Month: October 2015

Monday, October 19, 2015
The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Balancing Humanitarian and Security Challenges – Bipartisan Policy Center
Time: 11am-noon
Location: Bipartisan Policy Center1225 I Street, NW Suite 1000, Washington, D.C. 20005(map)
The civil war in Syria has caused one of the largest displacements of persons in recent history, creating humanitarian, political, and security challenges that the United States and its allies now confront. More than half of Syrians—some 12 million—are displaced. Of that number, more than 4 million have fled Syria’s borders, with millions living in neighboring countries in the region. Hundreds of thousands more are trying to make their way to European countries in order to claim asylum and approximately 1,500 Syrians have received asylum in the United States. Meanwhile, as EU and U.S. leaders work to address this flow of refugees, the Islamic State extremist group has boasted of disguising thousands of terrorists as refugees in order to infiltrate them into Western countries, and a recently released report by the House Homeland Security Committee’s bipartisan task force found that international efforts to secure borders and stem the flow of foreign fighters have been woefully ineffective. Join the Bipartisan Policy Center for a discussion on the humanitarian and security dimensions of the refugee crisis and how the two can be balanced and should be reconciled to create a coherent U.S. and global policy response.

The Growth of Isis and The Deterioration of Women’s Rights in the Middle East –Women’s Foreign Policy Group
Time: 1pm
Location: The Wilderness Society1615 M Street, NW Washington, DC (map)
Luncheon and ProgramGeorge Washington University  Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, the former and founding director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, is a public policy fellow at the Wilson Center. She has had a rich and varied career. In her native Iran, she was a journalist, served as deputy secretary general of the Women’s Organization of Iran, and was the deputy director of a cultural foundation where she was responsible for the activities of several museums and art and cultural centers. Esfandiari taught Persian at Oxford and, prior to joining the Wilson Center, she taught Persian, Persian literature, and courses on the women’s movement in Iran at Princeton. She was also a fellow at the Wilson Center from 1995 to 1996. Esfandiari has authored and edited several books including, My Prison, My Home: One Woman’s Story of Captivity in Iran (2009). She has also written numerous articles and op-eds including ISIS’s Cruelty toward Women Gets Scant Attention and ISIS Says the Quran Allows Enslaving Women. Will Clerical Leaders Respond? Esfandiari has received numerous awards for her work, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the boards of the Peace Research Endowment and the Project on Middle East Democracy. Tara Sonenshine (Moderator), coordinator for global partnerships at Planet Forward, is a former fellow at George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. Previously, she served as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and before that, as the executive vice president of USIP. Prior to joining USIP, she was a strategic communications adviser to many international organizations including USIP, the International Crisis Group, CARE, and the IWMF. Sonenshine served in various capacities at the White House during the Clinton administration, including transition director and director of foreign policy planning for the NSC. She was an editorial producer of ABC News’ Nightline, where she worked for more than a decade. She was also an off-air reporter at the Pentagon for ABC’s World News Tonight and is the recipient of 10 News Emmy Awards for coverage of international affairs.
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Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Accelerating Defense Innovation: Lessons from Silicon Wadi –Atlantic Council
Time: 10:30-11:45am
Location: Atlantic Council1030 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005 (map) Room: 12th Floor (West Tower)
Please join the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security for a Captains of Industry event with Elbit Systems of America President and CEO Raanan Horowitz, which will take place at the Atlantic Council headquarters on October 20, 2015 from 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has called for the defense establishment to engage the hub of commercial innovation, Silicon Valley, to fuel a third offset strategy. As befits the “start-up nation,” Israel has been comingling its defense and commercial technologies over many years. Elbit Systems has played an important part in this approach to leveraging commercial technology for military innovation. Raanan Horowitz will share his company’s experience of accelerating innovation in partnership with Israel’s Silicon Wadi in front of an Atlantic Council audience.

Perilous Partners: The Benefits and Pitfalls of America’s Alliances with Authoritarian Regimes – Cato Institute
Time: noon-1:30pm
Location: Cato Institute1000 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001 (map)
Featuring the authors Ted Galen Carpenter, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; and Malou Innocent, Adjunct Scholar, Cato Institute; with comments by Andrew J. Bacevich, Professor Emeritus of History and International Relations, Boston University; and Jacob Heilbrunn, Editor, The National Interest; moderated by Christopher Preble, Vice President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute. Liberal democracies such as the United States face an acute dilemma in the conduct of foreign relations. American national interests sometimes require cooperation with repressive, corrupt, or otherwise odious regimes. But close working relationships with autocratic regimes should not be undertaken lightly. Such partnerships risk compromising, or even making a mockery of, America’s values of democratic governance, civil liberties, and free markets. In their new book, Perilous Partners: The Benefits and Pitfalls of America’s Alliances with Authoritarian Regimes, Cato Institute senior fellow Ted Galen Carpenter and Cato adjunct scholar Malou Innocent contend that U.S. officials have amassed a less-than-stellar record of grappling with ethical dilemmas. When are alliances with “friendly dictators” necessary for America’s security? When are such alliances a gratuitous betrayal of fundamental American values? And when is the situation a close call? Please join the authors and two distinguished commentators for a spirited discussion of these and other relevant questions.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Master’s Open House
Learn more about the GMU School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs Masters’ programs on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at 6:30pm at our Arlington Campus, Founders Hall, Room 126. This informational sessional will discuss our Master’s programs ranging from Public Administration, Biodefense, Political Science, Health and Medical Policy, etc.

Thursday, October 22, 2015
Cyber Intelligence and Security after the OPM Breach –Institute of World Politics
Time: 11:30am
Location: Institute of World Politics1521 16th Street NW Washington, DC (map)
The data breach of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management that exposed millions of records about current, former and aspiring national security clearance holders has underscored the value of an effective cyber intelligence program. As the federal government and its industry partners act to remediate the short- and long-term consequences, panelists will discuss the importance of cyber intelligence and other security measures to address vulnerabilities potentially exploited by the breach, such as social engineering, and mitigate the considerable post-breach risks that remain.
Register here

Friday, October 23, 2015
Grand Strategy: National Security Doctrines and National Security Strategy, past, present and future –Institute of World Politics
Time: 4:30pm
Location: Institute of World Politics1521 16th Street NW Washington, DC (map)
Dr. Lamont Colucci has experience as a diplomat with the U.S. Dept. of State and is today an Associate Professor and Chairman of Politics and Government at Ripon College. His primary area of expertise is U.S. national security and U.S. foreign policy. At Ripon, he is the coordinator for the National Security Studies program and teaches courses on national security, foreign policy, intelligence, terrorism, and international relations. He has published a book entitled Crusading Realism: The Bush Doctrine and American Core Values After 9/11, and was contributing author of another book entitled The Day That Changed Everything: Looking at the Impact of 9/11 at the End of the Decade. In 2012, he finished a two volume series entitled The National Security Doctrines of the American Presidency: How they Shape our Present and Future. In 2012, he became the Fulbright Scholar in Residence at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna, Austria. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a doctorate in politics from the University of London, England. In 2007 he was the recipient of Ripon’s Severy Excellence in Teaching award and in 2010 the Underkofler Outstanding Teaching Award. In 2015 he received the national Significant Sig award of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Dr. Colucci is also an occasional columnist for the Washington Times, National Review, Weekly Standard, and Defense News. He is a weekly columnist for U.S. News and World Report. He is also Senior Fellow in National Security Affairs for the American Foreign Policy Council and is Advisor in National Security and Foreign Affairs, to the NATO-based Conference of Defence Associations Institute. He served as founding interim Director for the Center for Politics at Ripon College. You can find out more at lamontcolucci.com.
Register here 

Leading at the Nexus of Development and Defense –Center for Strategic and International Studies
Time: 10-11:30am
Location: Center for Strategic and International Studies 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036(map)
Please save the date for an armchair conversation with General John F. Kelly. General Kelly will discuss his career serving in the United States Marine Corps and the defining challenges he faced in maintaining U.S. and regional security. He will share his experience working in areas of conflict and supporting U.S. defense policy through effective development efforts. General Kelly is currently commander of U.S. Southern Command. A four star general, Kelly presided over much of the U.S. involvement in Iraq in 2003 and 2004, later returning to command Multi-National Force-West. He is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm and holds numerous military awards and honors, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal. Following his service in the Persian Gulf War, he served as the Commandant’s Liaison Officer to the U.S. House of Representatives. Kelly received his B.A. from the University of Massachusetts in Boston and graduated from the National War College in 1995.
This event is part of CSIS’ s ongoing ‘Chevron Forum on Development’ series, which seeks to highlight innovative approaches to global development.
Please RSVP to ChevronForum@csis.org .

Monday 10.12.2015

Lebanon’s Deepening Domestic Crisis – Brookings Institution
Time: 5:30pm
Location: Brookings Institution1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036(map)
Over the past month thousands of Lebanese protesters have taken to the streets chanting ‘revolution,’ starting an unprecedented and long overdue mobilization against the country’s sectarian political system and dysfunctional government. What became known as the ‘You Stink’ protest campaign, ignited by a garbage crisis, has widened to reflect anger at the entrenched political elites and the state’s failure to provide basic services. Furthermore, Lebanon has been without a president ever since the term of former President Michel Suleiman ended on May 25, 2014, despite U.N. officials and allied governments repeatedly urging the Lebanese parliament to elect a new leader. Meanwhile, regional turmoil has put Lebanon under enormous stress with the influx of over a million Syrian refugees, who now account for more than 20 percent of the population. The involvement of a number of Lebanese parties in the Syrian conflict and the deeply divided attitudes toward the Syrian regime make it extremely difficult to reach any agreement, even on domestic issues. The Brookings Doha Center cordially invites you to attend a public policy discussion entitled ‘Lebanon’s Deepening Domestic Crisis.’ In light of the political gridlock in Beirut, this event will focus on the prospects for peace and security in Lebanon amid the internal conflicts. Will the protest campaign pave the way for revamping Lebanon’s political system? Can Lebanon continue to avoid getting engulfed by Syria’s conflict? IMPORTANT: Due to limited available space, this event requires pre-registration. To reserve a place for yourself and/or a guest, please RSVP with the names of those who wish to attend to dohacenter@brookings.edu. Please arrive fifteen minutes before the event’s start time.

Will the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Live Up to Its Promise? – Cato Institute
Time: 8:30am-5:20pm
Location: Cato Institute1000 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001 (map)
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations were launched to great fanfare in mid-2013 with the pronouncement that a comprehensive deal would be reached by the end of 2014 on a “single tank of gas.” But after more than two years and 10 rounds of negotiations, an agreement is nowhere in sight and substantive differences remain between the parties. Despite a retreat from the original level of ambition, skepticism is mounting on both sides of the Atlantic that a deal will be reached anytime soon. What are the prospects for fulfilling the promise of a comprehensive trade and investment deal between the United States and the European Union? What exactly is under negotiation, and what is the strategy for advancing those negotiations? Would it make sense to exclude sacred-cow issues that will only bog down the negotiations? Is it wise to continue pursuing a single comprehensive deal for all issues on the table, or is it better to aim for a sequence of smaller agreements? Should a deal include other closely integrated countries, such as Canada, Mexico, and Turkey? How will TTIP affect the multilateral trading system, relations with the BRICS countries, and prospects for developing countries?

Tuesday 10.13.2015

Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum -Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies 
Time: 9:30am
Location: Johns Hopkins SAIS – Nitze Building1740 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036(map)
With more than half the world’s population living in cities for the first time, urban violence has become an increasingly significant problem. From Karachi to San Pedro Sula, urban centers grapple with security threats from within their own populations. In the face of challenges that can include rapid population growth, increased pressure on fragile infrastructure, limited resources such as energy and water, and high levels of  unemployment, city governments are facing substantial challenges maintaining security. This has enabled insurgencies, terrorist organizations, criminal gangs and syndicates to operate more freely. This forum will explore work being to confront urban violence holistically, looking at both urban development programming and youth-centered violence reduction initiatives in cities around the world.

U.S. Launch of the 2015 World Nuclear Industry Status Report – Heinrich Boell Foundation
Time: noon-1:30pm
Location: National Resources Defense Council 1152 15th Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC (map)
The Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) are delighted to invite you to a luncheon discussion with Mycle Schneider, the lead author of the new World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2015. The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2015 provides a comprehensive overview of nuclear power plant data, including information on operation, production and construction. The report assesses the status of new build programs in current nuclear countries as well as in potential newcomer countries. This year’s edition of the report provides an analysis of nuclear plant construction starts over time, describes delays in Generation III+ reactor projects (including the EPR, AP1000, AES 2006), looks at the history and development status of advanced reactors, and gives an update of ongoing issues from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident.

Mycle Schneider, convening lead author of the annual World Nuclear Industry Status Report, is a member of the International Panel on Fissile Materials (IPFM), based at Princeton University, and is a laureate of the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize.” Mycle is the Coordinator of the Seoul International Energy Advisory Council (SIEAC) and has served as advisor on nuclear energy issues to the French Environment Minister, the Belgian Minister for Energy and Sustainable Development, the German Environment Ministry, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Wednesday 10.14.2015

George Mason University PhD Information Session
Time: 7pm
Location: Fairfax Campus, Merten Hall, Room 1201, see directions
Drawing on world-class original research and high-level practical experience, our faculty prepare students to be creative and effective participants in policy-making and political discourse.  By working closely with these faculty to conduct research that influences decisions at the local, national and international levels, our PhD graduates emerge prepared for high-powered careers in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Beyond the Numbers: Inside the Syrian Refugee Crisis  –Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Time: 4-6pm
Location: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW (Use 15th St., NW Entrance) (map)
Join The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s LINK program for young professionals, in cooperation with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, as we explore the Syrian refugee crisis: What caused this humanitarian disaster? How has the world responded? What can the international community do to address it? Our distinguished panelists will present the perspectives of diplomats, journalists, non-governmental representatives, and analysts from Syria, the United States, and Europe who have struggled with this tragic situation.

Thursday 10.15.2015

ISIS, the Syrian Refugee Crisis and International Response –Virginia International University
Time: 2:30-5:30pm
Location: Virginia International University 4401 Village Drive (rt. 29 opposite Wegman’s) Faifax, VA 22030 (map)
Room: Conference Hall
The Center for Democracy and International Affairs -VIU is hosting a Forum and Discussion on the Syrian Refugee Crisis and the Global Humanitarian Response. The event will take place on October 15, Thursday, from 2:30pm till 5:30pm and will feature: political analysts discussing the causes of the conflict and the current configuration of international players, including the newest role to be played by Russia; a representative from the UN Refugee Agency; and representatives of both Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services involved in the process of resettlement. The forum will provide for an open discussion, networking, and working group formations. It is free and open to the public: http://www.viu.edu/cdia/blog.html?image=true&feedid=0   Please RSPV to CDIA@VIU.edu

Since 2011, almost 12 million people, equivalent to half of the Syrian population, have been displaced by the conflict, including 7.6 million displaced inside Syria. The forum  will discuss the causes of the conflict in Syria and the larger Middle East, the evolution of the refugee Crisis, and the response of key international and US humanitarian organizations.

State Department Career Info Session- Thursday Luncheon Group
Time: 6-7:30pm
Location: The U.S. Capitol Visitor CenterFirst St NE, Washington, DC 20515 (map)
Room: HVC-201AB
The panel will discuss job opportunities in a wide array of substantive areas, including

• Civil Service Positions,
• Foreign Service Positions,
• The Rangel, Pickering and Payne Graduate Fellowship Programs,
• The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program,
• Internships and Student Positions, and
• The mission and contributions of the State Department to global peace and prosperity.

RSVP at ThursdayLuncheonGroupEvents@gmail.com

Friday 10.16.2015

Ten years of the Renewable Fuel Standard: What’s been the impact on energy and the environment? – Brookings Institution
Time: 10:30-11:45am
Location: Brookings Institution1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036(map)
Ten years ago, Congress established the first federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which requires that gasoline and diesel sold in the U.S. contain minimum amounts of renewable fuels, such as corn ethanol and biodiesel. The mandate was meant to spur innovation in renewable fuel use, but the Environmental Protection Agency has repeatedly used its authority to decrease the required amounts because of limited productive capacity.Join the Economic Studies program at Brookings on October 16 as we convene an expert panel to discuss the effect of the RFS on prices for both fuels and food, whether the RFS is having an impact on greenhouse gas emissions, and if the statutory levels for future years are realistic or if they need to be revised further. The event will be webcast. Join the conversation via Twitter at #Biofuel.

By Greg Mercer

I initially set out to write this as a candidate-by-candidate look at what the 2016 crop had to say about an issue near and dear to Biodefense students’ hearts: nonproliferation.  As it turns out, though, not many candidates have well-developed stances on highly specific policy issues (or any issues, depending on how serious a candidate we’re talking about) more than a year from the general election.  Lucky for us though, there’s been a major nonproliferation news event to drive the foreign policy debate: the Iran nuclear deal.  So this is a rundown of what’s been said and being said about nonproliferation and WMD policy in the 2016 election.

So over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to take a look at what the 2016 election looks like for nonproliferation.  I’m learning a lot about the way candidate’s structure their websites.  And no, I don’t want to donate.

I’ll start first with the Republicans.  There are 15 of them right now (plus a handful of fringe/joke candidates).  Some of them have extensive platforms, others don’t.  Most of them don’t have much to say about nonproliferation.  Fair.  But the Republican Party is unified, though, in its stern opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, as evidenced by the recent attempt to block the deal in Congress.  What the candidates think about nonproliferation is also likely a function of the faith they place in the UN and international institutions.  Those who trust those mechanisms will probably push treaties as the best counterproliferation tool.  Those who don’t will probably call for strong deterrence.

 

Marco Rubio: 

Marco Rubio lumps defense and foreign policy together in this video staged to look like an interview, where he says that he aims not to make America popular, but safe, and pledges to rebuild the military.  He doesn’t talk about deterrence or proliferation in that video, but he does devote two entire sections of his “Issues” page to the Iran deal, and he alludes to nuclear proliferation in his hour-long talk at the Council on Foreign Relations (helpfully, the website provided a transcript): “The president’s proposed deal with Tehran will likely lead to a cascade of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and could force Israel to take bold action to defend itself, making war with Iran even more likely.”  This interesting statement links the Iran deal with going to war with Iran (backing up Israel in an all-out war is a foregone conclusion, it seems).  Huh.

It’s safe to say Marco Rubio is anti-Iran deal, but right now he hasn’t spoken extensively about nonproliferation efforts beyond advocating for American strength in the international community.

 

Jeb Bush:

Thanks to some name association, Jeb Bush tends to get asked about the Iraq War frequently.  The war did have quite a lot to do with nonproliferation, given the controversy (at the time) of whether or not Saddam Hussein possessed or was attempting to develop weapons of mass destruction.  Jeb has praised his brother’s actions (although he’s said that “knowing what we know now,” he would not have gone into Iraq).  Jeb is still thinking about Iraq, because his defense issues section is titled “Defeating ISIS.”  Fair enough; that’s pretty direct and avoids Marco Rubio’s blog-like setup that made me comb through three different pages.  (I think the content of the page was cobbled together from a few different sources because it switches back and forth between “ISIS” and “Islamic State,” and if you’ve read me before you’ll know that’s fascinating to me.)  On this issue page, Jeb links the Iran nuclear deal with Iran’s support for Assad and Hezbollah, and more or less explicitly promises to dismantle the deal, if elected.  He doesn’t have much else to say about nonproliferation.

 

Ted Cruz:

Ted Cruz’s website offers “proven record” sections instead of “issues” pages.  While they’re mostly bullet points on things he’s said in the past, it’s not a recycled speech so that’s nice.  Among the ways Cruz plans to create a “stronger, safer America,” Cruz specifically notes his opposition to the Iran deal.  Cruz also links ending sanctions with locking in military action as the only way to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and calls on all of the candidates to promise to repudiate the deal.  So far, that’s not a controversial stance among Republicans.  He’s also agreed that the Iraq War was a “mistake.”  Cruz has little else to say about nonproliferation, but he’s taken a stance on another interesting biodefense issue: He authored legislation to give military service members deployed to provide aid during the 2014 Ebola outbreak the same tax benefits that service members in combat zones receive.  So far, both the House and Senate versions of this bill have only been referred to their respective committees, but it’s an interesting point that hasn’t seen too much discussion.