared?”
This briefing will focus on the key recommendations and consensus points that emerged from the June discussion and highlight the next steps for action.
RSVP here.
Hearing: Iran Nuclear Negotiations: From Extension to Final Agreement?
Date: July 29, 2:00pm
Location: U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515
House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce, in response to the four month extension in the nuclear talks, said: “I don’t see an extension of funding to Iran as progress. It looks like the Iranians won extra time with a good cop-bad cop routine, backing off the Supreme Leader’s absurd claim for 190,000 centrifuges. This tells me Iran, with centrifuges spinning, thinks time is on its side. Increased economic pressure would strengthen our hand, but the Administration opposes it. It should welcome congressional efforts to ratchet up the economic pressure on Iran. Any deal should be graded on its technical merits, not in the hopes of a partnership with Iran on Iraq and other issues, as some have argued. Iran’s terrorist-backing activities, including illicitly shipping missiles to Hamas, demands even higher standards of verification for any deal. Everything about Iran’s nuclear program signals ‘nuclear bomb,’ yesterday, today, and I worry tomorrow.”
The following witnesses are scheduled to testify: The Honorable Wendy R. Sherman, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and The Honorable David S. Cohen, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The Health Consequences of Aerial Spraying of Illicit Crops: The Case of Columbia
Date: July 29, 3:00pm
Location: Center for Global Development, 2055 L Street NW, Fifth Floor, Washington DC 20036
What are the unintended health consequences of the drug war? Adriana Camacho will present a recent paper exploiting the variation in aerial spraying on illicit crops across time and space in Colombia. The paper employs a panel of individual health records in order to study the causal effects of aerial spraying of herbicides (Glyphosate) on health-related outcomes.
Camacho and coauthor Daniel Mejia Londono find that an increase in the amount of aerial spraying in a municipality increases the number of medical consultations related to the exposure of Glyphosate for the municipality’s inhabitants. Moreover, while there is no evidence of effects on respiratory diseases, the paper finds strong negative effects on dermatological problems and miscarriages.
Register here.
July 30, 2014
The Iraq Meltdown: What Next?
Date: July 30, 12:00pm
Location: Heritage Foundation, Lehrman Auditorium, 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington DC
The swift collapse of Iraqi security forces in northern Iraq in the face of an al-Qaeda-spearheaded Sunni insurgency is a disastrous setback for U.S. counterterrorism and Middle East policies that will have dangerous regional spillover effects. The Islamic State, formerly known the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and before that as Al-Qaeda in Iraq, now poses a rising threat to the United States and U.S. allies. Congressman Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) will discuss Iraq and the broader implications for the American foreign policy. Following his remarks, a panel of experts will discuss the current trends in Iraq.
RSVP here.
Subcommittee Hearings: Twenty-Years of U.S. Policy on North Korea: From Agreed Framework to Strategic Patience
Date: July 30, 3:00pm
Location: U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515
In the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, Chairman Chabot says of this hearing, “In 1994, the Clinton Administration announced to the world the signing of the Agreed Framework that was supposed to result in a nuclear weapons-free North Korea. Twenty-years later, the goal of denuclearization in North Korea is no closer to reality. Rather, Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile weapons programs continue to make progress, threatening the stability of the entire Asia region. After 20 years of failed policies, it is time for a new approach to North Korea. The regime’s efforts to proliferate, counterfeit, and undermine are well-known and documented—as are North Korea’s systematic and horrific human rights abuses. This hearing will examine whether the Administration intends to cripple the North Korean regime by considering more targeted sanctions or whether the failed policy of “strategic patience” will continue.
Scheduled witnesses include, The Honorable Glyn Davies, Special Representative for North Korea Policy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and The Honorable Robert King, Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights in the Office of the Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea, at the U.S. Department of State.
July 31, 2014
The North Korean Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for Reform
Date: July 31, 9:00am
Location: Korean Economic Institute, 1800 K Street NW, Suite 1010, Washington DC 20006
In an era of globalization, North Korea remains one of the most isolated economies in the world. While normally still functioning as a planned economy, Pyongyang has pledged in recent years that no North Korean will “have to tighten their belts again.”
However, to truly fulfill that pledge, North Korea will need to engage in the types of reform that China, South Korea, and others have been advocating. What steps has North Korea taken under Kim Jong-un to reform the economy and how successful have they been? What challenges are posed by the remnants of a failing state system trying to continue to function alongside emergent markets? How could international financial institutions help North Korea undertake economic reform? What obstacles does North Korea face in developing a normal functioning economy?
Please join the Korea Economic Institute of America and the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy for a discussion on these and other issues that face the North Korea economy today.
RSVP here.
Gaza: Breaking the Viscous Cycle, A Conversation with Dr. Salam Fayyad, Former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority
Date: July 31, 3:30pm
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, West Tower, Washington DC
Renewed conflict between Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in the past two weeks has resulted in over 700 casualties, more than 4,500 wounded, and the displacement of tens of thousands. Secretary of State John Kerry continues rounds of meetings in the region in an attempt to forge another ceasefire agreement to end the crisis and to lay the foundation for longer-term negotiations on the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations. Amid fierce fighting, Hamas political leader Khaled Mashal continues to reject a ceasefire until all of Hamas’s conditions are met in full. Acknowledging that there has been some progress toward cementing a deal, Secretary Kerry remarked on Wednesday that there is still work to be done.
Please join the Atlantic Council on Thursday, July 31, 2014 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to welcome Dr. Salam Fayyad, former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority and new Atlantic Council distinguished statesman, as he discusses the current state of affairs in Gaza and the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations.
Register here.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Colin Powell: In Life and Leadership
Date: August 4, 7:00pm
Location: George Washington University, Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st Street NW, Washington DC 20052
Few American leaders know better than Colin Powell the axiom that war is a continuation of politics by other means. He is that rare leader who has seen the issue of war and peace from all sides, as a soldier on the ground in Vietnam, as a four-star general, as national security adviser, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and as the country’s first black secretary of state. Along the way, Powell has picked up a few thoughts on reaching goals and turning dreams into reality.
This evening, Powell, one of America’s most admired public figures, talks about what he has learned along the way to now. The interviewer is Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University.
Copies of Powell’s book, It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership (Harper), are available for sale and signing.
Member Tickets, $35; General Admission Tickets, $45. Tickets are available for purchase here.
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