Peace Picks April 14 – 18

1. Terrorism, Party Politics, and the US: Expectations of the Upcoming Iraqi Elections

Monday, April 14 | 12:30 – 2pm

Room 517, SAIS (The Nitze Building), 1740 Massachusetts Ave NW

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.

For more information and to RSVP, send an email to: menaclub.sais@gmail.com

2. Rising Political Islam in Pakistan: Causes and Consequences

Monday, April 14 | 2:30pm

12th Floor (West Tower), Atlantic Council; 1030 15th Street NW

REGISTER TO ATTEND

Religion, politics, and policy are inextricably linked in Pakistan, and together tied to Pakistan’s relationship with the United States. Pakistan embarked on its first democratic transition of power last year. The success of this experiment will hinge on how well Islamic parties—who are showing their strength within the political landscape—can contribute to civilian rule, shun violence, and mobilize support for political reform. However, these parties are diverse in their policy goals and political intentions and cannot be painted with a broad brush, as often occurs in the United States. The speakers will provide a look at the rise of political Islam in Pakistan and how understanding these internal dynamics can help shape a better bilateral relationship.

SPEAKERS
Husain Haqqani
Author of Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding; and Senior Fellow and Director, South and Central Asia
Hudson Institute

Haroon K. Ullah
Author of Vying for Allah’s Vote: Understanding Islamic Parties, Political Violence, and Extremism in Pakistan; and Member, Policy Planning Staff
US Department of State

Moderated by
Shuja Nawaz
Director, South Asia Center
Atlantic Council

3. The Arab Spring and the State of Egypt’s Antiquities

Monday, April 14 | 4 – 5pm

5th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center; 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW

REGISTER TO ATTEND

The current instability in Egypt is having its toll on its cultural heritage that is being lost and desecrated. Different archaeological sites commissioned by antiquities dealers leaving are being vandalized. The local communities are also involved due to economic hardship. Both objects and archaeological records are being lost for good. This very fast and speedy loss is the worst Egypt has ever faced.

SPEAKER
Monica Hanna
Egyptologist, social media activist, and SAFE Beacon Award Winner

4. The Status and Future of the Muslim Brotherhood

Tuesday, April 15 | 9:30 – 11am

13th Floor, Murrow Room, National Press Club; 529 14th St. NW

REGISTER TO ATTEND

The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) will be presenting a panel discussion entitled “The Muslim Brotherhood: its Status and Future in a Changing Middle East.” The conversation will focus on region-wide trends facing different Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated parties in various Arab states over the past three years in the context of tumultuous changes. It will look at the rise and fall of the Brotherhood in Egypt and elsewhere, and the impact of the ouster of former president Mohammad Morsi has had on regional affiliates throughout the Middle East. Finally, the panel will try to assess the condition of Muslim Brotherhood parties, both regionally and in specific states, and look at the viability and political future facing these groups and this ideological and political orientation in the developing Arab world.

SPEAKERS
Michele Dunne, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

William McCants, Saban Center

Hassan Mneimneh, German Marshall Fund of the United States

Hussein Ibish, ATFP (moderator)

5. “Political Aid and Arab Activism: Democracy Promotion, Justice, and Representation” – A Conversation with Sheila Carapico

Tuesday, April 15 | 12 – 2pm

Elliott School of International Affairs, Lindner Family Commons, Room 602; 1957 E Street Northwest

REGISTER TO ATTEND

Sheila Carapico is a professor of political science and international studies and coordinator of the international studies program at the University of Richmond. She is the author of Civil Society in Yemen: The Political Economy of activism in Modern Arabia (1998). She will discuss her recent release Political Aid and Arab Activism: Democracy Promotion, Justice, and Representation.

*book signing and reception will follow*

*limited copies of the book will be available for students*

6. Crimea & Beyond: Security Implications for Romania, Moldova, and Transnistria

Wednesday, April 16 | 12 – 1pm

Elliott School of International Affairs, Room 505; 1957 E Street NW

REGISTER TO ATTEND

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.

SPEAKERS

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

7. China’s Economic and Social Reforms Over the Next Ten Years

Wednesday, April 16 | 12pm

12th Floor (West Tower), Atlantic Council; 1030 15th Street NW

REGISTER TO ATTEND

How China transforms domestically as it becomes a more global power is one of the most important geostrategic questions over the next fifty years. Last November, Beijing unveiled a new blueprint for how China envisions itself in the twenty-first century. Described as the “2.0 version” of China’s reform efforts, this ambitious project marks the first important step by President Xi Jinping’s new leadership and promises to be as momentous as Deng Xiaoping’s 1978 landmark decision to embark upon economic reforms. If its potential is realized, China’s reforms could put the world on a new course, with implications for global economics, security, and geopolitics. In his remarks, Mr. Liu will discuss the substance, implications, and feasibility of the reform agenda and share his views on numerous aspects of China’s economic and social future, as well as what it all means for the future of Asia and the international community.

Discussion with
Liu Mingkang
Former Chairman
China Banking Regulatory Commission

Moderated by
Frederick Kempe
President & CEO
Atlantic Council

8. Consolidating Democratic Gains or Cementing Sectarian Divides? Prospects for Iraq’s April 30 Elections

Wednesday, April 16 | 1:30 – 3:30pm

U.S. Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave NW

REGISTER TO ATTEND

Later this month, Iraqis will go to the polls to elect new members of the Council of Representatives, the country’s legislative body, as well as members of provincial assemblies in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Preparations for the April 30 elections have been turbulent to date, with looming questions regarding the ability of displaced Iraqis to participate in the polls; the controversial disqualification of certain candidates; and the now-rescinded resignation of the commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission, the body charged with organizing the polls. Sectarian rhetoric and ethnic appeals have also characterized the campaign messages of certain candidates and party coalitions.

Amid sharpening sectarian divisions and an increasingly precarious security environment, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) are pleased to present a panel of experts to share their perspectives on Iraq’s national elections, and what they mean for the country’s democratic development.

SPEAKERS
Elvis Zutic
Resident Director, NDI Iraq

Sarhang Hamasaeed
Senior Program Officer, Middle East and North Africa Programs, USIP

Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad
Former Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United Nations Counselor, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Manal Omar, Moderator
Associate Vice President for the Middle East and Africa, USIP

9. Iran: Nuclear, Human Rights and Terrorism Challenges

Wednesday, April 16 | 12 – 1pm

Lehrman Auditorium, The Heritage Foundation; 214 Massachusetts Ave NE

REGISTER TO ATTEND

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. 

SPEAKERS
Ali Alfoneh
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Dr. David Crist
Author of The Twilight War: The Secret History of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran 

Dr. Ken Katzman
Specialist in Middle East Affairs, Congressional Research Service

Hosted by
James Phillips
Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs

10. European-Israeli Relations: Structural Problems

Thursday, April 17 | 9 – 10am

6th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center; 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW

REGISTER TO ATTEND

The relations between Israel and Europe are increasingly based on resentment and mistrust. Professor Schueftan’s discussion will focus on the structural causes of this rift—the profoundly different historical experiences on both sides of the Mediterranean in recent generations and the diametrically opposed conclusions and weltanschauung it produced. It will also seek to explain in these terms the striking dissimilarity on both sides of the Atlantic—between the robust support of Israel in American public opinion and the essentially negative trend among the European elites.

SPEAKER

Dan Schueftan
Director, National Security Studies Center, University of Haifa, and Goldman Visiting Professor, Department of Government, Georgetown University

11. The Syrian Conflict: Where Strategic Interest and Humanitarian Urgency Intersect

Thursday, April 17 | 9 – 10am

The Washington institute, 1828 L Street NW Suite 1050

In a world of tumult and upheaval, no conflict demands urgent action to protect strategic interests and address humanitarian disaster more than the ongoing tragedy in Syria. As the carnage mounts, a rising chorus of concerned leaders and institutions has implored Washington to lead international action; the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, for example, recently issued an urgent call for “immediate steps…to prevent the growing danger of genocide.” Meanwhile, the flow of refugees to Lebanon and Jordan combined with the rise of cross-border jihadist threats has guaranteed that the problem can no longer be quarantined within Syria.

SPEAKERS
David Miliband is president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee and former foreign secretary of the United Kingdom.

Robert Ford is a former U.S. diplomat who recently retired after completing four years’ service as ambassador to Syria.

Andrew J. Tabler is a senior fellow in the Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute, where he focuses on Syria and U.S. policy in the Levant.