Peace Picks: June 24-28

Posted in Zakaria Imessaoudene - June 24, 2019 - 0 Comment

Nearly twenty years after the UN Security Council called for the increased participation of women in peace and security decision-making, how much progress has been made in the arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament field? After surveying four decades of multilateral meetings and conducting interviews with diplomats, a new United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research report, Still Behind the Curve, finds that women remain underrepresented in key forums and sheds light on the obstacles hindering their full and equal participation.

Join us for a presentation of this new report and an interactive discussion on how to close the gender gap.

Speakers:

Renata Dwan, Director of the United Nations for Disarmament Research (which published the report Still Behind the Curve)
Laura Holgate, Vice President for Materials Risk Management at NTI (Nuclear Threat Initiative). She led the design and launch of Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy.
James Acton, Carnegie Endowment of International Peace – Jessica T. Mathews Chair and Co-Director of the Nuclear Policy Program

Having a son or daughter, husband or mother taken hostage or detained in a foreign land is one of the most frightening experiences imaginable. On the fourth anniversary of the implementation of reforms to U.S. hostage policy, The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation in partnership with New America present the findings of a new study, “Bringing American Home,” the first non-governmental review of U.S. hostage and detainee policy. The report is based on interviews with 27 American hostages, detainees, family members, and representatives and provides a unique insight into the experiences of Americans held abroad and their families.

To discuss the report and efforts to bring Americans held abroad home, New America welcomes Diane Foley, President and Founder of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation; Cynthia Loertscher, the report’s author and primary researcher; Luke Hartig, a New America Fellow and former Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council; and Rob Saale, former Director of the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell and founder and CEO of Star Consulting and Investigations LLC.

Lunch will be provided.

Participants:

Diane Foley, President and Founder, James W. Foley Legacy Foundation
Cynthia Loertscher, Author and Primary Researcher, Bringing Americans Home
Luke Hartig, Fellow, New America International Security Program, Former Senior Director for Counterterrorism, National Security Council
Rob Saale, Former Director, Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, Founder and CEO of Star Consulting and Investigations LLC

Moderator:

Peter Bergen, Vice President, New America

Please join us for our annual ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum 2019. A timely discussion with current and former government officials, scholars, experts, and opinion leaders from the United States and Korea who will participate in a series of panel discussions to address the state of the U.S.-ROK alliance, the prospects for the peace building process on the Korean Peninsula, and the changing regional dynamics in East Asia and beyond.

This event will be co-hosted with the Korea Foundation, a leading organization of Korea’s international exchange and public policy initiative.

You are also invited to join us after the ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum 2019 for a special 10th anniversary celebration of the CSIS Korea Chair, starting at 5:00 PM.

Speakers:

Victor Cha, Senior Adviser and Korea Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Mark Lippert, Senior Advisor (Non-resident), Korea Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Sue Mi Terry, Senior Fellow, Korea Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Progress at Risk? First Annual Conference on Security, Migration, and the Rule of Law in the Northern Triangle of Central America | June 25, 2019 | 8:30 PM – 4:30 PM | 6th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center | Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20004 | Register Here

Record numbers of Central Americans have fled the countries of the Northern Triangle during the first half of 2019, giving rise to abundant questions about how to address the drivers of migration. Central to addressing the challenge of migration is the ability of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, together with the United States, to effectively reduce violence and homicides; fight corruption and strengthen the rule of law; reform the police; and reintegrate returning or deported migrants.

Please join the Latin American Program and the Seattle International Foundation for a conference on Central American Security and Migration, featuring researchers from throughout the region who will present new findings on the complex issues driving migration and insecurity and discuss options for addressing these challenges.

Panel 1: Understanding Violence and Homicides in Central America

Mario Herrera, Estado de la Región, Lead Author: “Homicides in Central America: Toward a Better Understanding of the Trends, Causes, and Territorial Dynamics”
Laura Chioda, Senior Economist, The Chief Economist Office of the Latin American and Caribbean Region, World Bank
Erik Alda, Creative Associates
Eric L. Olson (Moderator), Director of Policy, Seattle International Foundation, Consultant, Latin American Program, Wilson Center

Panel 2: Promoting the Rule of Law and Fighting Corruption

Gabriela Castellanos, Director, National Anti-corruption Commission of Honduras
Alvaro Montenegro, Guatemalan Journalist, Columnist, and Coordinator of the Alliance for Reforms of the Justice and Electoral Systems
Arturo Aguilar (Moderator), Executive Director, Seattle International Foundation

Panel 3: Police Professionalization: Honduras’ Special Commission to Purge and Reform the Police

David Dye, Lead Author of “Police Reform in Honduras: The Role of the Special Purge and Transformation Commission”
Omar Rivera, Member, Special Commission for the Purging and Reform of the National Police, Honduras

Panel 4: Temporary Protected Status – What If They Return?

Mauricio Diaz, General Coordinator, FOSDEH
Maria Elena Rivera, Program Coordinator, Program on Public Policy Studies, FUNDAUNGO
Julia Gelatt, Senior Policy Analyst, US Immigration Program, Migration Policy Institute
Eric L. Olson (Moderator), Director of Policy, Seattle International Foundation, Consultant, Latin American Program, Wilson Center

The Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East and the Arab Barometer invite you to join us for a panel discussion to mark the release of new public opinion survey data on the state of the economy, institutional trust, migration, government performance, media consumption, corruption, and foreign relations in Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan. The survey data was collected by the Arab Barometer, a nonpartisan research network that provides insight into the social, political, and economic attitudes and values of ordinary citizens across the Arab world.

A presentation of the survey data will be followed by a moderated panel discussion to discuss the implications for US policy and the region.

Panelists:

Dr Mark Tessler, Samuel J. Eldersveld Collegiate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Michigan
Dr Kathrin Thomas, Research Associate, Arab Barometer
Dr Abbas Kadhim, Director of the Iraqi Initiative, Atlantic Council
Mr Faysal Itani, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, Atlantic Council

Moderated by:

Ms Vivian Salama, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

For the fifth rendition of the CEE conference, esteemed panelists and moderators will discuss and debate current Central and Eastern European energy policy, the transatlantic energy security nexus, and the movement towards European energy independence. This event is organized and sponsored in cooperation with the Slovak Presidency of the Visegrád Group.

Join us on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 from 12:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Atlantic Council headquarters (1030 15th Street NW, West Tower Elevators, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20005) for what is certain to be a rich and interesting conversation. This event is on-the-record and open to the media. Lunch will be served.

Speakers:

Dr Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, Deputy Director-General (Energy), European Commission
Mr András Bácsi-Nagy, Head of International Public Affairs, MOL Group
H.E. Václav Bartuška, Ambassador-at-Large for Energy Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
Dr Artur Bobovnický, Director, Innovations and International Cooperation, Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency
Dr Barbara Dorić, Managing Director, LNG Croatia
Mr Amos Hochstein, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Tellurian Inc.
Mr Patrik Križanský, Managing Partner, Danubia NanoTech
Ms Emily Meredith, Deputy Bureau Chief, Energy Intelligence
Amb. Richard Morningstar, Founding Chairman, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
H.E. Pál Ságvári, Ambassador-at-Large for Energy Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary
H.E. Juraj Siváček, Ambassador-at-Large for Energy Security, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic
Amb. András Simonyi, Senior Fellow, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
Mr Christopher Smith, Senior Vice President for Policy, Government, and Public Affairs, Cheniere Energy, Inc.

Maritime irregular warfare represents an enduring and mounting challenge for the United States. Examples of related actions abound: Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea; possible Iranian attacks on Gulf shipping; China’s illegal fishing, dangerous maneuvers and alleged use of lasers, and other violations of international law in and beyond the South China Sea; North Korea’s illicit smuggling on the high seas; and maritime terrorism, piracy, and transnational trafficking.

To sharpen our understanding of these threats and initiate a discussion on what might be done, Hudson Institute will host the authors of two new books that address historical and current challenges of maritime irregular warfare. Their remarks will be followed by an expert panel on the implications for the Navy and U.S. national security, especially given the rise of what might be called an era of resurgent political warfare and hybrid threats. Hudson Institute Chair for Asia-Pacific Security and Senior Fellow Dr Patrick M. Cronin will moderate the discussion.

Speakers:

Benjamin Armstrong, Author, Small Boats and Daring Men: Maritime Raiding, Irregular Warfare, and the Early American Navy
Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific Security Chair, Hudson Institute
Dr Peter Haynes, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments; former Deputy Director, Strategy, Plans, and Policy (J5), U.S. Special Operations Command
Dr Martin N. Murphy, Visiting Fellow, Corbett Centre for Maritime Policy Studies and author, Small Boats, Weak States, Dirty Money: Piracy and Maritime Terrorism in the Modern World; Former Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
Linda Robinson, Senior International/Defense Researcher, RAND Corporation
Joshua Tallis, Author, The War for Muddy Waters: Pirates, Terrorists, Traffickers and Maritime Insecurity

The Human Rights Initiative at CSIS invites you to a public event on the mass detention and surveillance of Muslims in Xinjiang, China and the risks such technologies may pose as they are implemented in other areas of China and globally.

Over one million Uyghurs and Muslims from other ethnic minority groups have been detained by the Chinese government and sent to “re-education” internment camps. Sources indicate that detainees are psychologically and physically abused. Uyghurs outside the camps in Xinjiang are also not free, as they are kept under constant surveillance, often using advanced technology. The Chinese government is increasingly testing this technology in Xinjiang and exporting it nationally and globally, with concerning implications for democracy and human rights.

This event will focus on how this surveillance technology is being used and disseminated across the globe, which poses a risk of great harm to human rights and democracy, particularly if deployed without adequate safeguards.

Featuring keynote remarks and a moderated discussion with:

Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Member, House Armed Services Committee

Followed by a panel discussion among:

Sophie Richardson, China Director, Human Rights Watch
Sarah Cook, Senior Research Analyst, East Asia at Freedom House

Additional Panelists to be Announced

Moderator:

Amy Lehr, Director of Human Rights Initiative, CSIS

Please join the Atlantic Council and NATO Defense College Foundation, in cooperation with the NATO Defense College and National Defense University, for a public panel discussion on “NATO at 70: Refocusing for Change?” on Thursday, June 27, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:10 p.m. at the Atlantic Council’s headquarters (1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, West Tower Elevators, Washington, DC 20005.)

The 70th anniversary of the Washington Treaty, the founding document of NATO, represents more than just a historical moment to commemorate NATO’s past, but also an opportunity to address the challenges facing the Alliance today and its mission going forward.

At this critical juncture, the Alliance faces an era of renewed great power competition, with the European security environment increasingly contested by both traditional and nontraditional actors. Challenges such as Russia’s aggression towards neighboring states and China’s increasing investment in Europe are forcing the United States and its NATO Allies to reimagine the Alliance’s approach to collective defense. While NATO is making progress on issues such as defense spending and military readiness, the Alliance must work with greater urgency to respond to 21st century challenges.

To inform and contribute to the discussion surrounding these issues, this high-level seminar will convene experts from both sides of the Atlantic. The seminar will feature two panel discussions. The first will focus on today’s evolving security environment in Europe and new ways to think about collective security, burden sharing, and partnerships. The second will focus on the need for a new strategic approach within NATO for today’s rapidly changing world. The seminar will also feature concluding remarks by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Speakers to be announced.

Militia groups have become an increasing feature of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Often sponsored by rival outside powers, they have profound impact on local stability, internal politics, humanitarian access, and economic development, as well as on regional security and geopolitics. In Iraq, such paramilitary groups have mobilized and, in some cases, remobilized to counter the Islamic State (IS). Yet, even after territorial control was wrestled away from IS, the political and economic power of Al Hashd al-Shaabi, as the paramilitary groups are known in Arabic, has continued to grow. During the spring of 2019 tension between the United States and Iran, Iraq’s paramilitary groups became a key flashpoint. In Lebanon, Hezbollah, too, has been at the epicenter of regional rivalries and counterterrorism. And in Libya, infighting among the country’s militias has plunged the country into another phase of civil war.

On June 28, the Brookings Institution will host a panel conversation on the impact of militias in MENA and ways to address the paramilitary groups with Brookings Senior Fellows Shadi Hamid and Vanda Felbab-Brown; Richard E. Behrman Professor of Child Health and Society at Stanford University Paul Wise; Brookings John C. Whitehead Visiting Fellow in International Diplomacy Jeffrey Feltman; and Senior Fellow Suzanne Maloney, who will moderate the event.

After the introductory comments, panelists will take questions from the audience.

Speakers:

Shadi Hamid, Brookings Senior Fellow – Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy, U.S. Relations with the Islamic World
Vanda Felbab-Brown, Brookings Senior Fellow – Foreign Policy, Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence
Paul Wise, Richard E. Behrman Professor of Child Health and Society at Stanford University Paul Wise
Jeffrey Feltman, Brookings John C. Whitehead Visiting Fellow in International Diplomacy
Suzanne Maloney, Senior Fellow, Center for Middle East Policy, Energy Security and Climate Initiative

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