Peace Picks | May 10-14, 2021

Notice: Due to public health concerns, upcoming events are only available via live stream.

1. What does the future hold for NATO in the MENA region? | May 10, 2021 |  9:00 AM ET | Middle East Institute | Register Here

The Middle East Institute (MEI) Frontier Europe Initiative in collaboration with the Arab News Research and Studies is pleased to host an online Briefing Room Conversation to discuss the future of NATO in the Middle East-North Africa region. 

Speakers:

Luke Coffey
Director, Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation

Iulia Joja
Senior fellow, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI; adjunct professor, Georgetown University

Tarek Ali Ahmad (Moderator)
Head, Arab News Research and Studies

2. Iraqi-US Relations Under Changing Administrations | May 10, 2021 |  10:00 AM ET | Brookings Institute | Register Here

As President Joe Biden completes the first 100 days of his presidency, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi nears his one-year anniversary in office. Iraq and the United States held their first strategic dialogue under the Biden administration in early April, discussing bilateral security cooperation, economic development in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and protection of democracy and freedom of speech, among other topics. These two new administrations will now have to set the course for the future of Iraqi-U.S. relations.

Speakers:

Suzanne Maloney (Introduction)

Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy, Brookings Institute

Joey Hood (Keynote)

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, US Department of State

Abbas Kadhim

Iraq Initiative Director and Resident Senior Fellow, The Atlantic Council

Marsin Alshamary

Post-Doctoral Fellow in Foreign Policy, Brookings Institute

Louisa Loveluck (Moderator)

Baghdad Bureau Chief, The Washington Post

3. Border Battle: Assessing the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Clashes | May 10, 2021 |  12:00 PM ET | Atlantic Council | Register Here

The death and destruction wrought by the recent violence between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the Ferghana Valley is a tragedy, with scores of victims on both sides of the border. Worryingly, the clashes might yet have broader implications for both countries and their Central Asian neighbors. How might the confrontation affect the rights of ethnic minorities, particularly in the various exclaves throughout the region? How can Bishkek and Dushanbe avoid a security dilemma that might further destabilize an already tense situation?

Speakers:

Dr. George Gavrilis

Fellow, University of California-Berkeley’s Center for Democracy, Toleration, and Religion

Jonathan Henick

Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, US Department of State 

Akylai Karimova

Kyrgyz civil activist based in Osh 

Dr. Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center

Anahita Saymidinova

Dushanbe-based journalist for Iran International TV 

Ambassador John Herbst (Moderator)

Director of the Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council.

4. Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States | May 10, 2021 |  4:00 PM ET | Wilson Center | Register Here

The American atomic bomb was born in secrecy. From the moment scientists first conceived of its possibility to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and beyond, there were efforts to control the spread of nuclear information and the newly discovered scientific facts that made such powerful weapons possible. Drawing on troves of declassified files, including records released by the government for the first time through Wellerstein’s efforts, Restricted Data traces the complex evolution of the US nuclear secrecy regime from the first whisper of the atomic bomb through the mounting tensions of the Cold War and into the early twenty-first century.

Speakers:

Alex Wellerstein

Stevens Institute of Technology

Christian F. Ostermann (Co-Moderator)

Director, History and Public Policy Program; Cold War International History Project; North Korea Documentation; Nuclear Proliferation International History Project, Woodrow Wilson Center

Eric Arnesen (Co-Moderator)

Former Fellow, Professor of History, The George Washington University

Kathleen M. Vogel

Former Wilson Center Fellow; Arizona State University

Matthew Connelly

Former Fellow; Columbia University

5. Addressing Security Concerns in the Eastern Mediterranean | May 11, 2021 |  9:00 AM ET | CSIS | Register Here

As a vital partner for the United States in the Eastern Mediterranean, Greece is witnessing significant shifts in its regional security environment. Minister Panagiotopoulos will discuss the reasons behind growing instability in the region and Greece’s initiatives to advance security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, working closely with regional partners. As NATO prepares to update its Strategic Concept starting this summer, Minister Panagiotopoulos will also reflect on Greece’s priorities for the updated concept; discuss how NATO can enhance its political cohesion and address new challenges; and outline ideas for expanding and deepening the U.S.-Greece strategic defence partnership. The conversation will be moderated by Heather A. Conley, CSIS Senior Vice President for Europe, Russia, and the Arctic, and Rachel Ellehuus, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow with the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program.

Speakers:

Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos

Minister of National Defence, Greece

Heather A. Conley

Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic; and Director, Europe, Russia and the Eurasia Program, CSIS

Rachel Ellehuus

Deputy Director, Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program

6. Nonviolent Action and Minority Inclusion | May 11, 2021 |  10:00 AM ET | United States Institute of Peace | Register Here

Mass movements employing nonviolent action have a demonstrated track record of improving democracy. But how deep and meaningful are these changes? Does nonviolent action merely change political institutions, or can it also address deeper drivers of social and political conflict, particularly for the most marginalized?

To better understand the intersection of nonviolent action and peace processes, join USIP for the final event in our series on people power, peace and democracy. The event series highlights multiple groundbreaking research projects and features insights from activists, international practitioners and policymakers that provide viewers with actionable takeaways.

This USIP event features lessons learned from cutting-edge research showing how nonviolent action affects political and economic inequality — particularly for historically excluded social and ethnic groups — using a cross-national statistical study and in-depth case studies from recent political transitions in Nepal and Indonesia. The research also specifically examines how movements can employ dialogue, negotiation and mediation to better ensure that political transitions following nonviolent action campaigns lead to greater inclusion for marginalized groups. This event will explore the important implications for both policy and practice in ensuring more inclusive democratization processes in the aftermath of nonviolent action. 

Speakers:

Jonathan Pinckney (Moderator)
Senior Researcher, Nonviolent Action, U.S. Institute of Peace 

Mohna Ansari
Member, National Human Rights Commission of Nepal

Subindra Bogati
Founder and Chief Executive, Nepal Peacebuilding Initiative

Titik Firawati
Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, Northern Illinois University

Rosa Emilia Salamanca
Director, Institute for Social and Economic Research and Action

Deepak Thapa
Director, Social Science Baha

Ches Thurber
Assistant Professor, Northern Illinois University

7. Developments in Iran: Scandal, Schism and US-Iranian Relations | May 11, 2021 |  10:00 AM ET | Middle East Institute | Register Here

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has sensationally admitted that the Foreign Ministry in Tehran has no power to shape strategic policies. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has also scolded Zarif for questioning Tehran’s regional policies, which are designed and implemented by the Revolutionary Guards. This deep schism inside the Islamic Republic raises some important questions at a time when the US is engaged in direct talks with the Iranians in Vienna. 

What is the balance of power between elected and unelected centers of powers in Tehran? How certain can the United States be about the ability of the Iranian state to collectively adhere to any nuclear agreement reached in Vienna? Where does this political reality in Tehran mean for Washington’s Iran policy that continues to impose sanctions on key entities in Iran, including the Revolutionary Guards?

Speakers:

Kenneth Katzman
Senior analyst, Congressional Research Service

Barbara Slavin
Director, Future of Iran Initiative, Atlantic Council 

Reza Vaisi 
Editor, Iran International TV

Alex Vatanka (Moderator)
Director, Iran Program, MEI

8. China-Russia Relations at the Dawn of the Biden Era | May 12, 2021 |  9:00 AM ET | Carnegie Endowment: Center for Global Policy | Register Here

While U.S.-China and U.S.-Russia relations have steadily deteriorated, China-Russia cooperation has grown in its stead. On the heels of the contentious U.S.-China Alaska summit, Chinese and Russian foreign ministers met in Guilin to discuss bilateral cooperation on a range of issues and even published a joint statement promoting a shared vision for global governance.

However, it is unclear to what extent Russian and Chinese interests will continue to converge. Although both nations have found a common adversary in the United States, any divergence of Russian or Chinese interests could create roadblocks to the two countries’ warming relations. Given China’s increasing economic and political clout, how will Russia manage the relationship in a way that concurrently maintains cooperation with China and protects its own national interests? Will China continue to view Russia as a security and economic partner? And how does the United States view and approach strong China-Russia ties?

Speakers:

Paul Haenle (Moderator)

Maurice R. Greenberg Director Chair, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center, Beijing China

Andrew S. Weiss

James Family Chair and Vice President for Studies, Carnegie Endowment

Guan Guihai

Associate Professor and Executive Vice President, Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Peking University

Vita Spivak

Analyst, Control Risk

9. Middle East Security Establishments and Social Reform | May 12, 2021 |  2:00 PM ET | Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School | Register Here

Across the Middle East, the security sector has exercised substantial influence over media, education, and religious institutions, often to the detriment of their societies and American interests. Could they instead become a force for positive reform, and what role might their American allies play in helping them? Please join the Intelligence and Defense Projects for a seminar with Middle East expert Joseph Braude, who will discuss these issues and provide a number of policy suggestions.

Speakers:

Joseph Braude

President of the Center for Peace Communications

10. Czechmate? Russia’s Relations with Czechia go up in Smoke | May 13, 2021 |  10:00 AM ET | Atlantic Council | Register Here

As the Czech Republic and Russia spar over groundbreaking reports of Russian intelligence operations in Czechia, key lessons emerge about the Kremlin’s tactics, goals, and the ability to exploit openings from foreign governments to attempt operations with impunity. Importantly, these operations were not just designed to harm Czechia—the 2014 destruction of arms depots holding weapons bound for Ukraine link these attacks to the Kremlin’s broader hybrid war against Kyiv, and show an early operation carried out by the same officers responsible for some of the most high-profile Kremlin attacks on foreign soil in recent years. With diplomatic expulsions and talk of further measures to hold Moscow accountable for killings on Czech soil, this crisis is fast becoming the latest significant flashpoint in Russia’s relations with Europe.

Speakers:

H.E. Jakub Kulhánek (Keynote)

Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Czech Republic,

Ambassador Daniel Fried

Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council

Jakub Janda

Director of the European Values Center for Security Policy

Ambassador Jaroslav Kurfurst

Special Envoy for the Eastern Partnership at the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Laure Mandeville

Senior Reporter at Le Figaro and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center

Ambassador John Herbst (Moderator)

Director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center.