Notice: Due to recent public health concerns, upcoming events are only available via live-streaming.
Johns Hopkins SAIS invites you to a discussion with distinguished women involved in U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa region as they share their views on women’s leadership in U.S. diplomacy, current U.S. engagement in the region and how this will be affected by COVID-19. The conversation, moderated by Dr. Chiedo Nwankwor, Director of SAIS Women Lead, will also touch upon the challenges these women faced representing the U.S. in the highest foreign policy decision making circles in the MENA region and more.
Speakers:
Anne Patterson: Former Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East and US Ambassador to Egypt and Pakistan
Deborah Jones: Former US Ambassador to Libya and Kuwait
Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley: Former US Ambassador to Malta
Robin Raphel: Former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia and US Ambassador to Tunisia
Kirsten Fontenrose: Director of the Scowcroft Center at the Atlantic Council and Former Director of the Gulf region at the National Security Council
Hafed Al-Ghwell: Senior Fellow, Johns Hopkins SAIS Foreign Policy Institute
To recognize Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski’s legacy, Johns Hopkins SAIS and its Foreign Policy Institute have established the Zbigniew Brzezinski Initiative, a unique set of academic programs that builds on the school’s strengths as a leading center for training graduate students in international policy and relevant academic research. The Initiative comprises both immediate programming and longer-term plans, which together will equip a new generation of policy experts capable of the authoritative analysis, strategic vision, and active diplomacy that were hallmarks of Dr. Brzezinski’s role as a scholar, policy advisor, and statesman.
Speakers:
Nicholas Kristof: New York Times columnist
Dean Eliot A. Cohen: Dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
Ambassador Mark F. Brzezinski: American Ambassador to Sweden from 2011-2015
As the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant surged into Iraq in the summer of 2014, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on Iraqis to volunteer to protect their country. From this initiative emerged the Popular Mobilization Forces, which were largely organized by pro-Iran and Iranian-supported militias.
Subsequent efforts to place these forces under the command of the Iraqi government failed, and many PMF units forged a command relationship with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the PMF deputy commander, and Qassim Soleimani, Iranian Quds Force commander. While the PMF initially gained widespread popular support among Shias for its role in defeating ISIL, the killing of Suleimani and Muhandis in January and the withdrawal of units associated with Sistani from the PMF in April opened new questions about the future of the PMF and its relationship with both the Iraqi government and Iran.
What does the loss of the PMF’s two most influential figures mean for the future leadership of these forces? Will the new Iraqi government be able to establish effective control over the PMF or will Iran continue its operational domination? Will growing popular discontent with the PMF lead to clashes with the Iraqi army and police?
Speakers:
Ali Alfoneh: Senior Fellow, The Arab Gulf States Institute Washington
Michael Knights: Senior Fellow, The Washington Institute
Amb. Rend Al-Rahim: Co-Founder and President, Iraq Foundation
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world, placing great strains on public finances and health systems. The pandemic is likely to create seismic changes in the economic, political, and security dimensions of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as well as recalibrate its relations with global powers, including China.
Early on in the crisis, MENA energy producers, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar, sent medical supplies to China, the world’s largest consumer of Middle Eastern crude. As China slowly fought back the virus, it reciprocated by sending supplies to various MENA states, while conducting a public relations campaign in the region. In light of an ineffective U.S. response to the pandemic, China has sought to showcase its governance model and swift response. China’s public outreach and diplomacy during the crisis has aimed to reframe the narrative about its role in the region and globally, amid deepening mistrust and competition with the United States and Europe.
The Brookings Doha Center invites you to attend a webinar on China’s role in the MENA region post-COVID-19. The discussion will address the following questions: Within the context of regional and global economic challenges, how will Chinese-MENA relations evolve in the post-COVID-19 era? How can MENA states navigate rising U.S.-China tensions? And, in the long term, can China supplant the roles of the United States and Europe in the region, particularly in the Gulf and North Africa?
Speakers:
Adel Abdel Ghafar: Fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings Doha Center
Degang Sun: Professor, Institute of International Studies, Fudan University
Emilie Tran: Course Coordinator of European Studies-French Stream at the Hong Kong Baptist University
Yahia H. Zoubir: Visiting Fellow-Brookings Doha Center
Zeno Leoni: Teaching Fellow in Challenges to the International Order- King’s College London
How hard will Egypt be hit by the pandemic’s health effects? To what extent is its health system meeting the challenge? And how will Egyptians cope with the inescapable difficulties of a global recession, collapse of tourism, and return of many workers from the Gulf?
Speakers:
Ayman Sabae: right to health researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
Timothy E. Kaldas: independent risk advisor and nonresident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy
Michelle Dunne: director and senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
As the United States continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that reopening the economy will be a phased process dependent upon transmission rates. Social distancing, reduced economic activity, and disruptions in our everyday lives are likely to continue for some time, with profound implications on societal, community, and individual well-being. The disproportionately harmful effects on people of color are already well documented.
As Americans strive to return to work, there are major issues to address regarding health and health care access; disruptions in child care and K-12 education; and income and support for displaced workers, those unable to work due to health conditions, and undocumented and informal workers. Meanwhile, many business owners are struggling both operationally and financially, and are unsure if they can keep their doors open. As these dynamics continue, lawmakers and leaders in the private and social sectors will need to continue to evaluate the role of government and develop creative and equitable policy solutions for the country’s new normal.
On June 12, the Governance Studies and Metropolitan Policy programs at Brookings will cohost a webinar to discuss equitable solutions for workers and their families as the American economy begins to reopen. Speakers will explore how challenges across multiple areas of life, work, and economic activity combine to create a unique moment that requires careful thought and wide-ranging, equity-focused solutions.
Speakers:
John Allen: President, Brookings
Camille Busette: Senior Fellow, Economic Studies, Governance Studies, Metropolitan Policy Program; Director, Race, Prosperity, and Inclusion Initiative
Annelies Goger: David M. Rubenstein Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program
Anika Goss: Executive Director, Detrit Future City
Martha Ross: Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program
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