Peace Picks July 15 -July 19

1. After Sistani and Khamenei: Looming Successions Will Shape the Middle East|July 15 2019|12:00pm|Atlantic Council |Register Here

At a time of rising tensions between the United States and Iran, Iran and the wider Shia world are facing important successions for leadership that will impact a number of issues. These include how independent Iraq will be of foreign influence, whether Iran finally succeeds in exporting its unique system of government, whether Iran continues to comply with a 2015 nuclear agreement, and the nature of both countries’ relations, or lack thereof, with the United States. Please join us for a discussion of these issues and the release of a new report, “After Sistani and Khamenei: How Looming Successions Will Shape the Middle East,” by Abbas Kadhim and Barbara Slavin.

Moderator: Moshen Milani, Executive Director, Center for Strategic & Diplomatic Studies

Panelists:

Kadhim: Director, Iraq Initiative, Atlantic Council

Barbara Slavin: Director, Future of Iran Initiative

Mohammed Ayatolahi Tabaar:  Associate Professor, Bush School of Government and Public Service

2. US-Colombia Partnership: From Venezuela’s Crisis to Counter-Narcotics Efforts|July 16, 2019|9:00am|Atlantic Council|Register Here

Colombia is a strategic leader in Latin America and an indispensable partner for the United States. Its role in working to find a solution to the crisis in Venezuela is vital, while, domestically, Colombia continues to absorb more Venezuelan migrants. The Duque administration is also demonstrating an increased commitment to eradicating coca crops.

How can the US-Colombia strategic partnership further advance regional stability? What is the current Colombian perspective to finding a peaceful democratic transition in Venezuela? What new steps has Colombia deployed to reduce coca cultivation?

Join the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center and the United States Institute of Peace for on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (EDT) for a timely conversation on the US-Colombia partnership and its broader importance.

Speakers: To be confirmed

3. War in Syria: The Kurdish Perspective|July 17, 2019|12:00pm|National Press Club 529 14th Street Northwest First Amendment Lounge Washington, DC 20045|Register Here

Please join Turkish Heritage Organization on July 17th, 2019 as we host a panel on the war in Syria. More details to come.

Moderator: Katherine Brumund, Turkish Heritage Organization

Panelists:

Abdullah Kedo: Mebmebr of the Yekiti Party and the Political Commission of ENKS

Abdulaziz Tammo: President, Independent Syrian Kurdish Association

Farouk Belal: Syrian Activist, Co-Founder of the Syrian Cultural House

Shlomo Bolts: Policy and Advocacy Officer, Syrian American Coucil

4. U.S. and Turkey Relations |July 15, 2019|11:00am|National Press Club 529 14th Street Northwest First Amendment Lounge Washington, DC 20045|Register Here

Please join THO on July 15, 2019 from 11 AM-12:30 PM as we hosts Former Military Representative of Turkey to NATO, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ergin Saygun for a discussion on U.S.-Turkey Relations on the Third Anniversary of the Attempted Coup in Turkey. More speakers to be added in the coming days.

Moderator: Mark Hall: Filmmaker and Lawyer

Panelists:

H.E. Edward Whitfield: Co-Founder of Turkish Caucus, Former U.S. Congressman

General (Ret.) Ergin Saygun: Former Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff

5. Prospects for U.S.-Russia Relations: A Perspective from Moscow|July 15, 2019|3:00pm|Center for Strategic and International Studies|Register Here

The conclusion of the Mueller investigation renewed President Trump’s desire to meet with Vladimir Putin and to intensify U.S.-Russian dialogue in general. Both countries face numerous problems, from Venezuela to strategic stability, that require management. Is more effective management of these problems and bilateral relations as such possible? How will Russia approach relations with the U.S. leading up to the 2020 elections and beyond? Does Russia have a strategy vis-à-vis the U.S., and if so, what are its major elements? Lastly, how will the election interference issue impact U.S.-Russia relations after the publication of the Mueller report, and how is Moscow going to address it?

Speakers:

Dmitry Suslov: Deputy Director, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, Higher School of Economics (Moscow)

Jeffery Mankoff: Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program

6. The Future of U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy: A Conversation with representatives Abigal Spanberger and Michael Waltz |June 11^th , 2019|2:00pm-3:30pm|National Endowment for Democracy, 1025 F Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20004|Register Here

Please join the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Transnational Threats Project for a dialogue on U.S. counterterrorism strategy with Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Michael Waltz (R-FL). Seth G. Jones, Harold Brown Chair and Director of the CSIS Transnational Threats Project, will moderate a discussion between Rep. Spanberger and Rep. Waltz, who will offer their assessments on the current global terrorism landscape as well as the successes and enduring challenges of U.S. counterterrorism efforts.

While growing strategic focus on great power competition with China and Russia is warranted, a parallel leadership effort is needed to address the future of the global fight against terrorism and extremism. Topics for discussion include managing the enduring threats posed by al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, defining a suitable end state in Afghanistan, developing a comprehensive strategy for countering violent extremism, and responding to homegrown violent extremist threats.

Moderator: Seth G Jones: Harold Brown Chair; Director, Transnational Threats Project; and Senior Adviser, International Security Program

Speakers:

Abigail Spanberger: United States Congresswoman (D-VA)

Michael Waltz: United State Congressman (R-FL)

7. U.S.-Taiwan relations: Reflections on 40 Years of the TRA|July 19, 2019|12:00pm|The Stimson Center|Register Here

Since President Jimmy Carter signed the Taiwan Relations Act into law in 1979, the United States and Taiwan have maintained unofficial relations, including trade, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural ties. In the forty years since the Act was signed, the U.S.-Taiwan relationship has been a long-standing friendship between two democracies, surviving periods of tension with China. Looking towards the future, the U.S.-Taiwan relationship will be increasingly important particularly as challenges intensify. Taiwan and the U.S.’s policies towards each other on economic and security issues as well as their shared values will be important factors in determining how these challenges are met.

Panelists:

Bonnie Glaser: Senior Adviser for Asia and Director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies

Shelley Rigger: Ph.D., Brown Professor in the Political Science Department of Davidson College

Janice I. Chen: Deputy Director of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party Mission in the U.S.

8. Reporting on Civilian Casualties in the War Against ISIS|July 16, 2019|12:00pm|New America|Register Here

Reporters at U.S. media outlets strongly believed that civilian harm should be a central component of war coverage. Yet, civilian casualties from U.S. airstrikes have been patchily covered during the war against so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. This is one of the key findings in a new report by Airwars entitled, News in Brief: U.S. Media Coverage of Civilian Harm in the War Against ISIS. Authored by investigative journalist Alexa O’Brien, the report draws on new research and interviews with reporters at major U.S. media outlets, providing editors with recommendations for improved coverage. News in Brief is the result of a six-month study funded by the Reva and David Logan Foundation in the U.S. and the J. Leon Philanthropy Council in the U.K.

Moderator: Peter Bergen: Vice President, New America

Panelists:

Alexa O’Brien: Author, News in Brief

Azmat Khan: Future of War Fellows, Arizona State University & New America

Greg Jaffe: National Security Correspondent, Washington Post

Chris Woods: Executive Director, Airwars