Peace Picks: February 11-15

Mid-winter is a good time to be indoors with the policy wonks:

1.     Elections and Politics in North Africa—A Panel Discussion

Date and Time: February 11 / 12:00pm – 2:00pm

Address: Elliott School of International Affairs

1957 E Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20052

Lindner Family Commons

Speakers: Ellen Lust, Lindsay Benstead, Matthew Buehler, Marc Lynch

Description: Three leading political scientists will discuss elections in Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt.

Register for this event here: https://docs.google.com/a/aucegypt.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGRVSlNPbG1QNUtfX3djYzg4cW9reXc6MQ

 

2.     The Role of Azerbaijan’s Post-Conflict Narrative in Limiting Refugees’ and IDPs’ Integration into Mainstream Society

Date and Time: February 11 / 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Address: Woodrow Wilson Center

1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

Speaker: Jennifer S. Wistrand

Description: Nagorno Karabakh is often referred to as one of the former Soviet Union’s “frozen conflicts” with little explanation of how the conflict “froze” or might “thaw.” Jennifer S. Wistrand, Title VIII-Supported Research Scholar, Kennan Institute draws upon twenty-two months of ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Azerbaijan, shedding light on some of the socio-cultural factors impeding both the peaceful resolution of the status of the region on a geopolitical level and the “successful” integration of Azerbaijan’s refugees and IDPs into mainstream society. Particular attention will be paid to the long-term socio-economic and mental health consequences of not resolving the status quo, especially for refugee and IDP youth.

Register for this event here: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/the-role-azerbaijan’s-post-conflict-national-narrative-limiting-refugees’-and-idps

 

3.     Training for War and Fragile Peace

 Date and Time: February 12 / 2:00pm – 3:30pm

Address: Reserve Officers Association

1 Constitution Ave NE Washington, DC

Speakers: Bob Feidler, Paul Hughes, Ferdinand Irizarry II, Lauren Van Metre

Description: With the U.S. Army taking on an advising and mentoring role in Afghanistan as Afghan security forces take the lead, U.S. troops are taking on fundamentally different missions than those for which they were trained. How can we best prepare the military for these operations in fragile states? Should the military do security force assistance differently in fragile states as opposed to developing states? 
Please join the Reserve Officers Association and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) for a program that will explore new education and training approaches used to help U.S. troops better prepare for these complex operating environments. 
Brigadier General Ferdinand Irizarry II, deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, will provide an inside look into how the military is adapting their training to prepare for the new mission in places like Afghanistan. Dr. Lauren Van Metre, dean of students in USIP’s Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding, will discuss USIP’s efforts to help the military address these challenges. Having recently been called on to work with a unit of the 101st Airborne that will deploy to Afghanistan to develop a specialized education program, Dr. Van Metre will talk about programs with the military, which emphasize USIP’s conflict management work at the community level with an in-depth understanding of the local Afghan context.

Register for this event here: http://www.usip.org/events/training-war-and-fragile-peace

 

4.     Deterring Hezbollah: Lessons from Israel’s 30-Year War

Date and Time: February 13 / 12:00pm

Address: Georgetown University

37 St NW and O St NW, Washington, DC

Copley Hall Copley Formal Lounge

Description: Israel and the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah have been at war for 30 years. Over the course of those three decades, Israel has relied on deterrence as a central strategy in coping with the Hezbollah threat. Has this strategy succeeded? What is the future of the Islamist-Israeli Conflict as Islamists gain power throughout the Middle East? What lessons can be drawn from the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict for states engaged in asymmetric warfare in the 21st Century?

Register for this event here: http://events.georgetown.edu/events/index.cfm?Action=View&CalendarID=349&EventID=101269

 

5.     Evaluating Legal and Political Reform in Burma

Date and Time: February 13 / 3:30pm – 5:00pm

Address: Heritage Foundation

214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, D.C. 20002

Lehrman Auditorium

Speakers: Frank Jannuzi, Tom Malinowski, Jared Genser

Description:  The ongoing war between the Burmese government and Kachin is a stark reminder that reforms in Burma are far from complete. How exactly is Burma doing in its political reform process? American officials and key figures in Congress have stressed that reform there is not irreversible. What are the prospects for reform continuing and becoming institutionalized? What are the prospects for backtracking? And is the U.S. policy of broad engagement properly calibrated and flexible enough to respond appropriately to set backs? Does Congress still have a role in setting policy? Our eminently qualified panelists will address these questions and many more as they evaluate political and legal reform in Burma.

Register for this event here: http://www.heritage.org/events/2013/02/burma

 

6.     Schieffer Series: Foreign Policy Challenges for President Obama’s Second Term

Date and Time: February 13 / 5:30pm – 6:30pm

Address: Center for Strategic and International Studies

1800 K Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20006

B1 Conference Room

Speakers: Bob Schieffer, David Ignatius, Thomas L. Friedman, Margaret Brennan

Description: The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and TCU’s Schieffer School of Journalism invite you to the next session of The CSIS-Schieffer Series Dialogues

Register for this event here: http://csis.org/event/schieffer-series-foreign-policy-challenges-president-obamas-second-term

Aya Fasih

AYA FASIH Email: Ayaefasih@aucegypt.edu Current Address: 4440 Willard Avenue, Apartment 1012, Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Permanent Address: 21 Merghany Street, Helioplis, Cairo, Egypt. Cell phone: 2023519522 EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts, The American University in Cairo (AUC), Egypt. School of International Service, American University (AU), Washington DC. • Major: Political Science • Specializations: Middle East Politics and International Relations. • Minor: Economics • GPA: 3.523 • Expected Date of Graduation: June 2013 • Course work: Special Topics in the Middle East: Islamic Politics and Thought, Arab Political Thought, International Relations of the Middle East, US Foreign Policy towards the Middle East, Protest and Change in the Middle East, Comparative Politics of the Middle East, Israeli Politics and Society, United States Foreign Policy, Political Economy, International Relations, Foreign Policies of the Major Powers, Human Rights, Global Politics in the Twentieth Century, Comparative Politics, Economic Development, Microeconomic Theory, Macroeconomic Theory, Labor Economics and Public Finance, International Organizations. International Baccalaureate Diploma and American Diploma, The American International School in Egypt, 2009 AWARDS • The American International School Award for International Baccalaureate Higher Level Economics of 2009 • Dean’s List of Honors, AUC Egypt. WORK EXPERIENCE Research Assistant, Middle East Institute, Washington D.C., USA. January 2013-Present. • Researched in collaboration with John Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Professor Dr. Daniel Serwer. • Edited and wrote for www.peacefare.net. • Reported on Middle East-related events in Washington D.C. Research Intern, Habitat International Coalition, Cairo, Egypt. February-May 2012. • Conducted extensive research on informal housing in the Greater Cairo Region (GCR). • Gathered data on the Egyptian government’s violations of land and housing rights in the GCR. • Conducted field research on the living conditions in Batn Al Baar through surveying the inhabitants of the slum area. Gathered information on the conditions of the infrastructure in Batn Al Baar trough contacting non-governmental organizations that work in the area and local inhabitants. • Presented a report assessing the current material and nonmaterial living conditions of the inhabitants. The report provided a set of recommendations on potential projects that HIC should initiate in the area. Research Intern, New America Foundation—Middle East Initiative, Washington D.C., USA. October-December 2011. • Researched current events in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Libya, and Palestine-Israel. • Reported information in articles and blogs posted on the Middle East Channel. • Followed and reported any decisions taken by the White House, Congress, and the foreign ministries of the USA and EU countries regarding the developments in the Middle East. Researcher, Corporate Social Responsibility Project by Marketeers Firm for the UNICEF, Cairo, Egypt. June-August 2011. • Conducted market research on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), initiatives in Egypt. • Contacted and gathered data from top executives in more than 30 firms and banks including Proctor and Gamble, Orascom Telecommunications, Pfizer, Henkel, FedEX, Duravit, CitiBank, CIB, and HSBC. • Analyzed the data and presented the results in an extensive report that was submitted to the UNICEF Egypt office. Assistant Correspondent, Fox News, Cairo, Egypt. January-February 2011. • Summarized and translated key articles in Egyptian state-owned and opposition newspapers on a daily basis. • Brainstormed and contributed to topics of interviews. • Recommended and Contacted Naguib Sawiris, The Chairman of Orascom Telecommunications, for an interview to discuss the impact of the Tahrir protests on the Egyptian economy and how the accomplishment of a democratic environment might impact the business prospects and Egyptian economy. • Recommended and Contacted Dr. Kamal Abouelmagd, An Egyptian Lawyer, Islamic Thinker and member of the “Council of the Wise”, for an interview on the constitutional amendments and the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egyptian politics post-Mubarak’s regime. • Contacted a member of the “Youth of Egypt” for an interview. Research Assistant, Tunrkey Group Interiors (TKG), Cairo, Egypt. June-September 2010. • Researched existing projects, and development initiatives in the Greater Cairo Region in the field of Low-Income Housing. • Wrote reports on the Market of Low-Income Housing in Egypt. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Editor and Senior Writer, AUC Times, AUC Egypt. February 2012-Present. • Edited articles published under the English Department of publication. • Wrote “Where Do We Go Now?”, “A Divided Muslim Brotherhood in Post-Revolution Egypt”, “Orientalizing the Arab Revolutions”, “Egypt’s Emerging Non-Islamist Parties: Ambiguities, Alliances, and Hope”, and “Post-Revolutionary Al-Azhar.” Campaigner, Abolfotoh Presidential Campaign 2012, Cairo, Egypt. April-June 2012. • Campaigned for the presidential candidate in the Heliopolis district of Cairo. Helped organize events in the district for the candidate. • Cooperated with Shayfenkom and Masrena organizations in documenting illegal acts during election dates. Organizer, Gessoor, Cairo, Egypt. January-March 2011. • Co-organized Cairo’s first town-hall meeting on February 20 2011. • Developed a platform for the interchange of ideas of Egyptian youth on reconstructing Egyptian society and economy in the post-revolution period. • Provided an unbiased medium of idea-exchange comprised of representatives of the opposition groups and parties, and non-governmental organizations. • Contacted the founder of the Egyptian Movement for Change, George Ishak, to be a member of Gessoor’s panel. COMPUTER AND LINGUISTIC ABILITIES • Fluent in both spoken and written English. • Fluent in both spoken and written Arabic. • Proficient use of Microsoft Office, Excel and excellent in Internet research. PERSONAL DATA • Date of Birth: September 11, 1991. • Place of Birth: Cairo, Egypt.

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