Week in DC: Events

by juliadhomstad, posted in Events, Week In DC

June 9, 2014

Shaping the Future? The Role of the Regional Powers in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Date: June 9, 9:00am
Location: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 5th Floor, Washington DC 20004

The withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan and the presidential election there are taking place in a context of growing internal political and economic instability. Speakers will discuss the reasons why the regional perspective on Afghanistan and Pakistan is relevant, and particularly so at this point in time. Given the economic, social, and geopolitical challenges that have strong regional dimensions, the role of the five key implicated powers—India, China, Iran, Russia, and Saudi Arabia—is likely to become increasingly relevant as the new future for Afghanistan is shaped.

RSVP here. 

Re-thinking Democracy Promotion Amid Rising Authoritarianism
Date: June 9, 9:30am
Location: John Hopkins-SAIS, 1740 Massachusetts Ave NW, Kenney Auditorium, Paul H. Nitze Building, Washington DC 20036

The crisis caused by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the threat to freedom posed by kleptocratic autocracies. The world is watching how the democratic community of nations responds to Putin’s brazen attack not only against Ukraine but against the very concept of freedom and the ability of people to choose their own political destiny. Much is at stake, for authoritarian regimes pose a danger not only to their own populations through suppression of human rights but to others as well. This requires a re-examination of democracy promotion, the threats it faces, and how best to advance it.

RSVP here.

A Strategic Approach to Global Tuberculosis
Date: June 9, 10:00am
Location: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

Beginning in May 2013, the CSIS Global Health Policy Center (GHPC) organized an active working group, comprised of leading experts on tuberculosis (TB), to examine how TB relates to U.S. national interests, the structure and effectiveness of U.S. TB programs, and the most critical challenges in addressing global TB. On June 9, CSIS will host a public event, “A Strategic Approach to Global Tuberculosis,” and will release six in-depth policy analyses accompanied by an overview report summarizing the major findings and recommendations of the working group.

Register here.

National Security and Digital Prosperity After Snowden
Date: June 9, 12:00pm
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, West Tower, Washington DC

Edward Snowden’s revelations of the National Security Agency’s extensive data collection programs last year sparked an intense debate on the future of electronic surveillance in the United States and globally. As the extent of electronic surveillance has moved to the forefront of the American political discourse, the effects of Snowden’s revelations on the future of cyberspace remain unpredictable.

How will the US navigate the tradeoffs between the long term ability of high-tech companies to shape cyberspace and secure innovation and prosperity for short term national security interests? How will individuals, corporations, and states react to the changing landscape of state activities in cyberspace?

The discussion will conclude with the long-term implications of the Snowden revelations on national security and digital prosperity and tie in with conversation on The Director, the new novel by David Ignatius, exploring the changing nature of national security in a world where advancements in technology constantly level the playing field.

Register here.

China Reality Check Series: Sino-Russian Relations after the Xi-Putin Summit: What’s Happening and What’s Next?
Date: June 9, 1:00pm
Location: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

Please join the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies for our upcoming Reality Check Series event on the future trajectory of Sino-Russian relations following the May 20 – 21 summit in Shanghai between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. The two presidents participated in a regional security summit, agreed on a joint statement about Ukraine, and inked economic agreements, including a signature US$400 billion natural gas deal that had been under negotiation for a decade. At a time of increasing tensions in both U.S.-China and U.S.-Russia ties, our distinguished panel will discuss how to interpret the seeming warming in relations between Beijing and Moscow, and what it may mean for U.S.-Russia-China triangular relations and for the global security landscape writ large.

Register here.

 

June 10, 2014

Nuclear Flashpoints: U.S.-Iran Tensions Over Terms and Timetables
Date: June 10, 9:30am
Location: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC

A final deal with Iran will have to sort out a dizzying array of timetables and disparate interpretation of terms. Among them: How many years will an agreement last? Iran prefers a few; the U.S. is thinking decades. Breakout time – how long it’d take to produce enough nuclear fuel for a bomb – is now estimated to be two months; how long will a deal defer it? When will Tehran have to take what action – and in what steps or phases? And when will the U.S. have to act – and how? As the last round of talks proved, Iran and the world’s six major powers have deep differences on these basic questions and more.

To assess this period of pivotal diplomacy, an unprecedented coalition of eight Washington think tanks and organizations is hosting three discussions to coincide with the last three rounds of talks This second event will explore key conflicts and possible trade-offs on June 10. A rundown and a video of the premier event are available on The Iran Primer.

The coalition includes the U.S. Institute of Peace, RAND, the Woodrow Wilson Center, the Arms Control Association, the Center for a New American Security, the Stimson Center, the Partnership for a Secure America, and the Ploughshares Fund.

RSVP here.

Hearing: Verifying Iran’s Nuclear Compliance
Date: June 10, 10:00am
Location: U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515

Discussions of Iranian Nuclear Compliance. Witnesses include: The Honorable Stephen G. Rademaker, National Security Advisor, Bipartisan Policy Center
(Former Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Arms Control & Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, U.S. Department of State); Mr. John A. Lauder, Senior Advisor, 20twenty Strategic Consulting, Inc., (Former Director, Nonproliferation Center, Intelligence Community); Mr. Olli Heinonen,Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, (Former Deputy Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency); The Honorable Joseph R. DeTrani,President, Intelligence and National Security Alliance, (Former Director, National Counter Proliferation Center, Office of the Director of National Intelligence).

Emerging Technologies and the Future of Global Security
Date: June 10, 10:00am
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, West Tower, Washington DC

The rapid, worldwide adoption of advances in computing, robotics, bioengineering, and more by state and non-state actors is reshaping what future national security threats and opportunities will look like. If governments and other national security players want to remain ahead of the curve, they will have to reassess their national security strategy starting now.

To address these issues, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Center of Global Security Research drew on the expertise of top thinkers in national security and more for the new book, Strategic Latency and World Power: How Technology is Changing Our Concepts of Security. The book is the result of a collaboration between Livermore and Los Alamos National Labs with the US National Intelligence Council to assess the implications that rapidly developing emerging and disruptive technologies are having for national and international security. The chapter authors provide insights into the policies, individual country approaches, and specific technologies that are revolutionizing the global security environment.

In addition, Dr. Frank D. Gac, consultant to LLNL and former deputy national intelligence officer for science and technology at the NIC, will discuss the intelligence community catalyst for strategic latency. Dr. Bruce Goodwin, LLNL associate director at large for national security and policy research, will provide comments on the national laboratory imperative for tackling emerging national security issues. We will also feature a special presentation on “Chinese Strategy for the Twenty-First Century” from one of the book’s many noted authors, Dr. Tai Ming Cheung, director of the Institute on global Conflict and Cooperation at the University of California, San Diego.

Register here.

Pakistan’s Polio Crisis: The Deeper Story
Date: June 10, 11:00am
Location: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC

The world is witnessing a resurgence of the polio virus, and Pakistani is at its epicenter. This year, Pakistan has already reported about 60 cases—far more than any other country. Most observers blame Pakistan’s worsening polio problem on rising militancy. Yet according to Samia Altaf, there is a deeper story beyond this popular narrative. Altaf, a former Wilson Center Pakistan Scholar, is a medical doctor who has served as a senior advisor on health to USAID in Islamabad. She will present new research highlighting how and why Pakistan’s polio vaccination efforts have been dogged by systemic problems for a decade—long before the Taliban began sabotaging such efforts.

RSVP here.

Subcommittee Hearing: The State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau: Budget, Programs, and Evaluation
Date: June 10, 2:00pm
Location: Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, 2200 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515

The Honorable Tina Kaidanow, Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism of the U.S. Department of State discusses the counterterrorism budget.

 

June 11, 2014

The Future of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act: Expiration, Reauthorization, Modification
Date: June 11, 12:00pm
Location: RAND Corporation, B-340 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC

Should TRIA be reauthorized? Since the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) was last reauthorized in 2007, terrorism insurance has remained widely available and the price has fallen. But underlying economic and insurance challenges remain. With the program set to expire at the end of December, it’s unclear whether the improvements in the market that we have seen since TRIA was first passed in 2002 can be sustained without TRIA.

To inform the debate on whether TRIA should be reauthorized, modified, or allowed to expire, RAND invites you to a briefing where experts will present the findings of their recent work on this topic and address different facets of this complex issue, including the pros and cons of proposed TRIA modifications.

Register here.

Subcommittee Hearing: The Ongoing Struggle Against Boko Haram
Date: June 11, 2:00pam
Location: U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515

The Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations discusses the ongoing struggle against Boko Haram. Witnesses include J. Peter Pham, Ph.D., Director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council; Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe, Manager of the Justice for Jos Project, at the Jubilee Campaign USA; Mr. Anslem John-Miller, Representative to the U.S. at the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People.

 

June 12, 2014

100 Year Anniversary of World War I: The Balkan Perspective
Date: June 12, 2:15pm
Location: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Root Room B/C, 2nd Floor, 1779 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

The year 2014 marks exactly a century since the start of World War I. On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb fired the “shot heard around the world” when he assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). This event sparked the beginning of World War I, resulting in over 37 million casualties, the collapse of four empires, and, ultimately, the divisive legacy of nationalism within the Balkans.

For centuries, the date of June 28th has played a significant role in Balkan history. Celebrated as St. Vitus’ Day, it represents an important religious holiday that the Serbian Orthodox Church dedicated to Saint Prince Lazar and those Serbs who gave their lives in defending their faith during the Battle of Kosovo against the Ottoman Empire on June 28, 1389. Exactly five hundred and twenty-five years later, Gavrilo Princip’s assassination on that very same day triggered the Great War, profoundly affecting the politics of the region for a century to come. On June 28, 1989, the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, Slobodan Milosevic, then President of Serbia, made what is known as the “Gazimestan speech” in Kosovo. The nationalism invoked and celebrated that day would accelerate the demise of Yugoslavia and ultimately result in the Bosnian genocide. As we commemorate World War I, Dr. Hoare will offer his expert insight into the causes of the Great War and the significance and implications that June 28th has had on Balkan history.

RSVP here.

 

June 13, 2014

CNAS Debate: War with Iran?
Date: June 13, 9:00am
Location: Willard InterContinental Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC 20004

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and the Civis Institute invite you to attend a public debate on June 13, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Two of the country’s top collegiate debate programs – Georgetown University and the University of Michigan – will square off on one of the most contested foreign policy issues of our day.

The teams will debate whether or not the United States should use military force against Iran if nuclear diplomacy fails. The debate will be followed by comments from Dr. Colin Kahl, senior fellow and director of the Middle East Security Program at CNAS, and a moderated Q&A with the debate teams. CNAS is excited to host this event to support our mission to elevate and shape the debate on this key national security issue and promote the next generation of national security leaders.

RSVP here.

 

Pandora Report 6.7.14

by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

We’re taking the bad news with the good news this week. Highlights include miscalculations in the MERS toll, rising numbers of Ebola deaths, innovations in vaccine delivery using rice, and progress with MRSA. Enjoy your weekend!

Saudi Arabia Reports Big Jump in MERS cases, Including 282 Deaths

On Tuesday, the Saudi Ministry of Health reported that 282 people have died from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) which is a major increase from the previously known official death toll of 190. The same day as the announcement, Deputy Health Minister Dr. Ziad Memish was “relieved” from his post according to the Saudi Health Minister. No reason was given.

CNN—“MERS is thought to have originated on the Arabian Peninsula in 2012. No one knows exactly where it came from, but evidence implicating camels is emerging. In a recently published study in mBio, researchers said they isolated live MERS virus from two single-humped camels, known as dromedaries. They found multiple substrains in the camel viruses, including one that perfectly matches a substrain isolated from a human patient.”

Resurgence of Ebola Epidemic in West Africa

Though overall the number of new cases of Ebola appears to be declining, new cases have been recently reported in Guinea and Sierra Leone. Doctors Without Borders/ Medecins San Frontieres have been supporting health authorities in both countries, treating patients, and working to put measures in place to control the epidemic. They have sent over 44 tons of equipment and supplies to assist the outbreak which has infected over 300 people and killed at least 125.

Doctors Without Borders—“The rise in cases may be due to a reluctance on the part of patients to go to hospital. The movement of infected people and cadavers is also a major issue. Families frequently transport dead bodies themselves in order to organize funerals in other towns. The multiplication of affected areas makes it difficult to treat patients and control the epidemic.”

Fighting Deadly Disease, With Grains of Rice

In an effort to fight common diarrheal illnesses including cholera and rotavirus, researchers at the University of Tokyo are working on bioenginerring rice in order to turn it into an easy and low-cost storage and delivery medium to combat these common illnesses.  According to the World Health Organization, cholera alone kills as many as 120,000 annually.  Both the cholera vaccine and rotavirus antibody versions of the rice have been tested on laboratory mice with plans to test on humans within the next few years in a country like Bangladesh where cholera is a major public health threat. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as several pharmaceutical companies have shown interest in developing drugs based on the research.

The New York Times—“Vaccines  or antibodies for both exist but require refrigerated storage, Yoshikazu Yuki, an assistant professor of mucosal immunology, said in an interview. Bioengineering vaccines or antibodies into rice would allow them to be stockpiled easily, without the cost of cold storage, for up to three years at room temperature, he said. The rice could be ingested orally, ground into a paste and drunk, delivering the antibodies to the intestine.”

A New Weapon in the Battle Against MRSA

Among serious concern for the growing levels of antibiotic resistant superbugs, it appears there is some promising news. Durata Therapeutics have developed a new drug, Dalvance, which in clinical trials has proven as effective as vancomycin—another powerful antibiotic—against acute skin and soft tissue infections including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA.) According to Durata, more than 4.8 million people were admitted to hospitals with skin and soft tissue infections between 2005 and 2011 and nearly 60% of these staph infections were the methicillin-resistant variety.

The Washington Post—“The drug, Dalvance, is the first approved by the FDA under the government’s Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now program, its effort to encourage pharmaceutical companies to produce new drugs to combat the growing problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Even asthe problem has grown around the world, the number of new drugs in the pipeline has dwindled, with drug companies focused on more profitable medications.”

 

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Smallpox Stockpiles Avoid Chopping Block… Again

by juliadhomstad, posted in News

By Chris Healey

Last month, World Health Organization officials at the 106th World Health Assembly in Geneva decided not to eliminate the last stockpiles of smallpox. That decision marks the sixth time the assembly has chosen to maintain stockpiles in lieu of destruction.

Some health officials consider smallpox the deadliest disease in human history. Until vaccination eradicated the disease in 1980, smallpox infected people around the world and killed 30% of sickened individuals. The disease no longer exists in nature, but samples of the virus are stockpiled at research facilities in the United States and Russia. Elimination of those stockpiles is the only way to categorically prevent theft or accidental release of smallpox from those facilities.

One source of hesitance to eliminate is international intrigue. In 2008, representatives from Vector, the Russian facility responsible for the country’s stockpile in Novosibirsk, announced researchers had discarded 200 smallpox samples without notice. Elimination of those samples remains unverified.

Another reason to keep stockpiles is research potential. Access to samples in the event of a smallpox resurgence, or another poxvirus outbreak, may be beneficial in efforts to quell illness spread. Most poxviruses have strikingly similar genomes.

Smallpox is part of the orthopox genus. A characteristic of orthopox genomes is conservation of genetic material, meaning viruses in the genus share many identical genetic sequences.

Genetic similarity among viruses in the orthopox genus is exploited to prevent smallpox. Vaccinia virus,the pharmacologic active ingredient in smallpox vaccines, shares enough genetic similarity with variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, to confer immunity to both viruses. In fact, inoculation with any orthopoxvirus confers immunity to all members of the genus.

Some health officials claim the conserved nature of orthopoxviruses undermines needs to preserve smallpox. Due to similarity among orthopoxviruses, smallpox can be studied through less virulent orthopoxviruses. However, not all health officials believe orthopoxviruses are one in the same.

Authors of an article recently published in The Lancet make an argument for the preservation of smallpox stockpiles. The authors mention the need for better countermeasures against smallpox and other orthopoxviruses. Those countermeasures, when developed, should be tested against authentic smallpox viruses. The authors argue smallpox stockpiles should be maintained to facilitate orthopoxvirus research.

A comprehensive review of the smallpox stockpile elimination debate by biological weapons and arms control expert Jonathan Tucker is available here.

Meet Your 2014 Summer Program Faculty: Charles Blair

by juliadhomstad, posted in Events, Program News

In preparation for the GMU Summer Program in International Security, this week we will highlight the course directors. EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JUNE 15! Register by June 15 to save $300 on a three-day course and $200 on a two-day course. Use the links below for more details including registration.  Questions? Comment to this post or email spis@gmu.edu.

 

Headshot_BlairCharles P. Blair is a Washington, D.C.-based university instructor, researcher, writer, and thinker specializing in terrorism and the history, technical underpinnings, and potential futures of Weapons of Mass Destruction. He is the director for two courses in the Summer Program in International Security: 21st Century Terrorism: Emerging Trends and Evolving Tactics which runs July 14-16 and Terrorism Analysis: Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methodologies and Tools which runs July 17-18.

Since visiting Moscow as a student in 1985, Blair has worked on issues relating to globalization and the diffusion and diversification of WMD in the context of the rise of mass casualty terrorism incidents. He teaches graduate-level classes on terrorism and the technology of WMD at Johns Hopkins University and George Mason University and is a columnist for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Recent works include: “Terrorist Nuclear Command and Control,” which was completed under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security; a two-year DHS-backed study which investigated the U.S. extreme right-wing and radiological and nuclear terrorism; “Target Sochi: The threat from the Caucasus Emirate,”; and  “Barely Lethal: Terrorists and Ricin.”

Mr. Blair is a Senior Fellow on State and Non-State Threats at the Federation of American Scientists. Before joining FAS, he has worked at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Center for Terrorism and Intelligence Studies.

Click here to register for 21st Century Terrorism: Emerging Trends and Evolving Tactics.

Click here to register for Terrorism Analysis: Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methodologies and Tools

Meet Your 2014 Summer Program Faculty: Gregory Koblentz

by juliadhomstad, posted in Events, Program News

In preparation for the GMU Summer Program in International Security, this week we will highlight the course directors. EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JUNE 15! Register by June 15 to save $300 on a three-day course and $200 on a two-day course. Use the links below for more details including registration.  Questions? Comment to this post or email spis@gmu.edu.

Koblentz

Dr. Greg Koblentz, Associate Professor of Government and International Affairs and Deputy Director of the Biodefense Program at George Mason University, is the course director for this summer’s short course: Pandemics, Bioterrorism, and International Security. The course will run July 21-23.

Dr. Koblentz’s research and teaching focus on international security, biosecurity, and weapons of mass destruction. His recent publications include “Biosecurity reconsidered: Calibrating biological threats and responses.” and “The threat of pandemic influenza: why today is not 1918.” His book, Living Weapons: Biological Warfare and International Security, remains one of the most influential publications in the field of biodefense since its publication in 2009. In fact, we often tell prospective students to read his book for a “one book version” of our Biodefense Master’s program. He is at work now on a book on nuclear proliferation.

Dr. Koblentz is also a Research Affiliate with the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the Scientist Working Group on Chemical and Biological Weapons at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington, DC. He received his PhD in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and his Bachelor of Arts from Brown University.

Click here to register for Pandemics, Bioterrorism, and International Security.

Meet Your 2014 Summer Program Faculty: Sonia ben Ouagrham-Gormley

by juliadhomstad, posted in Events, Program News

In preparation for the GMU Summer Program in International Security, this week we will highlight the course directors. EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JUNE 15! Register by June 15 to save $300 on a three-day course and $200 on a two-day course.. Use the links below for more details including registration.  Questions? Comment to this post or email spis@gmu.edu.

 

GormleyDr. Sonia ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Associate Professor of Government and International Affairs and member of the Biodefense faculty at George Mason University, is the director for this summer’s WMD Export Controls course in the Summer Program in International Security. This course will run July 10-11 and aims to increase participants’ awareness and understanding of WMD proliferation, export controls and trafficking of related materials.

Dr. Ouagrham-Gormley’s research and teaching focuses on WMD and proliferation issues. Her recent publications include “The social context shaping bioweapons (non) proliferation,” “An Unrealized Nexus? WMD-Related Trafficking, Terrorism and Organized Crime in the Former Soviet Union,” and “Banking on Nonproliferation: Improving the Implementation of Financial Sanctions.”  Her forthcoming book from Cornell University Press, Barriers to Bioweapons, extends on her article by the same name and provides the most detailed examination to date of how and why biological weapons programs succeed or fail.

Prior to joining George Mason, Dr. Ouagrham-Gormley served 10 years as a Senior Research Associate at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), and Editor-in-Chief of the International Export Control Observer, a monthly newsletter devoted to the analysis of WMD export control issues in the world. Dr. Ouagrham-Gormley was also an adjunct professor at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, where she taught a course on WMD in the former Soviet Union (FSU). She received her Ph.D. in Economics of Development at the Advanced School of Social Sciences in Paris, France.

Click here to register for WMD Export Controls.

Meet Your 2014 Summer Program Faculty: Alexander Garza

by juliadhomstad, posted in Events, Program News

In preparation for the GMU Summer Program in International Security, this week we will highlight the course directors. EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JUNE 15! Register by June 15 to save $300 on a three-day course and $200 on a two-day course. Use the links below for more details including registration.  Questions? Comment to this post or email spis@gmu.edu.

Alexander Garza, MD, MPH, FACEP

Dr. Alexander Garza, Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Associate Professor of Epidemiology at St. Louis University in the College for Public Health and Social Justice, is the director for this summer’s Biosurveillance: National and International Levels course in the Summer Program in International Security. This course will run July 24-25.

Dr. Garza is a fellow in the American College of Emergency Physicians and a member of the American Public Health Association. He is a Senior Editor for the Oxford Handbook in Disaster Medicine and has authored numerous chapters in medical texts and published multiple articles and peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Garza served as Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs and the Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Homeland Security from 2009-2013 and prior to that was a practicing physician and medical educator—serving as the Director of Military Programs at the ER One Institue at Washington Hospital Center, the Associate Medical Director of Emergency Medical Services for the State of New Mexico, and the Director of Emergency Medical Services The Kansas City, MO Health Department. He has served as a professor at Georgetown University, the University of New Mexico and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Dr. Garza served in the U.S. Army Reserve and was a battalion surgeon and public health team chief during Operation Flintlock in Dakar, Senegal. He also served as a public health team chief during Operation Iraqi Freedom and as a special investigator and medical expert for Major General Raymond Odierno. He holds a medical degree from the University of Missouri – Columbia School of Medicine, a Master of Public Health from the Saint Louis University School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.

Click here to register for Biosurveillance: National and International Levels.

This Week in DC: Events

by juliadhomstad, posted in Events, Week In DC

 June 3, 2014

Technology and Military Escalation in South Asia
Date: June 3, 9:00 am
Location: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

In recent years, India has gained unprecedented access to high-quality, sensitive military equipment from the West. But rather than focus on qualitative advances to its arsenal utilizing these technologies, Delhi continues to focus on quantitative improvements to its conventional forces, which is perceived as threatening to India’s neighbors. Abhijit Iyer-Mitra will explore the technological and doctrinal fault lines between India’s hardware purchases and its lack of operational gains. Carnegie’s Toby Dalton will moderate the discussion.

Register here.

Military Strategy Forum: The Honorable Michael Vickers on Intelligence and National Security
Date: June 3, 9:00 am
Location: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 1616 Rhode Island Ave, NW, Washington DC 20036

The CSIS International Security Program cordially invites you to a Military Strategy Forum discussion of: Intelligence and National Security

Featuring, The Honorable Michael Vickers, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. With an introduction by, Dr. John Hamre, President and CEO, and The Pritzker Chair, CSIS; and moderated by, Dr. Kathleen H. Hicks,
Senior Vice President, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and Director, International Security Program, CSIS

RSVP here.

US-Iran Relations Past, Present, and Future
Date: June 3, 9:30 am
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15th Street NW, Washington DC

The Atlantic Council’s Iran Task Force and Search for Common Ground invite you to a conversation with Seyyed Hossein Mousavian, former Iranian diplomat and author of a new book, Iran and the United States: An Insider’s View on the Failed Past and the Road to Peace, and John Marks, president and founder of Search for Common Ground.  Mousavian will offer insights from his twenty-five years representing Iran in posts including ambassador to Germany and nuclear negotiating team spokesman under former President Mohammed Khatami. Markswill reflect on eighteen years of experience in Track II dialogue and cultural exchanges with Iran. The speakers will discuss the current negotiations with Iran and the outlook for better relations under President Hassan Rouhani.

The Iran Task Force, chaired by Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat, seeks to perform a comprehensive analysis of Iran’s internal political landscape, its role in the region and globally, and any basis for an improved relationship with the West. This project is generously supported by the Ploughshares Fund.  Search for Common Ground is a peacebuilding and conflict transformation organization with offices in thirty-four countries.

Register here.

Voices from Japan: National Security Speaker Series
Date: June 3, 10:30 am
Location: The Stimson Center, 1111 19th Street NW, 12th Floor, Washington DC

Voices from Japan: National Security Speaker Series” is an annual public symposium that aims to bring high-profile, senior-level Japanese individuals to Washington, DC for discussions about how the US and Japan can tackle today’s global security challenges under the US-Japan alliance and in partnership with like-minded nations. It aims to provide a unique platform for senior-level Japanese officials to share their insights and concerns on a range of international issues.

On June 3, Stimson Center will host General Ryoichi Oriki (ret. Japan Ground Self-Defense Force), 3rd Chief of Staff of Joint Staff, Japan Self-Defense Force (2009-2011).

The security environment surrounding Japan has been rapidly changing in the last several years. More than ever, Japan’s defense establishment is facing an urgent need to reconsider some of the critical guiding principles of Japan’s postwar defense policies, rehash its defense policies to reflect the newly established principles and realign the JSDF to support the newly set priorities. General Oriki, based on the transformative experience he personally experienced through commanding JSDF operations in the aftermath of the 2011 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, will share his thoughts about the complexities of security challenges Japan faces today, and the significance of deep defense relations between the United States and Japan.

RSVP here.

25 Years After Tiananmen: A Discussion with Chen Guangcheng
Date: June 3, 2:00 pm
Location: American Enterprise Institute, 1150 17th Street NW, Washington DC 20036

Twenty-five years after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, the democratic aspirations of student protesters in China are no closer to fruition, remaining firmly at odds with the new “China dream” espoused by President Xi Jinping. The recent arrest of prominent human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, whose clients included artist Ai Weiwei, is only the latest indicator of the increasingly inhospitable environment in which China’s dissidents find themselves.

On the eve of the massacre’s 25th anniversary, AEI will welcome prominent activist Chen Guangcheng, a self-taught lawyer and champion of victims of the one-child policy. In a conversation with AEI President Arthur Brooks, Chen will describe the human rights situation in China; speak to the evolution of free society, rule of law, and democracy; and discuss ways to enhance public understanding of the moral foundation of free societies.

If you are unable to attend, we welcome you to watch the event live on this page. Full video will be posted within 24 hours.

 

Check back later Tuesday for the full listing of the week’s events!

Syria and Chemical Weapons: Unfinished Business

by Gregory Koblentz, posted in News

Syrians go to the polls today for a presidential “election” in the midst of a civil war that has killed an estimated 150,000 people, displaced 6 million internally, and generated 3 million refugees. President Bashar al-Assad, who has ruled Syria since 2000, is expected to win handily over the two virtually unknown candidates running against him. The election is not expected to contribute to an end to the violence in Syria, but might actually make the fighting worse as the government and the rebels both dig in their heels. Oddly enough, the only winner on election night (aside from Assad himself) might be the international effort to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons. Syria’s remaining chemical weapons have been held hostage for the last month by Syrian domestic politics. Once Assad is re-elected for his third seven-year term, he may feel secure enough to implement the final stages of Syria’s chemical disarmament.

Since announcing its intent on April 21 to hold presidential elections, Syria has largely suspended its efforts to implement a plan brokered by the United States and Russian and overseen by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the international organization charged with implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), to get rid of its chemical weapons. Under the plan, Syria agreed to either destroy or transfer to international custody its stockpile of 1,300 tons of chemical warfare agents and precursors. Since January, Syria has been slowly shipping chemicals to the port of Latakia where they are loaded onto Norwegian and Danish ships for eventual transport to destruction sites in Europe and a US ship equipped with a sophisticated chemical destruction system.

The deadline for Syria to remove the last of its chemicals expired on April 27 with 8% of its stockpile, approximately 100 tons of nerve agent precursors and other chemicals, still inside of the country. The most recent shipment of chemicals out of Syria occurred on April 24. The remaining chemicals are believed to be located at a military airbase east of Damascus in an area that has been the scene of heavy fighting lately between the government and rebel forces. On April 28, the Syrian government informed the OPCW that it was no longer able to access this last chemical weapon storage facility by road due to the fighting. That same day, President Assad announced that he was entering the presidential race and the campaign swung into high gear in areas loyal to the regime.

Although the outcome of the election is not in doubt, the government has used the past month and a half to bolster its support among groups in the country that remain loyal to the regime. What matters to Assad is not how “free and fair” the international community views the election, but how effectively it consolidates his power and reinforces his legitimacy among the elites and masses who make up his base. The regime will no doubt manipulate the results of the election to try to send a signal to the opposition that Assad’s hold on power remains strong and that he retains the ability to prosecute his war against so-called “terrorists” with unrelenting vigor.

So why do I think the Syrian presidential election will affect the level of Syria’s cooperation with the OPCW? If Syria shipped the last 100 tons of its chemicals out of the country during the middle of the election, it would have provided the United States and its allies with a much-needed victory to trumpet. Given the sad lack of progress on any other aspect of the Syrian conflict, the United States and its allies would have trumpeted this achievement quite loudly. At the same time, this milestone in the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons would have reminded Syrians that they were forfeiting a major pillar of their national security and that Assad agreed to the deal out of fear of American airstrikes. All of this risked undermining the narrative that the regime has been trying to cultivate that Assad is the only leader strong enough to keep Syria together, fight the “terrorists,”  and resist foreign intervention. Even dictators understand the importance of “staying on message” during an election, no matter how rigged it is. Once the election is over, the United States and its allies need to increase the pressure on Syria to complete the unfinished business of destroying its chemical weapons program.

Meet Your 2014 Summer Program Faculty: Charles Ferguson

by juliadhomstad, posted in Events, Program News

In preparation for the GMU Summer Program in International Security, this week we will highlight the course directors. EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JUNE 15! Register by June 15 to save $300 on a three-day course and $200 on a two-day course. Use the links below for more details including registration.  Questions? Comment to this post or email spis@gmu.edu.

ferguson

Dr. Charles D. Ferguson, President of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), is the course director for this summer’s CBRN Weapons: Science & Policy in the Summer Program in International Security. This course will run July 7-9.

With more than twenty years’ experience in policy and national security, Dr. Ferguson has researched and written extensively on energy policy, nuclear nonproliferation, missile defense, and prevention of nuclear and radiological terrorism. His publications include 2011’s Nuclear Energy: What Everyone Needs to Know, The Four Faces of Nuclear Terrorism (with William Potter) in 2005, and the report Commercial Radioactive Sources: Surveying the Security Risks, which was the first in-depth, post-9/11 study of the “dirty bomb” threat. This report won the 2003 Robert S. Landauer Lecture Award from the Health Physics Society.

Dr. Ferguson has worked as the Philip D. Reed senior fellow for science and technology at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), consulted with Sandia National Laboratories and the National Nuclear Security Administration on improving the security of radioactive sources, and as a physical scientist in the Office of the Senior Coordinator for Nuclear Safety at the U.S. Department of State. He graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy, served in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear engineering officer, and earned a PhD in physics from Boston University. He has previously taught as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and the Johns Hopkins University.

Click here to register for CBRN Weapons: Science & Policy.