Freedom House, the Project on Middle East Democracy and the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East present:
A discussion with:
Mustafa Abushagur, PhD
Former Interim Deputy Prime Minister
Government of Libya
Manal Omar
Director of Iraq, Iran, and North Africa programs, Center for Conflict Management
United States Institute of Peace
William Taylor
Former Special Coordinator for the Office of Middle East Transitions
Department of State
Moderated by
Karim Mezran
Senior Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
Atlantic Council
September 11, 2013 will mark the one-year anniversary of the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi and the tragic loss of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Since then, a deteriorating security situation and growing political chaos signal a country plunging into a deeper state of crisis. Yet Libya’s transition remains critical to the security and political development of the region.
What are the main challenges confronting Libya’s transition? Who are the key players in the political realm, and what are the key political dynamics? What are the prospects for the National Dialogue? What role can the United States play to positively influence Libya’s transition? Please join us for a discussion of these and other questions appraising developments in Libya since the tragic events in Benghazi and the crucial steps the US can take to help Libya establish itself as a stable, secure democracy.
Dr. Mustafa Abushagur is a Libyan politician, professor of electrical engineering, university president, and entrepreneur who served as interim deputy prime minister in the transitional government of Abdurrahim el-Keib’s cabinet from November 2011 to November 2012. Manal Omar is the Director of Iraq, Iran, and North Africa Programs in the Center for Conflict Management at the United States Institute of Peace and was previously regional program manager for the Middle East for Oxfam – Great Britain. William Taylor was appointed as the first special coordinator for Middle East transitions by the secretary of state in September 2011 to ensure US assistance to the countries of the Arab revolutions is coordinated and effective. He has returned to the United States Institute of Peace, where he had served as senior vice president for conflict management, to become vice president for Middle East and Africa. Karim Mezran, senior fellow focusing on North Africa at the Hariri Center, will moderate the discussion.
A light lunch will be served at 12:00 p.m. Discussion will begin at 12:30 p.m
To RSVP, click here or email hariricenterevents@acus.org with your name and affiliation (acceptances only).
3. Prospects for a Diplomatic Solution with Iran: A Conversation with Alireza Nader, Joel Rubin, and Greg Thielmann on the Prospects for a Diplomatic Solution with Iran
American Security Project
September 10, 12:30 – 2:00 pm
1100 New York Ave, NW Washington DC, 7th Floor – West Tower
Moderated by General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret.) CEO, American Security Project
This discussion will be on the record
Tensions with Iran have brought negotiations on nuclear issues to a standstill. Could the election of President Rouhani provide an opening to more productive negotiations?
Join us for a conversation on the current state and future prospects for diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear program with
Joel Rubin, Policy Director for the Ploughshares Fund
Alireza Nadir, Senior International Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation
Greg Thielmann, Senior Fellow at the Arms Control Association
Lunch refreshments will be served
The discussion will begin promptly at 12:30. Please arrive by 12:00 for registration.
We hope you can join us.
Please RSVP by Monday, September 9 at the following link: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/8053745971?ref=ebtn
4. MEPF Event Series
The Peace Puzzle: America’s Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace, 1989-2011
A Panel Discussion
Elliot School of International Affairs
Wednesday, September 11
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Lindner Commons
1957 E St., NW, 6th floor
Dr. Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, University of Maryland, College Park
Dr. Daniel Kurtzer, S. Daniel Abraham Professor in Middle East Policy Studies, Princeton University
Dr. William Quandt, Edward R. Stettinius, Jr. Professor of Politics, University of Virginia
Moderated by
Ambassador Edward “Skip” Gnehm, Director, Middle East Policy Forum, George Washington University
A great opportunity for analysis and critique has arisen from decades of attempts and setbacks in the Middle East Peace Process. The Peace Puzzle stemmed from a USIP study of past Arab-Israeli peace negotiations and efforts. The five authors of this work are veteran observers and premier scholars on the Middle East Peace Process. Three of the five authors of the book will give a panel discussion on critiques and suggestions for U.S. diplomatic activism in the region as expressed in the book.
5. Twenty Years after Oslo: The Search for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
SEPTEMBER 12, 2013 Washington, DC
8:15 AM – 12:00 PM EST
A panel of U.S. and regional experts assesses the legacy of the 1993 Oslo Accords and the outlook for progress toward peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Share your questions and comments, and join the conversation on Twitter @CarnegieEndow, using #Oslo20.
GEOFFREY ARONSON
Geoffrey Aronson is the director of research and publications at the Foundation for Middle East Peace in Washington, DC.
NATHAN J. BROWN
Nathan J. Brown is a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University.
SHAI FELDMAN
Shai Feldman is the Judy and Sidney Swartz director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies and professor of politics at Brandeis University.
LEILA HILAL
Leila Hilal is director of the Middle East Task Force at the New America Foundation.
AMBASSADOR DANIEL C. KURTZER
Ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer is a lecturer and S. Daniel Abraham professor in Middle Eastern policy studies at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs.
MARWAN MUASHER
Marwan Muasher is vice president for studies at Carnegie, where he oversees research in Washington and Beirut on the Middle East.
YEZID SAYIGH
Yezid Sayigh is a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.
SHIBLEY TELHAMI
Shibley Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, College Park, and non-resident senior fellow at the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution.
6. U.S.-Iran Reconciliation Under President Rouhani? (held at Atlantic Council)
September 12, 2013 // 9:30am — 11:00am
Wilson Center and Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council
1030 15th St NW, 12th Floor
*** This event is NOT held at the Wilson Center ***
Haleh Esfandiari
Director, Middle East Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Robert Einhorn
Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Kenneth Katzman
Specialist, Middle East Affairs, Congressional Research Service
Moderated by:
Barbara Slavin
Senior Fellow, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council
The August 4th presidential inauguration of veteran national security official Hassan Rouhani has raised expectations for progress nearly thirty-four years after the United States broke diplomatic relations with Iran. Given Rouhani’s diplomatic demeanor and less confrontational rhetoric in comparison to his predecessor, many analysts see potential for de-escalating the nuclear crisis through Iranian concessions and US compromise on sanctions against Iran. Panelists will discuss the prospects for direct talks and progress in multilateral negotiations and dissect internal factors influencing the chances for reconciliation, including Rouhani’s new cabinet and the amount of leeway the new President is likely to receive from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
7. Harvesting Peace: Food Security, Conflict, and Cooperation (Report Launch)
Wilson Center
September 12, 2013 // 9:00am — 11:00am
LOCATION: 300 Pennsylvania Ave NW #3, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20004
There will be a live webcast of this event.
Since 2008, when rapid increases in the prices for major grains helped to trigger outbreaks of civil unrest in more than 40 countries, scholars and policymakers have paid increased attention to the potential influence of global food prices on social and political instability. Compelling and provocative headlines have suggested that there is a direct relationship between food insecurity and conflict. However, we know from a conflict perspective that the story is always more complicated than those claims often imply. How does conflict affect food insecurity? How does food insecurity contribute to conflict? And how can development organizations effectively address both? Harvesting Peace: Food Security, Conflict, and Cooperation – the latest edition of ECSP Report – explores these complex linkages, drawing insights from scholarly work to help inform more effective programming for practitioners. Join us for a presentation by report author Emmy Simmons and commentary by Susan Bradley, Henk-Jan Brinkman, and Edward Carr.
Event Speakers List:
• Susan Bradley //
Chief of the Technical Division, Country Strategies and Implementation Office, Bureau for Food Security, U.S. Agency for International Development
• Henk-Jan Brinkman //
Chief of the Policy, Planning and Application Branch, United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office
• Edward Carr //
Former AAAS, U.S. Agency for International Development; Professor, University of South Carolina
• Emmy Simmons //
Author, Harvesting Peace; Independent Consultant
• Joseph Hewitt //
Technical Team Leader, Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation, U.S. Agency for International Development
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