Tag: Washington DC

May 28, 2014

The United States and Global Missile Defense
Date: May 28, 8:30 am
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15^th Street NW, 12^th Floor (West Tower) Washington DC

Please join the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security for our annual Global Missile Defense conference, which will take place on May 28, 2014 at the Atlantic Council headquarters.

Our annual conferences have enabled the Atlantic Council to take an active, leading role in discussions and debate concerning the role of missile defense in US security policy. Building upon last year’s conversations, this year’s event will focus on the recent developments concerning the emerging regional missile defense architectures in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and, it will feature a panel addressing how missile defense operations are likely to evolve out to 2030.

Full schedule of events available here; Register here.

Statesman Forum on Cybersecurity Policy and Diplomacy
Date: May 28, 11:00 am
Location: School of Media and Public Affairs, Jack Morton Auditorium, 805 21^st Street NW, Washington DC 20052

On Wednesday, May 28, 2014, the George Washington University Cybersecurity Initiative will host Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of the Republic of Estonia, for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of play of the current cyber threat; policies and actions that Estonia has taken to address the challenge; the significance of U.S.-Estonia cooperation on cybersecurity; the role of other international alliances and organizations, including NATO; and recent political and military events in the region.

Following President Ilves’ opening remarks, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Mike Rogers and Dutch Ruppersberger, and Ambassador Paula Dobriansky, will join in a moderated Q&A session on cybersecurity, as well as U.S. perspectives on the geopolitical implications of the conflict in Ukraine.

Register here.

“Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War” Book Talk
Date: May 28, 12:00 pm
Location: Hudson Institute, 1015 15^th Street NW, 6^th Floor, Washington DC 20005

What was said of the Prussian state and its military is true of Pakistan: It is an army with a state. Pakistan’s army has dominated the state ever since its independence in 1947. Pakistan’s security-intelligence establishment has locked the country in an enduring rivalry with India that has included four full-scale wars, none of them a clear-cut Pakistani victory, and one of them (in 1971) resulting in the loss of Pakistan’s most populous province, modern Bangladesh, to independent statehood. Unable to compete with India using conventional military forces, Pakistan’s army has employed non-state actors and continued to build its nuclear arsenal.

In Fighting to the End, Dr. C. Christine Fair answers the critical question: “Why does Pakistan’s army persist in pursuing revisionist policies that have come to imperil the very viability of the state itself?” After analyzing decades’ worth of the army’s own defense publications, Fair concludes that “from the army’s distorted view of history, it is victorious as long as it can resist India’s purported drive for regional hegemony as well as the territorial status quo. Simply put, acquiescence means defeat.”

To discuss Fighting to the End in the context of Pakistan, its army, and the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, Hudson Institute will host a book talk with Dr. Fair, assistant professor in the Peace and Securities Studies program at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Hudson Senior Fellow and former Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States Husain Haqqani will moderate the event.

Books will be available for purchase and signing by the author. Register here.

From Dayton to Europe: A New Beginning for Post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Date: May 28, 2:00 pm
Location: U.S. Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave NW, Washington DC

After several failed attempts to move Bosnia-Herzegovina beyond political and economic stalemate, last month’s joint commitment by top leaders to European values and identity, a social market economy and the rule of law might mark an opportunity for change.  Five major political parties from Bosnia’s two entities reached agreement to sign the joint declaration amid the deepest institutional crisis since the end of the war in 1995. It remains to be seen whether the parties will be able to generate support for their united stance in the run-up to the October 2014 elections.

Please join us on May 28, 2014, for a conversation with Martin Raguž, a Member of the Parliament of Bosnia-Herzegovina and President of the HDZ 1990 Party, and Edward P. Joseph, Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations who has worked for a dozen years in the Balkans most recently as Deputy Head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo. They’ll discuss the recent turmoil in Bosnia, the significance of the joint declaration by the five parties, the upcoming elections and how to move the country forward. USIP’s Renata Stuebner will moderate the discussion, which will include presentations by the two speakers and a question-and-answer period. This event follows an April 2 discussion at USIP with a Bosnian civic activist and two other panelists on the ramifications of protests for the October elections.

RSVP here.

 

May 29, 2014

What Good is Grand Strategy? Power and Purpose in American Statecraft from Harry S. Truman to George W. Bush
Date: May 29, 12:00 pm
Location: Heritage Foundation, Lehrman Auditorium, 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington DC

Grand strategy is one of the most widely used and abused concepts in the foreign policy lexicon. In his new book, Hal Brands explains why grand strategy is a concept that is so alluring – and so elusive – to those who make American statecraft. He explores what grand strategy is, why it is so essential, and why it is so hard to get right amid the turbulence of global affairs and the chaos of domestic politics. At a time when “grand strategy” is very much in vogue, Brands critically appraises just how feasible that endeavor really is.

Brands takes a historical approach to this subject, examining how four Presidents – Harry S. Truman, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush – and their administrations sought to “do” grand strategy at key inflection points in the history of modern U.S. foreign policy. As examples from the early Cold War to the Reagan years to the War on Terror demonstrate, grand strategy can be an immensely rewarding undertaking – but also one that is full of potential pitfalls on the long road between conception and implementation.

Hal Brands, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and History at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. He is an affiliate of the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy and serves on the Executive Board of the Triangle Institute for Security Studies. Previously, he worked at the Institute for Defense Analyses outside of Washington, D.C. and has served as a member of the RAND Corporation Grand Strategy Advisory Board.

RSVP here or watch online.

Sting of the Drone: A Book Event featuring Richard A. Clarke
Date: May 29, 6:00 pm
Location: Middle East Institute, 1761 N Street NW, Washington DC 20036

The Middle East Institute is pleased to host Richard A. Clarke, chairman of MEI’s board of governors, for a discussion of his latest book, Sting of the Drone (Thomas Dunne Books, 2014). Drawing upon over 30 years of experience in U.S. government agencies, including the Pentagon, the State Department, and the White House National Security Council, Clarke will discuss his fictional account of military and defense personnel working in the U.S. drone program. Afterwards, Clarke will sign copies of his book.

Register here.

 

May 30, 2014

Al-Qaeda and its Regional Affiliates: A Movement in Transformation
Date: May 30, 8:30 am
Location: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

This conference will bring together leading scholars and practitioners from the United States, Europe, and the Arab world to examine the complex dynamics underway within al-Qaeda. This will include its role in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and North Africa, as well as European influence on the movement, and the broader political and social context within which al-Qaeda operates today.

Full conference schedule available here; Register here.

Russian Military Modernization and Military Operations in the Crimea, North Caucasus and Georgia
Date: May 30, 12:00 pm
Location: Heritage Foundation, Lehrman Auditorium, 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington DC

Russia’s military actions in the Crimea and Eastern Ukraine have shattered two decades of relative peace in post-Cold War Europe. Twenty-two years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia is rebuilding its military strength and once again rising in regional influence.

President Vladimir Putin has committed a considerable portion of the Russian GDP toward modernizing its military over the next 10 years. Russia’s aggression in the Crimea clearly demonstrates that its military has come a long way from the defeats in Chechnya in the 1994-1996 war and its lackluster performance in Georgia in 2008. The Russian military has also learned lessons from its prolonged counterinsurgency operations in the North Caucasus. If successful, the Putin military modernization will allow Russia to increase its power relative to its former Soviet and NATO neighbors and expand influence along its periphery – in the former Soviet republics, in Central and Eastern Europe, and in the Middle East – presenting further challenges for the United States and its Western allies and their decision makers.

This discussion will be based on the recent monograph, “Russia’s Counterinsurgency in North Caucasus: Performance and Consequences,” published by the U.S. Army War College in March and on a new Heritage Foundation Backgrounder, “A U.S. Response to Russia’s Military Modernization,” both authored by Ariel Cohen.

RSVP here.

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

June 5, 2014

Pakistan’s Polio Fight
Date: June 5, 9:30 am
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15^th Street NW, 12^th Floor (West Tower,) Washington DC

Pakistan is one of just three countries where polio remains endemic. With sixty-six cases reported in the country this year and a grave warning issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) of a resurgence, the disease threatens not just Pakistan but countries across the world that have waged successful polio-eradication campaigns.  Pakistan’s health system faces challenges in addressing this threat, including limited access to remote areas and violence against polio campaign workers. Yet, increasing amounts of funding, steadily developing science, and modified organizational plans have consistently failed to surpass these challenges. Pakistan is reportedly ramping up efforts after an international travel ban issued by the WHO will prevent individuals from leaving Pakistan without proof of vaccination as of June 1. Dr. Samia Altaf will talk about measures Pakistan is taking to tackle the polio threat in Pakistan, reactions to the WHO travel ban, and the role of foreign aid.

The US-Pakistan Program is a comprehensive approach to US-Pakistan relations, focusing on the key areas of security, economic development, and public policy. The program explores these issues and their relevance, in order to develop a long-term, continuous dialogue between the United States and Pakistan. This project is generously supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Register here.

May 19, 2014

PONI Live Debate: The Role of Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Responding to the Crisis in Crimea
Date: May 19, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Location: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2^nd Floor, Hess Room, 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

The Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) is pleased to invite you to a live debate about U.S. and NATO nuclear strategy in Central and Eastern Europe.

In the NATO-Russia Founding Act of 1997, NATO attested that it had “no intention, no plan and no reason” to locate nuclear weapons on the territory of Central and Eastern European states. But today, as tensions over the Crimea crisis continue to escalate, many have begun to call for a reexamination of this policy. Would the presence of tactical nuclear weapons provide stability and assurance to NATO’s Eastern European members, or would such a move spark more skirmishes with an antagonized Russia? Mr. Peter B. Doran, Director of Research at the Center for European Policy Analysis, and Mr. Kingston Reif, Director of Nuclear Non-Proliferation at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, will debate these questions at the next PONI Live Debate.

The live, in-person, debate will be also be webcast live. Viewers can ask questions of the debaters in real-time by emailing PONI@csis.org. Tune in here for the livestream. To attend in person, register here.

 

May 20, 2014

Revelations About the NSA: A Talk with James Bamford
Date: May 20, 12:00 – 2:00 pm
Location: Institute for Policy Studies, 1112 16^th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington DC

Join us in our conference room for a conversation with James Bamford about the Edward Snowden revelations and what they mean for the country.

Bamford is an American bestselling author and journalist noted for his writing about United States intelligence agencies, especially the National Security Agency (NSA).

Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan: An Enduring Threat
Date: May 20, 2:00 pm
Location: U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2200 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515

The Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade welcomes the following witnesses to dicsuss Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Mr. Thomas Joscelyn, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Mr. David Sedney, the Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia at the U.S. Department of Defense.

Watch the hearing online here.

 

May 21, 2014

Boko Haram: The Growing Threat to Schoolgirls, Nigeria, and Beyond
Date: May 21, 9:45 am
Location: U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515

Witnesses Honorable Sarah Sewall, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights at the U.S. Department of State and Ms. Amanda J. Dory, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs at the U.S. Department of Defense discuss Boko Haram.

Watch the hearing online here.

The Humanitarian Crisis in Syria: Views from the Ground
Date: May 21, 2:00 pm
Location: U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515

The Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa welcomes the following witnesses to Syria: Ms. Andrea Koppel, Vice President of Global Engagement and Policy at Mercy Corps; Ms. Holly Solberg, Director of Emergency and Humanitarian Assistance at CARE; Ms. Pia Wanek, Director in the Office of Humanitarian Assistance at Global Communities; Mr. Zaher Sahloul, M.D., President of the Syrian American Medical Society; Ms. Bernice Romero, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at Save the Children.

Watch the hearing online here.

NATO’s Balancing Act
Date: May 21, 3:00 pm
Location: U.S. Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave NW, Washington DC 20037

Russia’s invasion of Crimea poses an urgent and serious challenge for the venerable Atlantic Alliance. Some argue that in response NATO needs to prioritize collective defense, its original mission, and deemphasize the crisis management and cooperative security roles that have involved the Alliance in conflicts from Afghanistan to Libya.

The impact of the Ukraine crisis on NATO’s balancing among these three tasks remains to be seen. Will the 28 NATO member countries agree on a common analysis of the threat? What is the role of individual NATO members, and to what extent are they willing to invest in new capabilities? These questions will be at the forefront of September’s NATO Summit in South Wales, the first since the 2012 Chicago meeting.

Join us for a discussion exploring the Alliance’s future with four world-renowned NATO experts, including David S. Yost, author of NATO’s Balancing Act.

RSVP here.

 

May 22, 2014

The Good Spy: The Life and Death of CIA Legend Robert Ames
Date: May 22, 9:00 – 10:30am
Location: Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

On April 18, 1983, the Hezbollah-led bombing of the United States embassy in Beirut, Lebanon killed 63 individuals, including eight Central Intelligence Agency officers, one of whom was the agency’s Director of the Office of Near East and South Asia Analysis Robert C. Ames. A CIA legend, Ames was known for having established remarkable back-channel connections with Yasir Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organization when it was still banned as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

In a new book, The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and biographer Kai Bird explains how Ames was able to make these contacts, focusing in particular on Ames’ unique ability to develop friendships and ascertain shared values with a wide array of interlocutors. Bird chronicles also Ames’ rise within the CIA, his passion for the Middle East and the details of the fateful Beirut embassy bombing.

On May 22, the Brookings Intelligence Project will host author Kai Bird to examine the life and death of Robert Ames, how relations between the Arab world and West might have been different had he lived and the lessons that can be learned from Ames’ personable, human approach toward intelligence and enduring foreign policy challenges. Brookings Senior Fellow Bruce Riedel, director of the Intelligence Project, will provide introductory remarks and moderate the discussion. Following their remarks, Riedel and Bird will take questions from the audience.

Register here.

 

May 23, 2014

The Perils of Responsibility: Germany’s New Foreign Policy and the Ukraine Crisis
Date: May 23, 10:00 – 11:30 am
Location: Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

In an orchestrated series of speeches earlier this year, Germany’s President Joachim Gauck, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called upon their nation to reconsider its reticence to confront geopolitical challenges. Touted as a paradigm shift in Germany’s foreign policy, the coordinated addresses urged Germany to adopt a more assertive voice and assume greater responsibility on global issues. At the same time, the architects of Germany’s “New Foreign Policy” reaffirmed the country’s long-standing culture of multilateralism and military restraint. The intent of the coordinated messages appeared to be two-fold: to assure Germany’s allies that it would take on a greater share of the burden of promoting global stability, and to provoke a domestic debate on Germany’s use of traditionally unpopular foreign policy tools.

On May 23, the Center on the United States and Europe (CUSE) at Brookings with the Heinrich Böll Foundation North America and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Washington will host a panel discussion to assess Germany’s new foreign policy and the challenges posed by the crisis in Ukraine. The panelists will be Brookings Senior Fellow and CUSE Director Fiona Hill, President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation Ralf Fücks and Olaf Böhnke, head of the Berlin office of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). Brookings Visiting Fellow Jutta Falke-Ischinger will moderate the discussion.

Register here.

May 12, 2014

Morocco’s Approach to Countering Violent Extremism
Date: May 12, 12:00 pm
Location: Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 1828 L Street NW, Suite 1050, Washington DC 20036

Morocco’s traditionally strong counterterrorism efforts are now being challenged by the spread of terrorism to even the most stable parts of the region. At a time when al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is posing a formidable threat to the neighborhood, the crisis in Syria continues to serve as a magnet for aspiring jihadists, including Moroccans. Meanwhile, prisons in the region often facilitate radicalization rather than deter it, raising questions about how best to prevent and counter extremism and terrorism.

To discuss these and other aspects of Morocco’s threat environment, The Washington Institute is pleased to host a Policy Forum with Mohamed Salah Tamek who is the delegate-general of Morocco’s Penitentiary and Reintegration Administration. Previously, he served as governor of the Oued Eddahab province, chief of staff to the interior minister, ambassador to Norway, and head of the security portion of the U.S.-Morocco Strategic Dialogue.

Space is limited. RSVP here.

Meet the Syria Opposition
Date: May 12, 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Location: New America Foundation, 1899 L Street NW, Suite 400, Washington DC 20036

The Syrian conflict just entered its fourth year and according to some estimates the death toll is approaching 150,000 killed. A revolution that began peacefully has morphed into one of the most violent wars in recent memory, creating not just bloodshed but an unparalleled humanitarian crisis. “Victory” for any party remains elusive, the Geneva talks proved fruitless and the UN’s Syria envoy is preparing to leave the task for someone else. So what possible solutions exist for Syria? After years of fighting, a fractured society, unspeakable brutality and a lack of commitment from the international community, is Syria’s future anything but bleak?

Join us for a conversation with members of the Syrian opposition delegation currently visiting Washington, DC for meetings with senior U.S. officials. They will discuss the opposition’s vision for a new Syria and what solutions, if any, exist for the current impasse. In addition, they will address the growing global concern over the rising power of extremists and what efforts are currently underway to counter these trends. Finally, the delegation will provide the latest updates and developments from the field as well as a blueprint for the future.

RSVP here.

Ivory Towers and Palace Guards: The Disconnect between Outside Expertise and Policymaking
Date: May 12, 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Location: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC 20004

How does advice and information from outside experts and scholars reach top policymakers—or does it? Terms like “echo chamber” and “information bubble” are often employed to describe an environment where it is difficult for outside information to penetrate or influence the policy process. Author and consultant Suzanne Massie will share the inside story of her interactions with Ronald Reagan and how she provided him with an outside voice at a vital time. Reagan turned to Massie for her advice on understanding and dealing with Russians, and carried her suggestions — including the now famous Russian proverb, “trust but verify” — into his meetings with the new Russian leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. You can read about her latest book here.

RSVP here.

A Time to Attack: The Looming Iranian Nuclear Threat
Date: May 12, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15^th Street NW, 12^th Floor, Washington DC

As diplomats return to the negotiating table on May 13 in an attempt to negotiate a comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran, it is a propitious time to review the prospects for a negotiated settlement and our options for resolving the Iranian nuclear challenge if the talks do not succeed. President Obama has vowed that he is willing to do whatever it takes, including using military force, if necessary, to keep Tehran from the bomb. If not stopped, a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a grave threat to international peace and security, including the potential for a nuclear arms race in the region and around the world, and an increased risk of nuclear war, among other major threats.

In A Time to Attack: The Looming Iranian Nuclear Threat, Matthew Kroenig, internationally recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on Iran’s nuclear program, explains why the United States must be prepared to conduct a limited strike on Iran’s key nuclear facilities if diplomacy fails to resolve the Iranian nuclear challenge.

Register here.

May 13, 2014

The Countdown Begins: All You Need to Know about an Iran Nuclear Deal
Date: May 13, 9:30 – 11:00 am
Location: U.S. Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave NW, Washington DC 20037

The clock is ticking on a nuclear deal with Iran. The deadline is July 20. An unprecedented coalition of eight Washington think tanks is hosting three discussions on the pivotal diplomacy to coincide with the last three rounds of talks. The first event—”The Rubik’s Cube of a Final Agreement”—on May 13 will explore the 10 disparate issues to be resolved and the many formulations for potential solutions.

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, the Ploughshares Fund, and staff from the Brookings Institution and the Center for Non-Proliferation Studies.

RSVP here.

Pakistan’s Bilateral and Regional Trade Priorities
Date: May 13, 3:30 pm
Location: Atlantic Council, 1050 15^th Street NW, 12^th Floor, Washington DC

Economic issues are at the forefront of Pakistan’s priorities and regional connectivity is central in improving the business and economic environment there. Khurram Dastgir Khan, federal minister for commerce, has supported greater regional cooperation and led trade and commerce negotiations with India. Khan will share the government’s trade priorities, and progress made on improving regional economic connectivity and business and economic conditions in Pakistan.

The US-Pakistan Program is a comprehensive approach to US-Pakistan relations, focusing on the key areas of security, economic development, and public policy. The program will explore these issues and their relevance, in order to develop a long-term, continuous dialogue between the United States and Pakistan. This project is generously supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Register here.

Counterinsurgency and Counterterrorism in Pakistan
Date: May 13, 3:30 – 5:00 pm
Location: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

Pakistan is currently facing failed negotiations with the Taliban, increased jihadi terrorist attacks in its major cities, and an uncertain presidential transition in neighboring Afghanistan. While these developments have major implications for U.S. policy in the region, they pose near-existential threats to Pakistan, as well as fundamental challenges to the transition in Afghanistan. Samina Ahmed and Mark Schneider of the International Crisis Group will introduce a discussion on these challenges and what can be done to address them. Carnegie’s Frederic Grare will moderate.

Register here.

May 14, 2014

Disrupting Defense: Dynamic Security in an Age of New Technologies
Date: May 14, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15^th Street NW, 12^th Floor, Washington DC

Please join the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security on May 14, when we will convene experts to discuss how the United States and its allies can manage the security-related challenges and possibilities of disruptive technologies.

This high-level event will focus on four topics:

1. How emerging technologies already are disrupting geopolitics
2. Defining a new US strategy to operate in this new environment
3. How the US Department of Defense funds technological breakthroughs
4. Leveraging the creativity of artists and screenwriters to envision future wars

The conference will conclude with live technology demonstrations and a reception in which participants will see first-hand examples of these disruptive technologies.

Register here.

New Terrorism Meets New Media
Date: May 14, 9:00 – 11:00 am
Location: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 6^th Floor Boardroom, Washington DC

The Internet proves to be a useful instrument for modern terrorists who use it for a wide range of purposes – from recruitment, radicalization and propaganda to data-mining and online instruction and training. However, cyber-savvy terrorists found the need to update their online presence. There is a clear trend of terrorist “migration” to online social media, including YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Moreover, this trend is expanding to the newest online platforms such as Instagram, Flickr, and others. Rephrasing von Clausewitz, the new media should be regarded as “an increasing continuation of war by other means.” This new arena of open and social systems presents new challenges and requires dramatic shifts in strategic thinking regarding national security and countering terrorism.

This event will not be audio or video recorded. RSVP here.

India, China, and Russia: Prospects for Cooperation
Date: May 14, 1:00 – 5:15 pm
Location: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

India, China, and Russia are all set to play a major role on the global stage throughout the rest of the twenty-first century. The relationships between the three nations are complex, however, with opportunities for cooperation in areas of convergent interests often being hamstrung by long-standing disputes and rivalries. This half-day conference will explore how New Delhi, Beijing, and Moscow are likely to cooperate—or clash—on major questions of international order, including energy security, defense cooperation, and regional dynamics. It will also consider the likely implications for the West.

Register here.

May 15, 2014

Ukraine Between East and West
Date: May 15, 11:00 am
Location: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 6^th Floor Boardroom, Washington DC 20004

Ambassador Lamberto Zannier, Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will discuss the unfolding crisis in Ukraine.

In recent weeks, Zannier has travelled to Kiev on numerous occasions, as well as to Moscow and other European capitals, to attempt to defuse the crisis. The Geneva Statement has called on the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, which reports on security conditions throughout the country, to play a leading role in assisting Ukrainian authorities and local communities to implement de-escalation measures.

In a conversation with Wilson Center President Jane Harman, Zannier will present the OSCE’s priorities for restoring stability in Ukraine and discuss the impact of the crisis on European and Euro-Atlantic security.

RSVP here.

May 7, 2014

The Future of the Syrian Revolution
Date: May 7, 11:00 am
Location: U.S. Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave NW, Washington DC 20037

The U.S. Institute of Peace invites you to join us for “The Future of the Syrian Revolution,” a conversation with President Ahmad Jarba, head of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. The event will be President Jarba’s first public address in Washington, DC.

The collapse of the Geneva talks in January has stalled efforts to negotiate a peaceful solution to the conflict. The future of the revolution itself appears increasingly cloudy as the situation on the ground grows more chaotic. The Syrian government’s announcement that it will hold presidential elections in June – elections that President Bashar Assad is widely expected to win – limits chances for a political resolution to the crisis. Many, including the Syrian opposition, have called the elections a democratic charade.

Syrian Opposition Coalition leader Jarba will discuss these dynamics and the role the inte community might play, and assess the delivery of humanitarian assistance as outlined by UN Security Council Resolution 2139. Join the conversation on Twitter with #USIPJarba.

RSVP here.

The Gulf Rising: Defense Industrialization in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Date: May 7, 12:00 pm
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15^th Street NW, 12^th Floor, Washington DC

Dramatic changes in the world of defense, coupled with increasing political, financial, and fiscal pressures in the transatlantic community, have forced some of the most advanced US industrial allies and partners to make tough choices regarding their national defense programs, leaving them either more dependent on the United States or with capability shortages.

Facing even more stringent circumstances, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—two modernizing US partners in the Gulf —confront a challenging path to domestic military industrialization. But with carefully articulated goals, modest expectations, smart strategies, effective financial management, and cooperation with Washington, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi can navigate some of the complexities of defense industrialization and overcome some of its key challenges.

This event will launch a report by Bilal Y. Saab entitled The Gulf Rising: Defense Industrialization in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In it, Saab provides new analysis of and key policy insights on military industrialization in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and adds an important, though often overlooked, dimension to the US policy debate on the US-Gulf partnership.

Register here.

Governing Uranium: Security in the Front-End of the Fuel Cycle
Date: May 7, 1:30 pm
Location: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

The path from ‘ore to bomb’ is long, challenging, and requires sophisticated technologies, but natural uranium is where it starts.  Most attention in nuclear security and nonproliferation has focused on restricting the highest risk material, but recent shifts in the market for natural uranium will introduce new challenges for export controls, transport security, physical protection and tracking of materials.  For example, long-standing uranium consumers such as Japan and Germany are scaling back their reliance on nuclear power, but the ambitious nuclear energy programs of India and China may soon increase global demand for natural uranium.  Meanwhile, new uranium suppliers such as Malawi, Tanzania, and Greenland are entering the global marketplace.  CSIS has partnered with the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) and other international think-tanks in the on-going “Governing Uranium” project to explore the dimensions of security of natural uranium in a changing global market.

Please join us for a discussion with Dr. Cindy Vestergaard, director of the Governing Uranium project and senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, on the results of the ‘Governing Uranium’ project thus far. Sharon Squassoni, senior fellow and director of the Proliferation Prevention Program at CSIS, will moderate the discussion.

Register here.

Subcommittee Hearing: Assessing the Biological Weapons Threat: Russia and Beyond
Date: May 7, 2:00 pm
Location: U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2200 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515

Witnesses Amy Smithson, Ph.D, Senior Fellow at the James Martin Center for Nonprolferation Studies, and David R. Franz, Ph.D., Former Commander, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, discuss this topic on the Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats.

Watch here.

May 8, 2014

Hearing: Russia’s Destabilization of Ukraine
Date: May 8, 10:00 am
Location: U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515

Witnesses Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and Daniel Glaser, Assistant Secretary at the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence of the U.S. Department of the Treasury discuss in the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Asymmetric Threats and Space: China, Russia, Non-State Actors, and the Need for Quick Launch Capabilities
Date: May 8, 12:30 pm
Location: American Security Project, 1100 New York Ave NW, 7^th Floor-West Tower, Washington DC 20005

In the 21st century, an increasing number of critical national security and intelligence systems are dependent upon technology orbiting our planet.  These technologies may be as covert as imaging systems over enemy territories, or as ubiquitous as the global positioning systems in the average person’s car.  Regardless of the specific type of technology, the threats to it remain consistent.  In order to properly prepare for the attack or destruction of key space infrastructure systems, the United Sates must support domestic suppliers and businesses on the forefront of the sector.

Join ASP Adjunct Fellow, August Cole, along with President of NexGen Space and former NASA advisor, Charles Miller, and Peter Wegner, Director of Advanced Concepts at Space Dynamics Laboratory for a discussion regarding the threats we currently face in space.

Register here.

 

 

April 28, 2014

A Time to Attack: The Looming Iranian Nuclear Threat
Date: April 28, 3:30 – 5:00pm
Location: Georgetown University, Mortara Building, 3600 N Street NW, Washington DC

Join us for a talk moderated by Colin Kahl on Professor Matthew Kroenig’s  soon-to-be-released book “A Time to Attack.”

Iran’s advanced nuclear program may be the world’s most important emerging international security challenge. In his new book, Professor Matt Kroenig argues that if not stopped, a nuclear-capable Iran will mean an even more crisis-prone Middle East, a potential nuclear-arms race in the region and around the world, and an increased risk of nuclear war against Israel and the United States, among many other imminent global threats.

To address these challenges, Professor Kroenig provocatively argues that military action against Iran may be the US’s best strategy. A Time to Attack surveys the history of Iran’s nuclear program and the international community’s attempts to stop it. Kroenig assesses the options available to policymakers, and reflects on what the resolution of the Iranian nuclear challenge will mean for the future of international order.  Former high ranking US policymaker Professor Colin Kahl will moderate the event and provide an alternative view that stresses the value of diplomatic, rather than military, solutions.

Register here.

Triumph of Improvisation: Gorbachev’s Adaptation, Reagan’s Engagement and the End of the Cold War
Date: April 28, 4:00 – 5:30pm
Location: Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, 5^th Floor Conference Room, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

In the Triumph of Improvisation, James Graham Wilson takes a long view of the end of the Cold War, from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Operation Desert Storm. Wilson argues that adaptation, improvisation, and engagement by individuals in positions of power ended the specter of a nuclear holocaust. Eschewing the notion of a coherent grand strategy to end the Cold War, Wilson illuminates how leaders made choices and reacted to events they did not foresee.

James Graham Wilson received his Ph.D. in diplomatic history from the University of Virginia in 2011 and his B.A. from Vassar College in 2003. He currently works on Soviet and National Security Policy volumes for the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series in the Office of the Historian at the Department of State.

Seating is limited, RSVP at WHS@wilsoncenter.org.

The Maidan, Crimea, and the East: Evolving Human Rights Challenges in Ukraine
Date: April 28, 4:00 – 5:30pm
Location: Open Society Foundations, 1730 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 7^th Floor, Washington DC 20006

Four civil society activists with firsthand knowledge of human rights concerns related to the Maidan, Crimea, and the situation in eastern Ukraine discuss the evolving human rights challenges facing Ukraine.

Volodymyr Shcherbachenko, a Luhansk native, shares his knowledge of the situation on the ground, providing insight into the current struggles over the eastern regions. The Euromaidan activists also offer Ukrainian civic groups’ evaluation of the situation throughout the country, the range of work they are undertaking in response, and their recommendations for the West.

Speakers include: Maksym Butkevych has worked in the media since 1999 as an international correspondent for Ukrainian TV channels “STB,” 1+1, and “Inter”; Alexandra Delemenchuk is one of the co-coordinators of Euromaidan-SOS; Oleksandra Matviichuk is board chair of the Center for Civil Liberties, a nongovernmental organization promoting democratic development and human rights; Volodymyr Shcherbachenko is head of the board of the East-Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives; Jeff Goldstein (moderator) is the senior policy analyst for Eurasia at the Open Society Foundations.

RSVP here.

The United States and Iran: Can Diplomacy Prevent an Iranian Bomb?
Date: April 28, 6:00 – 7:15pm
Location: AU School of International Service, Abramson Family Founders Room, New Mexico and Nebraska Ave NW, Washington DC 20016

Iran and the P5 plus 1 completed an interim agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue. Negotiators began meeting in Vienna in February to take on the challenge of a comprehensive accord. What are the chances of success, and what are the implications of failure — for the United States, Iran, and the region at large?

Join us for this University Conversation as three veteran observers of U.S. policy, Iran, and the region take on these important questions.

Introduction:
Dr. James Goldgeier, Dean, SIS
The Honorable Jane Harman, Director, President and CEO, The Wilson Center

Panelists:
Ambassador Thomas Pickering, Retired U.S. Career Ambassador; served as U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Jordan, India and the UN
Dr. Michael Doran, Senior Fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, The Brookings Institution
Dr. Shaul Bakhash, Robinson Professor of History, George Mason University

Moderator:
Dr. Aaron David Miller, Vice President for New Initiatives, The Wilson Center

RSVP here.

 

April 29, 2014

Israel vs. Al-Qaeda: Emerging Challenges on Two Fronts
Date: April 29, 12:30pm
Location: Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 1828 L Street NW, Suite 1050, Washington DC 20036

For Israel, the major battlefields of the post-9/11 “global war on terror” were long confined to faraway countries such as Afghanistan, Yemen, and Mali. Yet with the emergence of potent al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, Israel now faces the prospect of being a frontline state, as jihadist threats on its northern and southern borders compound the longstanding challenge from the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis.

To discuss these issues, The Washington Institute is pleased to host a Policy Forum with Ehud Yaari and Michael Morell. Ehud Yaari, Israel’s leading interpreter of Arab politics, is a Middle East correspondent for Channel Two television and a Lafer International Fellow with The Washington Institute. Michael Morell, a thirty-three-year veteran of the CIA, retired last year after serving since 2010 as deputy director of central intelligence, with two stints as acting director. He is currently the senior security correspondent for CBS News.

Webcast here.

Joint Subcommittee Hearing: U.S. – Russia Nuclear Arms Negotiations: Ukraine and Beyond
Date: April 29, 1:30pm
Location: U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515

Witnesses include Ms. Anita E. Friedt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear and Strategic Policy, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance, U.S. Department of State; Mr. Brent Hartley, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

Webcast here.

The Army Moving Forward: A Discussion with General David G. Perkins
Date: April 29, 1:30 – 2:30pm
Location: Center for Strategic and International Studies , 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

Please join us for a discussion with General David G. Perkins, Commmanding General, US Army Training and Doctrine Command moderated by Dr. Maren Leed, Senior Adviser, Harold Brown Chair in Defense Policy Studies. General Perkins will speak on how the Army will continue to promote innovation through experimentation and develop the next generation of Army leaders under fiscal constraints.

Register here.

The Future of the Russian-American Security Dialogue after the Ukrainian Crisis
Date: April 29, 4:00 – 5:00pm
Location: Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, 5^th Floor, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

Power politics seem to be back in Europe, pulling the U.S.-Russian relationship back into a standoff reminiscent of the Cold War. Despite renewed confrontation over Ukraine, the US and Russia still have fundamentally compatible views on threats such as transnational crime, terrorism, proliferation of WMD and sensitive technologies, man-made disasters, piracy, illegal cyber activity, drug trafficking, and climate change. What is in store for U.S.-Russian cooperation on these challenges in the wake of the Ukraine crisis? Is a common security agenda vis-à-vis these threats still possible?

Dr. Feodor Voitolovsky is the head of section and senior research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO RAN) – the biggest and oldest Russian think tank whose roots go back to 1956). He is a Next Generation Hurford Fellow with the Carnegie Endowment’s Euro-Atlantic Security Initiative. His research interests include U.S. foreign and security policy, transatlantic relations, Russia-NATO relations, and wider political and security issues in the context of international institutions. He is the author of a 2008 monograph Unity and Division of the West as well as numerous articles and book chapters.

This event is co-sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. RVSP here.

 

April 30, 2014

Point of Attack: Preventive War, International Law, and Global Warfare
Date: April 30, 2:00 – 3:30pm
Location: American Enterprise Institute, 1150 17^th Street NW, Washington DC 20036

The world is overwhelmed by wars between and within nations — wars that have dominated American politics for decades. In his latest book, “Point of Attack: Preventive War, International Law, and Global Welfare” (Oxford University Press, 2014), John Yoo argues that the current system of international law has had little effect on competition between the great powers and has impeded intervention to prevent the internal collapse of states, terrorist groups, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and destabilizing regional powers.

During this event, Yoo and a panel of experts will debate the current challenges posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing Syrian civil war, North Korea, and Iran.

Transatlantic Challenges of Preventing Further Destabilization in Ukraine
Date: April 30, 3:00 – 4:30 pm
Location: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Center for Transatlantic Relations, 1619 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

Should Ukraine´s neighbors also feel vulnerable in the current turmoil and a possible full scaled Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine? When will the reverse gas flow to Ukraine from Slovakia be ready?  Have the US and the EU been effective so far in their response to illegitimate Russian moves? And is the Ukraine on the way to become a free, functional and viable state?

Peter Burian, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Slovakia, earned his degree in Oriental Studies at St. Petersburg State University. He continued his diplomatic and international studies at the University of Cairo, Comenius University in Bratislava and the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow.  He held the post of Head of Slovakia´s Mission to NATO in Brussels from 1999 to 2003 and was the Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the United Nations in New York from 2004 to 2008 when Slovakia held one of the non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. From 2008 to 2012 he served as Ambassador of Slovakia to the United States. In his capacity as First Deputy Minister, Mr. Burian is responsible for areas of security policy, economic diplomacy, development assistance, international organizations and the territories of the EU Eastern Partnership, Africa, Asia and Pacific, and Americas.

Register here.

 

May 1, 2014

Sustaining Strong Defense Posture in the Era of Austere Budgets
Date: May 1, 8:30 – 10:00am
Location:2255 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC

U.S. military planners today face a daunting task of sustaining a robust defense posture against a growing array of threats with declining budgets. Fortunately, opportunities exist to improve our military posture by, among other things, reducing the high rate of growth in the Pentagon’s personnel accounts, closing excess bases, and retiring weapon systems that are past their useful service lives or of marginal value in addressing existing and emerging security challenges. Such actions, while strategically sound, have proven politically difficult to undertake. Yet failure to make tough political choices like these regarding our defense budget priorities risks fielding a military that is improperly calibrated for achieving strategic objectives.

Please join us on Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 8:30 am for a congressional event with Rep. Adam Smith, the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee and Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow and Director of Defense Budget Studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) as they offer a roadmap for prioritizing the Pentagon’s budget.  CSBA President Andrew Krepinevich will moderate the discussion.

Space is limited and RSVPs are required. RSVP here.

Escalating Tensions: Is Northeast Asia Headed Toward War on the High Seas?
Date: May 1, 2:00pm
Location: American Enterprise Institute, 1150 17^th Street NW, 12^th Floor, Washington DC 20036

Over the past few months, escalating tensions between China and Japan have generated predictions of military conflict in the East China Sea. While US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel recently locked horns with his Chinese counterpart over the Senkaku Islands, the commander of US Marine Corps Forces Japan claimed that if the Chinese invaded the islands, the US Navy and Marines could recapture them.

Is an acute crisis likely? What further actions may China undertake to protect its interests? At what point might the US choose to intervene militarily in a dispute?

Join us at AEI as a panel of experts convene to discuss the future of disputed territories in the East China Sea, if these disputes can be resolved through judicial settlement, and what increased conflict would mean for US interests in the region.

Vying for Allah’s Vote: Understanding Islamic Parties, Political Violence, and Extremism in Pakistan
Date: May 1, 3:00 – 4:30pm
Location: Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Lehrman Auditorium, Washington DC

In this book, Haroon K. Ullah analyzes the origins, ideologies, bases of support, and electoral successes of the largest and most influential Islamic parties in Pakistan. Based on his extensive field work in Pakistan, he develops a new typology for understanding and comparing the discourses put forth by these parties in order to assess what drives them and what separates the moderate from the extreme. A better understanding of the range of parties is critical for knowing how the United States and other Western nations can engage states where Islamic political parties hold both political and moral authority. Pakistan’s current democratic transition will hinge on how well Islamic parties contribute to civilian rule, shun violence, and mobilize support for political reform.

Haroon K. Ullah is a scholar, U.S. diplomat, and field researcher specializing in South Asia and the Middle East. He currently serves on Secretary Kerry’s Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State, where he focuses on public diplomacy and countering violent extremism. He grew up in a farming community in Washington State and was trained at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he served as a senior Belfer Fellow and completed his MPA. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and was a William J. Fulbright Fellow, a Harvard University Presidential Scholar, a National Security Education Program Fellow and a Woodrow Wilson Public Service Fellow. Dr. Haroon Ullah is the author of Vying for Allah’s Vote (Georgetown University Press, 2013) and Bargain from the Bazaar (Public Affairs Books, 2014).

RVSP here.

No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes
Date: May 1, 5:30 – 7:00pm
Location: New America Foundation, 1899 L Street NW, Suite 400, Washington DC 20036

How did the conflict dubbed “the good war” go so disastrously wrong? It’s a question that haunted many following the American-led efforts in Afghanistan in the years after the 9/11 attacks— and one that by 2008 drove Anand Gopal to drop his studies in New York and set out, as a journalist, to answer to himself.

What followed was an expedition across Afghanistan documenting lives caught at the heart of the war: the U.S.-backed warlord who uses the American military to gain personal power and wealth; the Taliban commander who abandoned the movement after the invasion, only to be provoked by corruption and civilian killings to join again; and the village housewife who discovers the devastating cost of neutrality. In following their journeys, he also found an answer to his question. The prevailing assumption of pundits and policymakers — that the U.S. did not commit enough resources and focus to the war — was wrong. Instead, it’s a more agonizing story of mistakes and misdeeds just like those that played out in the lives of the ordinary Afghans he followed.

Did the U.S. come startlingly close to defeating the Taliban only to resurrect them? Could the war have played out differently? And, as America continues to wind down its presence in Afghanistan, what legacy are we leaving behind?

Join New America for a conversation with Anand Gopal, author of the new book No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes, as he challenges the popular narratives about what went wrong in this “graveyard of empires.”

RSVP here.

 

May 2, 2014

Who Owns Haiti? Sovereignty in a Fragile State: 2004-2014
Date: May 2, 8:00am – 6:30pm
Location: Elliot School of International Affairs, 1957 E Street NW, Linder Commons Room 602, Washington DC 20052

A day long symposium at The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington DC that will address the issue of Haitian sovereignty through lenses of: governance, economic and human development, cultural heritage, and politics and the international community.

RSVP here.

 

April 21, 2014

America’s Great Game: The CIA’s Secret Arabists and the Shaping of the Modern Middle East
Date: April 21, 4:00pm
Location: Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, 6^th Floor, Moynihan Board Room, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

The CIA has an almost diabolical reputation in the Arab world. Yet, in the early years of its existence, the 1940s and 1950s, the Agency was distinctly pro-Arab, lending its support to the leading Arab nationalist of the day, Gamal Nasser, and conducting an anti-Zionist publicity campaign at home in the U.S. Drawing on a wide range of sources, Hugh Wilford uncovers the world of early CIA “Arabism,” its origins, characteristic forms, and eventual demise.

Hugh Wilford is Professor of United States History at California State University, Long Beach. He was born and educated in the United Kingdom, where he received degrees from Bristol University and Exeter University. He is the author of five books, including most recently The Mighty Wurlitzer: How the CIA Played America (Harvard University Press, 2008) and America’s Great Game: The CIA’s Secret Arabists and the Shaping of the Modern Middle East (Basic Books, 2013).

Space is limited and reservations are requested. Email WHS@wilsoncenter.org.

April 22, 2014

Iraq After 2014
Date: April 22, 12:30-2:00pm
Location: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Kenney Herter Auditorium, Nitze Building, 1740 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036

Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, counselor at CSIS, President and CEO of Khalilizad Associates, and former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the United Nations, will discuss this topic.

Register here.

Russia and the West in Crisis: Conflict and Competition in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus
Date: April 22, 6:00-7:30pm
Location: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Rome Building, 1619 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Room 806, Washington, DC 20036

Join the European and Eurasian Studies Program as we host our final Washington DC seminar of the year!  We are proud to host Dr. Hannes Adomeit, a renowned scholar on EU-Russia relations, and former professor at the College of Europe. Please join us for a light reception following the lecture.

Hannes Adomeit was a Professor at the College of Europe until 2013, and was until December 2007, Senior Research Associate at the Research Institute for International Politics and Security (SWP) in Berlin. Prior to that, he was Professor for International Politics and Director of the Program on Russia and East-Central Europe at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston and Fellow at the Harvard Russian Research Center.

RSVP here.

April 23, 2014

Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Pakistan and the South Asia Region
Date: April 23, 10:00-11:30am
Location: US Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave NW, Washington DC, 20037

South Asia has experienced excessive and sustained violence over the past decade. India, Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to face major internal insurgencies, while Sri Lanka and Nepal face political turbulence and lingering tensions despite having declared a formal end to their intra-state conflicts.

While there has been a robust international presence and numerous counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts, seldom have we broadened the discussion to more fully understand the root causes of insurgencies and the methods used by Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as other South Asian countries to respond to the threat of terror and insurgency.

Reflecting new research from two recently published books, Counterterrorism in Pakistan (Georgetown University Press and USIP) and Insurgencies and Counterinsurgencies in South Asia (USIP Press), USIP will host a panel discussion on South Asia’s security challenges, with a special focus on Pakistan. Marked by the 2014 transition in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s formal round of peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban, and the launch of Pakistan’s national internal security policy, this moment is a critical turning point for the region and will surely have direct implications for the counterinsurgency efforts there and the violence in neighboring Pakistan. Join the conversation on Twitter with #USIPSAsia.

Featured Speakers include: Moeed Yusuf, Director, South Asia Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace; General John Allen, Distinguished Fellow, Brookings Institution, and former Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF); Cameron Munter, Professor of International Relations, Pomona College, former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan; Peter Lavoy, Partner, Monitor 360, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs (APSA); Andrew Wilder, Moderator, Vice President, South & Central Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace.

RSVP here.

Conventional Arms Transfer Policy: Advancing American National Security Through Security Cooperation
Date: April 23, 10:00am
Location: International Institute for Strategic Studies, 2121 K Street NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20037

This January, President Obama signed the first update to the US Conventional Arms Transfer Policy since 1995. Updated in the wake of events in the Middle East and across the world, this policy sets the standards by which the US decides which defense systems to export to whom, and under what conditions. Regional arms balance, human rights, defense industrial base concerns, and partnerships and alliance strategy: all play a role in this policy. So what does the future of US conventional arms transfers look like in the 21st century?

Gregory M Kausner is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Regional Security and Security Assistance. In this capacity, he is responsible for advancing US foreign policy and national security interests through the management of political-military and regional security relations and the sale/transfer of US-origin defense articles and services to foreign governments. He also directs over $6 billion annually in US military grant assistance to allies and friends through policy development, budget formulation, and program oversight. Mr Kausner also oversees the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, which is responsible for managing the PM Bureau’s Congressional relations, public affairs, and public diplomacy functions.

Register here.

Crimes Against Humanity: Pollution and Public Health in Russia Today
Date: April 23, 12:30pm
Location: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Rome Building, 1619 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Room 806, Washington, DC 20036

Sally Stoecker, visiting scholar in the SAIS European and Eurasian Studies Department, will discuss this topic.

Africa and the Arms Trades Treaty
Date: April 23, 1:00pm
Location: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 212-C Conference Room, 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036

Last year, the United States signed the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), a multilateral agreement to regulate international conventional weapons trade. This treaty, which 118 states have signed and 31 have ratified, has not yet entered into force.  While the ATT’s standards are not as high as those of the United States, the potential for the treaty to reduce illicit trade could help improve security in areas that need it most – particularly in regions of conflict like Africa.  Greater scrutiny of African governments, better review of legitimate exports, import controls that can stop illicit shipments, and management of arms stockpiles can help to address the humanitarian impact of conventional weapons.  The ATT can be one part of the formula to catalyze change and reduce violence.

Please join our distinguished panel of speakers as we discuss the significance of the ATT, its relevance to Africa, and how the treaty might move forward into the future.   This event is co-hosted by the CSIS Africa Program and the CSIS Proliferation Prevention Program.

Featuring: Mr. Thomas Countryman, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, State Department; Dr. Raymond Gilpin, Academic Dean, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University; Ms. Jennifer G. Cooke, Director, Africa Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies. Moderated by: Ms. Sharon Squassoni, Senior Fellow and Director, Proliferation Prevention Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Register here.

Putin’s Foreign Policy and Russia’s Long-Term Interests
Date: April 23, 5:00-6:00pm
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC

President Vladimir Putin’s destabilizing actions in Europe’s East may be boosting his numbers at home, but they are not making him any friends abroad. As tensions rise in Ukraine and more evidence emerges of Moscow’s orchestration of events in the nation’s east, Western leaders have stepped up their response and Russia is finding itself increasingly isolated in the international community. Is this in Russia’s long-term interest?

Join the Atlantic Council as we explore the ramifications of today’s events both in the short- and long-term with Russian opposition leader, and former prime minister, Mikhail Kasyanov. Prime Minister Kasyanov will offer his perspective on the events in Ukraine and Putin’s strategy in the region, and his approach toward the United States and Europe.

Mikhail Kasyanov served as prime minister of Russia from 2000 to 2004 and minister of finance between 1999 to 2000. Currently he is co-chair of the Republican Party of Russia – Peoples Freedom Party (RPR-PARNAS) and one of the most consistent critics of Putin’s style of governing. Kasyanov attempted to participate in the 2008 Russian presidential elections, but his candidacy was barred by the Central Election Commission under suspicious circumstances.

Register here.

Beyond Crimea: Evolution of The Crisis in Ukraine
Date: April 23, 7:00pm
Location: GMU School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Founders Hall Multipurpose Room 125, 3351 Fairfax Dr, Arlington, VA

The crisis in Ukraine, which began in November, leading to the eventual ousting of President Viktor Yanukovich and was followed by months of civil unrest, has evolved into a regional conflict with global implications.  While much remains uncertain about the sovereignty of Crimea and greater Ukraine, tensions between Ukraine and Russia have dangerously escalated.  Meanwhile, the EU, NATO, and the United States are rallying to sanction Russia in hopes that economic pressures can bring Russia to the bargaining table. The increasing instability has not only raised concerns about the potential for violent interstate and intrastate clashes, but also a breakdown in relations between Russia and the West.  What may have originally began as a struggle for identity and power is now situated within a larger context of complex regional dynamics that involve geopolitics, energy security, and ethnic differences.

Please join the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR) and a distinguished panel of experts as we conduct an analysis of the conflict’s development, current challenges, and opportunities for a resolution.

Register here.

NSABB, 1918 flu, H5N1 and the New Botulinum Strain: Causes, Effects and a Potential Way Forward
Date: April 23, 7:20pm
Location: George Mason University, Mason Hall, Meese Conference Room, 4400 University Dr, Fairfax, VA

Dr. Franz served in the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command for 23 of 27 years on active duty and retired as Colonel. He served as Commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institue of Infectious Diseased (USAMRIID) and as Deputy Commander of the Medical Research and Materiel Command. Prior to joining the Command, he served as Group Veterinarian for the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne). Dr. Franz was the Chief Inspector on three United Nations Special Commission biological warfare inspection missions to Iraq and served as technical advisor on long-term monitoring. He also served as a member of the first two US-UK teams that visited Russia in support of the Trilateral Join Statement on Biological Weapons and as a member of the Trilateral Experts’ Committee for biological weapons negotiations. Dr. Franz was Technical Editor for the Textbook of Military Medicine on Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare released in 1997. Current standing committee appointments include the National Academy of Sciences Committee on International Security and Arms Control, the National Research Council Board on Life Sciences, the Department of Health and Human Services National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity and the Senior Technical Advisory Committee of the National Biodefense Countermeasures Analysis Center. He serves as a Senior Mentor to the Program for Emerging Leaders at the National Defense University. He also serves on the Board of Integrated Nano-Technologies, LLC. Dr. Franz holds and adjunct appointment as Professor for the Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University. The current focus of his activities relates to the role of international engagement in life sciences as a component of global biosecurity policy. Dr. Franz holds a D.V.M. from Kansas State University and a Ph.D. in Physiology from Baylor College of Medicine.

April 24, 2014                 

India-Pakistan: The Opportunity Cost of Conflict
Date: April 24, 9:30am
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15th St NW, 12th Floor (West Tower)
Washington, DC

Over the course of sixty-six years, India and Pakistan have continued an implacable rivalry marked by periodic wars and hostilities, and invested heavily in the acquisition of new and more lethal weapons systems. Yet increased spending has not brought foolproof security to either country, but instead has pulled resources from much-needed economic development in Pakistan and social investment in India, among other things.

What are both India and Pakistan foregoing in terms of economic development and social progress by continuing their military hostility and engaging in periodic conflict? With a new government in Pakistan and a new government currently being selected in India, there may be an opportunity to change the narrative of conflict between the two countries. The speakers will discuss the impact of this historic rivalry, and make recommendations for greater confidence building between the two rivals.

Register here.

Engage or Contain? Future Policy Toward Russia Trilaterally Considered
Date: April 24, 10:00am
Location: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036

Please join us for an interactive discussion on the occasion of the release of the Trilateral Commission’s latest report entitled, “Engaging Russia: A Return to Containment?” The Trilateral Commission convenes experienced leaders within the private sector from Europe, North America, and Asia to research, analyze and assess pressing international challenges in an interconnected and interdependent world. This is the third in a series of reports on Russia that the Trilateral Commission has undertaken since 1995. For the first time, the Trilateral Commission solicited contributions from a group of Russian experts led by Dr. Igor Yurgens, Chairman of INSOR Russia: Institute of Contemporary Development. Former Polish Foreign Minister Andrzej Olechowski; Ambassador Paula Dobriansky, former Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs; former Deputy Foreign Minister of Japan Shotaro Oshima; and Dr. Yurgens will discuss the findings of the report and Dr. Zbignew Brzezinski will offer his reflections on the current state of Russia’s domestic and international affairs and what policy approaches the Trilateral countries should pursue towards Moscow in light of the crisis in Ukraine.

Register here.

April 25, 2014

South Asia’s Nuclear Competition in the New Era of Extremism, Militancy, and Terror
Date: April 25, 12:30pm
Location: Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

The Asia Program and the Los Alamos National Laboratory present a meeting of the Wilson Center’s Nonproliferation Forum on South Asia’s Nuclear Competition in the New Era of Extremism, Militancy, and Terrorism. The event speaker is Peter Lavoy, Partner, Monitor 360 former acting Assistant Secretary of Defense and Deputy Director of National Intelligence

RSVP here.

Sabin Vaccine Institute 20^th Anniversary Scientific Symposium
Date: April 25, 1:00pm
Location: Pan American Health Organization, Conference Room A (Ground Floor), 525 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC

In celebrating twenty years of advocating greater access to existing and new vaccines for the world’s poor, the Sabin Vaccine Institute will convene experts from around the world – leaders from industry, government, NGOs and academia – to examine key lessons from recent efforts to address pressing global health challenges and share insights on emerging immunization trends.

Full agenda available here. Register here.

Benghazi, Ukraine, and Beyond: Applying American Power in the 21^st Century
Date: April 25, 1:30pm
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15th St NW, 12th Floor (West Tower)
Washington, DC

Events in Benghazi, Ukraine, Syria, and elsewhere have forced US policymakers to rethink the way the United States can wield its power. A recent Pew poll showed 53 percent of Americans believe the “US role today as world leaders is less important and powerful…than ten years ago.” The poll cited several reasons for this, including the public’s desire to focus more on domestic issues, frustrations with years of war, and a preference to not engage with the difficult foreign policy problems that face the United States and the international community.

Washington must figure out what elements of US power can be applied effectively to achieve its objectives around the world. Indeed, the US defense community now must consider some new questions: Is the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review defense strategy appropriate to deal with the geopolitical environment? What elements of US power, other than military might, should be strengthened? How can the United States deal with diverse geographic hot spots in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe effectively? What role should the United States play in a world where its power is questioned at home and abroad?

To answer these and other questions, the Atlantic Council will convene fresh and innovative thinkers on this subject to gain new perspectives. Ranging from former US strategy-making insiders to columnists to private-sector leaders, these panelists will outline their diverse prescriptions to help address this power problem for the United States.

Watch Online or Register here.

Post-2014 Afghanistan: The US Military Exit and Political Stability
Date: April 25, 3:00pm
Location: Elliot School of International Affairs, Voesar Conference Room, 1957 E Street NW, Suite 412, Washington DC

This talk will provide an Afghan perspective on what U.S. military withdrawal will mean for political stability and state survival post-2014. The 2001 international intervention created a ‘network state,’ whereby state and political networks became partners in statebuilding. This has produced a state that is underpinned by informal power structures. A successful international military exit from Afghanistan will depend on the stability of these informal networks in addition to the strength of Afghan National Security Forces and reconciliation with the Taliban. This talk will also address the recent presidential election in Afghanistan.

RSVP here.

 

April 14, 2014

International CBRNe Response: Identifying Challenges to Delivering Capabilities in the Asia-Pacific
Date: April 14, 8:30am – 4:30pm
Location: The Capitol Hilton, Congressional Room, 1001 16^th St NW, Washington DC 20036

The conference will identify challenges to delivering CBRNe (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high explosive) response capabilities in the Asia-Pacific. The program is designed to plan for future CBRNe events in the Asia-Pacific by distilling lessons learned from select historical cases and discussing obstacles and considerations for regional CBRNe response. Banyan Analytics is honored to feature a keynote by Charles A. Casto, Former Nuclear Regulatory Commission Regional Administrator, and Former Director of Site Operations in Japan after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station disaster.

Lt. Gen. Chip Gregson (USMC, Ret.), Chairman of Banyan Analytics, will moderate a panel discussion on planning for future CBRNe events in the Asia-Pacific. Panelists will include Colonel Peter Ahern (USMC), Former CBIRF Commander, II Marine Expeditionary Force; Dr. James Schear, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Partnership Strategy and Stability Operations; and Richard Love, Esq., Senior Research Fellow at the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction at National Defense University.

RSVP at Banyan.Analytics@anser.org

Working with Russia: Best Practices for Times of Conflict
Date: April 14, 12:30pm
Location: Center on Global Interests, 1050 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

Suzanne Massie, adviser on Russia to President Ronald Reagan and “the woman who ended the Cold War,” will discuss strategies for dialogue with Russia in times of conflict and explore potential next steps for constructive U.S.-Russia relations after the crisis in Ukraine.

Nikolai Zlobin, President of the Center on Global Interests, will moderate the discussion.

Space is limited. Guests must RSVP to keickholt@globalinterests.org

Challenges to Further Nuclear Arms Reduction
Date: April 14, 2:00 – 3:30pm
Location: The Brookings Institution, Saul/Zilkha Rooms, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036

Following signature of the New Strategic Arms Treaty (New START) in April 2010, President Obama called for negotiations on further nuclear arms reductions. Last June in Berlin, he proposed a one-third cut in the New START limit on deployed strategic warheads and called for bold reductions in tactical nuclear weapons. Russia to date has shown little enthusiasm for further nuclear reductions, citing concerns about missile defense, conventional Prompt Global Strike, the conventional forces arms control regime in Europe and third-country nuclear forces. Of course, the atmosphere for U.S.-Russian discussions of these issues has become more difficult following Russia’s military occupation of Crimea and increased East-West tensions.

On April 14, the Brookings Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative and the Heinrich Böll Foundation North America will host a discussion on the challenges that inhibit further nuclear reductions. The panel will consist of Dennis Gormley, University of Pittsburgh; Götz Neuneck, University of Hamburg; and Nikolai Sokov, Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. Brookings Senior Fellow Steven Pifer will moderate the discussion and questions from the audience. Copies of the recently released Heinrich Böll Foundation publication, “The Future of Arms Control,” will be available.

Register here.

Terrorism, Party Politics, and the US: Expectations of the Upcoming Iraqi Elections
Date: April 14, 12:30 – 2:00pm
Location: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Nitze Building—Room 517, 1740 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

Ahmed Ali, Iraq research analyst and Iraq team lead at the Institute for the Study of War, and Judith Yaphe, adjunct professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, will discuss this topic.

RSVP here.

April 15, 2014

Putin’s Russia: Time for Containment?
Date: April 15, 5:00pm
Location: The Burke Theater at the Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC 20004

Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has clamped down on democracy at home, while exerting increasing influence abroad. In 2008, it invaded Georgia. It supports Syria’s dictator Bashir al-Assad. Earlier this year, Russia invaded, occupied and annexed Crimea–with scarcely a shot fired. And in a speech to the Duma, he cited other territories and Russian-speaking peoples that are separated from the Russian homeland. Yet Russia is an oil-and-gas driven economy, with declining demographics and rampant corruption. Is Putin’s Russia on the wrong side of history, a weak power that will eventually succumb to the greater forces of the 21st Century?  Or is Putin making history, and intent to continue to do so unless he is stopped? It is time again to contain Russia?

RSVP here.

Dark Skies: Space Weapons, Planetary Geopolitics, and Whole Earth Security
Date: April 15, 5:00pm
Location: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, The Rome Building, 1740 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

Daniel Deudney, associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University, and Scott Pace, professor of the practice of international affairs and director of the international science and technology program at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, will discuss this topic.

RSVP here.

April 16, 2014

Crimea and Beyond: Security Implications for Romania, Moldova and Transnistria
Date: April 16, 12:00pm
Location: Elliot School of International Affairs

Mark Gitenstein, Ambassador of the U.S. to Romania
Dennis Deletant, Visiting Professor at Georgetown University
Moderated by Eliot Sorel, Professor of Global Health and Psychiatry, GW

Recent events in Crimea raise significant security concerns in Central and Eastern Europe, the European Union, and the United States. The territorial safety and integrity of nation states have been challenged and has become a topic debated at the United Nations Security Council, the US Congress, the G7, and the EU. Ambassador Mark Gitenstein and Professor Dennis Deletant will discuss the security implications for Romania, Moldova, and Transnistria in light of recent events in the region.

RSVP here.

Iran: Nuclear, Human Rights and Terrorism Challenges

Date: April 16, 12:00pm
Location: Heritage Foundation, Lehrman Auditorium, 214 Massachusetts Ave NE
Washington DC 20002-4999

Iran long has posed major challenges to the United States, its allies and Middle Eastern stability. In recent years, Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons has been a primary focus for concern, but that issue should not eclipse all other issues. Iran remains the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism and continues to commit widespread human rights abuses against its own people.

Join us as a panel of experts discusses the latest developments in the nuclear negotiations, Iran’s human rights situation and Iranian support for terrorism.

Security challenges and Scenarios for Central Asia
Date: April 16, 4:00 – 5:30pm
Location: George Washington University, 1957 E Street NW, Voesar Conference Room, Suite 412, Washington DC 20052

Erlan Karin will discuss the diverse security challenges, both external and internal, that the Central Asian countries currently face. He will explore the presidential successions, possible scenarios, and present four different prospects for Central Asia, its stability and its interaction within the wider region.

Dr. Erlan Karin leads the Council of Direction for the Center for Security Program in Kazakhstan. Prior to that he was Chair of the Presidential Administration’s Department of Internal Policy (2008), and Secretary of the Nur-Otan Party (2013). He has directed several analytical centers such as the Central Asian Agency for Political Research and the International Institute of Contemporary Policies. He works on security issues, terrorism, the role of security services and questions of political succession.

RSVP here.

April 17, 2014

Security Issues on the Korean Peninsula
Date: April 17, 12:00pm
Location: Korea Economic Institute, 1800 K Street NW, Suite 1010, Washington, DC 20006

The Annual Conference of The International Council on Korean Studies (ICKS) Luncheon and Luncheon Speech Sponsored by the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI)   “Security Issues on the Korean Peninsula” General John H. Tilelli, Jr., USA (Retired), Co-Chairman Council on U.S.-Korean Security Studies (U.S. Council.)

RSVP here.

 

Coming Next Week…

Sabin Vaccine Institute 20^th Anniversary Scientific Symposium

Date: April 25, 1:00pm
Location: Pan American Health Organization, Conference Room A (Ground Floor), 525 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC

In celebrating twenty years of advocating greater access to existing and new vaccines for the world’s poor, the Sabin Vaccine Institute will convene experts from around the world – leaders from industry, government, NGOs and academia – to examine key lessons from recent efforts to address pressing global health challenges and share insights on emerging immunization trends.

Full agenda available here. Register here.