Peace Picks, September 23-27
1. Peace and War: The View from Israel
September 23, 2013 // 3:00pm — 5:00pm
Wilson Center, 6th Floor
The Middle East seems permanently in crisis. Join us for a analysis of Israel’s view of the region, its challenges and opportunities—and the U.S.-Israeli relationship from two former Israeli officials deeply involved in matters of negotiations and national security policy, with comments from Doran and Miller.
Event Speakers List:
Aaron David Miller // Vice President for New Initiatives and Distinguished Scholar Historian, analyst, negotiator, and former advisor to Republican and Democratic Secretaries of State on Arab-Israeli negotiations, 1978-2003.
Gilead Sher // Head of the Center for Negotiations, the Institute for National Security Studies, Tel Aviv and former Israeli Chief Peace Negotiator
Amos Yadlin // Director of the Institute for National Security Studies, Tel Aviv and former chief of Israeli military intelligence
Michael Doran // Roger Hertog Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center, Brookings Institution
RSVP: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/rsvp?eid=28667&pid=112
2. Peaceful Resolution of International Disputes: Past, Present, and Future
September 23, 2013
ASIL Headquarters, Tillar House
2223 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20008
TIME: 05:30-07:30 P.M. (ET)
Sponsored by the Royal Netherlands Embassy.
2013 marks the 100th anniversary of American industrialist and ASIL founder Andrew Carnegie’s gift of the Peace Palace to The Hague and the world community, realizing his vision of a forum for the peaceful resolution of international disputes. As part of the centenary events, the Society is pleased to host Judges Stephen Schwebel and Thomas Buergenthal, both formerly of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), housed at the Peace Palace, to reflect on the Court’s impact, legacy, and continued role today and into the future. The discussion will be moderated by John Bellinger of Arnold & Porter, LLP, who, as Legal Adviser to the U.S. Department of State, has represented the United States before the ICJ.
WELCOME REMARKS:
Ambassador Rudolf Bekink, Royal Netherlands Embassy
SPEAKERS:
Judge Stephen M. Schwebel, International Court of Justice (ret.)
Judge Thomas Buergenthal, International Court of Justice (ret.)
MODERATOR:
John Bellinger, Arnold & Porter, LLP; former Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
This event is free and open to the public. Registration required, see registration link below.
RSVP: http://www.asil.org/activities_calendar.cfm?action=detail&rec=302
3. Aiding Civilians in a Sectarian Conflict: Can Assistance to Syria Heal Without Harm?
September 23, 2013
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EDT
Brookings Institution
Washington, DC
From the beginning of the Syrian uprising, governments and NGOs have sent humanitarian and other civilian aid to Syrians to alleviate their suffering, support their social and civic institutions and advance their goals for political change. As the violence has become more deeply sectarian, however, foreign aid donors face the risk that their support might exacerbate communal suspicions or privilege one faction in a multidimensional conflict. Some governments and private citizens are deliberately targeting aid to empower a particular religious or communal group; others may be doing so inadvertently. Conversely, there are organizations and government institutions that are seeking to target their aid in ways that can help overcome sectarian hostilities and put Syria on a surer path to post-conflict political reconciliation. How might the work of assistance providers affect the ability of Syrians to repair their social fabric when the war ends? What can donor governments do to ensure that their aid contributes to conflict resolution?
On September 23, the Foreign Policy program at Brookings will host a panel discussion exploring the politicization of non-lethal aid to Syria. Brookings Fellow William McCants, director of the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World in the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, will examine the role that Gulf charities are playing in fostering sectarian tensions in Syria and then moderate a panel on the sectarian dimension of non-lethal assistance for Syria coming outside the Gulf. The panel will include Abed Ayoub, president of Islamic Relief USA, Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, and Maria Stephan, strategic planner of the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations at the U.S. Department of State.
After the program, the panelists will take audience questions.
- Moderator
William McCants Director, U.S. Relations with the Islamic World; Fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center for Middle East Policy
- Panelists
Abed Ayoub President Islamic Relief USA
Mouaz Moustafa Executive Director Syrian Emergency Task Force
Maria Stephan Strategic Planner Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, U.S. Department of State
RSVP: https://www.cvent.com/events/aiding-civilians-in-a-sectarian-conflict-can-assistance-to-syria-heal-without-harm-/registration-d4883b7cfcec4052bbb2a30454362086.aspx
4. Colombia Peace Forum: Pending Issues on the Peace Agenda
September 23-24, 2013
U.S. Institute of Peace
2301 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC
In early September, peace talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) that began last October entered their 14th cycle in Havana, Cuba. The parties reached an agreement on rural agrarian development–the first item of an agreed agenda for the talks–in May. Discussions about political participation are now underway. The remainder of the substantive issues on the peace agenda –DDR (disarmament, demobilization and reintegration), victims’ rights to truth and reparations, and illicit drugs–have been touched on briefly at the peace table.
A conference at USIP in April 2013 focused on the issue of Land and the Peace Agenda. This one-and-a-half day public conference will convene former and current Jennings Randolph peace scholars and senior fellows, as well as numerous USIP grantees, to focus on the final three issues on Colombia’s peace agenda. The forum will offer these, and other leading experts on Colombia, an opportunity to exchange ideas with policymakers and the general public on the topics of the current negotiations in Cuba.
In total, there will be approximately 20 different speakers, who will each present briefly on their work, divided among five different moderated panels. Further details on conference topics and speakers can be seen on the agenda.
Conference attendees will range from government officials to the general public, and academics to practitioners.
Agenda:
Day 1:
- Ending the Conflict: Armed Actors, Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration
- Drugs, Violence, and the Agenda for Peace
Day 2:
- From Victims to Citizens: Memory, Justice, Human Rights, and Internal Displacement
- Beyond the Peace Accords: Strengthening Infrastructures for Peace
- Looking to the Future: Lessons For and From Peacebuilding in Colombia
RSVP: http://columbia-peace-forum.eventbrite.com/
5. Egypt’s Predicament after Two Revolutions
September 24, 2013 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
6th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center
Makram-Ebeid will discuss the roadmap for the way ahead and transitional justice in Egypt after having been through two revolutions since 2011.
Event Speakers List:
Mona Makram-Ebeid // Former Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Center; Distinguished Lecturer, American University, Cairo; and former Member of Parliament and Senator, Egypt
RSVP: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/rsvp?eid=28729&pid=112
6. China’s Maritime Strategy in the East China Sea: Peaceful Coexistence, Deterrence, and Active Defense
September 24, 2013 // 9:00am — 10:30am
LOCATION:
5th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center
In September 2012, the Chinese-Japanese sovereignty dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands in the East China Sea reignited when the Japanese government purchased three disputed islands from a private Japanese citizen who claimed to be their owner. Chinese government ships have since increased patrolling of what Japan claims to be its territorial waters around the Diaoyu/Senkakus, expanding China’s maritime law enforcement and military presence in the region. Former Wilson Center Fellow, Dr. Liselotte Odgaard and Mr. Dennis J. Blasko will examine China’s objectives and strategy in the East China Sea from the perspective of the PRC’s long-standing official foreign and defense policies and assess to what extent their actions contribute to escalation and the prospects of the use of deadly force.
We hope you can join us for what promises to be an exciting discussion!
Event Speakers List:
Liselotte Odgaard // Fellow Associate Professor, Institute for Strategy, Royal Danish Defence College, Copenhagen, Denmark
Dennis J. Blasko // Former United States Army Attaché to China
Michael McDevitt // Rear Admiral, United States Navy (Ret.); Senior Fellow, Center for Naval Analyses
RSVP: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/rsvp?eid=28578&pid=109
7. The Odessa Network
Wednesday, September 25, 2013 – 1:00pm – 2:30pm
New America Foundation
1899 L Street NW Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036
Every year, billions of dollars of Russian and Ukrainian weapons flow into conflict zones and sanctioned states around the world. But while pundits examine the political and military impacts of these arms transfer, no one has asked the basic question of how the weapons got from Point A to Point B—until now.
After 10 months of study, Tom Wallace and Farley Mesko at C4ADS, a non-profit research organization, have an answer: the Odessa Network, a loose collection of logistics contractors operating for the governments of Russia and the Ukraine. In their attempt to contribute to the understanding of the international arms trade, Wallace and Mesko, the authors of a new report chronicling their investigation and its findings, discovered unknown or under-reported arms transfers; specific companies and individuals who were facilitating those transfers; and familial, financial and professional links between key facilitators and the Russian and Ukrainian governments. In reviewing hard evidence about the numbers and types of weapons shipments made from Russia and the Ukraine to many different countries, the authors discovered that the data helps illustrate Russian foreign policy writ large and could provide important insight into the ongoing crisis in Syria.
The New America Foundation is pleased to welcome Wallace and Mesko for a discussion about the findings of their report, “The Odessa Network: Mapping Facilitators of Russian and Ukrainian Arms Transfers,” and a dialogue about how the United States can bring increased transparency to a very opaque weapons export process.
PARTICIPANTS
Tom Wallace Senior Analysts, C4ADS
Farley Mesko Chief Operating Officer, C4ADS
Brian Fishman Counterterrorism Research Fellow, National Security Studies Program, New America Foundation
RSVP: http://newamerica.net/events/2013/the_odessa_network
8. Minimum Deterrence: Examining the Evidence
DATE Thursday, Sep 26, 2013
TIME 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
VENUE Lehrman Auditorium, Heritage Foundation
Co-hosted by the National Institute for Public Policy
Recently, President Obama called for a one-third reduction in the United States nuclear arsenal from the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty levels. Such reductions would leave the U.S. with roughly 1,000 weapons. The President’s announcement has renewed the debate over the appropriate size of U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. Advocates of a minimum deterrence posture applaud the announcement and view it as an endorsement for progress towards a nuclear-free world. Skeptics of minimum deterrence maintain that reduced force levels would leave the United States and its allies vulnerable and are largely based on unrealistic hopes and unreliable assumptions.
The National Institute for Public Policy’s report Minimum Deterrence: Examining the Evidence offers a valuable insight into the debate. The report is essential to anyone wanting to understand the arguments behind the nuclear forces and reductions debate. NIPP’s report makes a compelling case that arguments supporting the minimum deterrence posture are largely based on utopian hopes and are contrary to empirical evidence and diplomatic experience.
Join us for a discussion of the Minimum Deterrence: Examining the Evidence report and its implications for U.S. nuclear weapons policy.
More About the Speakers
Dr. Keith Payne Study Director and President, National Institute for Public Policy; Head, Graduate Department of Defense and Strategic Studies, Missouri State University; and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
Ambassador Robert Joseph Senior Scholar, National Institute for Public Policy; former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security; and former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director, Proliferation Strategy, Counterproliferation and Homeland Defense, National Security Council
Rebeccah Heinrichs Visiting Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
Hosted By
Michaela Dodge Policy Analyst, Defense and Strategic Policy
RSVP: http://www.heritage.org/events/2013/09/minimum-deterrence
9. Challenges of Chemical Weapons Disarmament in Syria
September 27, 2013 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Woodrow Wilson Center, 6th Floor
The U.S.-Russian agreement on Syria’s chemical weapons calls on the Assad regime to provide an inventory of its weapons stockpile and agree to a timetable for their removal and ultimate destruction.
Charles Duelfer, a leading expert on WMD disarmament with extensive experience in Iraq with the UN and the U.S. government, will discuss the practical challenges of implementing this accord.
Event Speakers List:
Charles Duelfer // Public Policy Scholar Former Deputy Executive Chairman of the UN Special Commission on Iraq (UNSCOM), 1993-2000
RSVP: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/rsvp?eid=28762&pid=112
10. Women in the Syrian Crisis
September 27, 2013, 10am-12pm
USIP, 2301 Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC
On September 27th, USIP, in coordination with the International Republican Institute’s Women’s Democracy Network and Hivos, will host a delegation of Syrian women who will highlight women’s roles in the current political context and the challenges they face.
From dismal refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon, to the dangerous Syrian cities and countryside, Syrian women are on the frontlines daily — some as freedom fighters and as mothers, others as civil society activists and political change agents.
Nadim Shehadi, at the London-based think tank Chatham House, suggests that the role of women in this revolution is indispensable and that the opposition cannot succeed without them. Indeed, most wars are not fought by men alone, but rarely do we give credence to women’s efforts in war and peace. In that light, 13 years ago, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1325 to ensure that the world recognizes the inordinate burden of war on women as well as their critical role in peacebuilding.
On Friday, September 27th the U.S. Institute of Peace, in coordination with the International Republican Institute’s Women’s Democracy Network and Hivos, will host an expert discussion with Syrian women leaders who will highlight women’s roles in the current political context and the challenges they face.
The panel will feature:
- Sabah Alhalak, Syrian’s Women’s League
- Rajaa Altalli, Center for Civil Society and Democracy in Syria
- Dr. Bassma Kodmani, Arab Reform Initiative and Syrian Women’s Network
- Oula Ramadan, Syrian Women’s Network
- Steve Heydemann, U.S. Institute of Peace, Moderator
- Manal Omar, U.S. Institute of Peace, Discussant
Kathleen Kuehnast, U.S. Institute of Peace, Welcome & Introductions
RSVP: http://women-syria-crisis.eventbrite.com/
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