Category: Elisa Cherry
Peace Picks | May 10-14, 2021
Notice: Due to public health concerns, upcoming events are only available via live stream.
- 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.
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Peace Picks | April 26 – April 30, 2021
Peace Picks | April 26 – April 30, 2021
Notice: Due to public health concerns, upcoming events are only available via live stream.
1. Supporting Sustainable Development in the Arctic: Estonia’s Role in Advancing Arctic Collaboration| April 26, 2021 | 10:00 AM ET | Wilson Center | Register Here
There are many challenges in building sustainable and thriving communities in the Arctic while addressing the impacts of a warming and changing Arctic landscape due to climate change. As one of eight Arctic nations that comprise the Arctic Council, the United States, under the Biden Administration has called for an increase in international cooperation to address climate change in all facets of its domestic and foreign policy, including the Arctic. Estonia, a close neighbor of the Arctic, is applying for Observer status in the Arctic Council, is committed to mitigating the impacts of climate change, and advancing sustainable development in the Arctic. This discussion will offer an exchange of views by experts from the United States and Estonia on ways to promote collaboration to address the critical issues facing the Arctic, especially in the areas of research, environmental protection, and sustainable development.
Speakers:
Caroline Kennedy
Attorney, Author, Former US Ambassador to Japan
2. Soft Power and Practice of Diplomacy: A Conversation with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy| April 26, 2021 | 2:00 PM ET | Belfer Center| Register Here
In a conversation with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, we will explore how she employed cultural diplomacy while serving as U.S. Ambassador to Japan (2013-2017), our key ally in Asia. Ambassador (ret.) Nicholas Burns, Harvard Kennedy School professor and Faculty Chair of the Future of Diplomacy Project, will welcome and introduce Ambassador Kennedy. Carla Dirlikov Canales, 2021 Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow, will moderate the discussion.
Speakers:
Ambassador Märt Volmer
Undersecretary for European Affairs, Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Tarmo Soomere
President, Estonian Academy of Sciences
Ambassador David Balton
Senior Fellow, Polar Institute; Former Ambassador for Oceans and Fisheries, US Department of State
Ambassador Kaja Tael
Special Envoy for Climate and Energy Policy, Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Aimar Ventsel
Associate Porfessor in Ethnology, University of Tartu
David M. Kennedy
Global Fellow, Polar Institute; Chair, United States Arctic Research Commission
Michael Sfraga
Director, Polar Institute; Director, Global Risk and Resilience Program
3. Russian Aggression in the Black Sea: Regional and International Responses| April 26, 2021 | 2:00 PM ET | Middle East Institute| Register Here
Russia’s largest military buildup since the 2014 annexation of Crimea is taking place along the Ukrainian border and in the Black Sea. Moscow has resorted to escalatory measures, announcing the closing of the Kerch Strait and the Azov Sea to foreign ships and cutting off Ukraine’s ability to export. In response, the West has reacted with warnings and invitations to dialogue while Turkey is trying to walk a fine line between Russia and Ukraine. To prevent further escalation of the crisis, much will depend on the Biden administration’s response.
Speakers:
Gen. (ret.) Philip Breedlove
Distinguished chair, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI
Yörük Işık
Non-resident scholar, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI
Iulia Joja
Senior fellow, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI
Mamuka Tsereteli
Non-resident scholar, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI
Gönül Tol, (Moderator)
Director, Turkey Program; senior fellow, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI
4. Revitalizing NATO’s Political Cohesion | April 27, 2021 | 10:30 AM ET | CSIS | Register Here
In advance of the upcoming NATO Leaders Meeting, it is a timely moment to discuss NATO as a political forum and its future cohesion. NATO’s strength and resilience derive from Allies’ shared committment to the values and spirit of the Washington Treaty, namely the principles of democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law, and the development of peaceful international relations. As NATO grapples with a challenging security environment, it must also confront an erosion of democratic norms within some member countries that undermines NATO’s unity. Will an updated strategic concept as well as a new U.S. administration provide an opportunity to prioritize transatlantic values and NATO’s political cohesion?
Speakers:
Ambassador Muriel Domenach,
Permanent Representative of France to NATO
MdB Omid Nouripour
Foreign Policy Spokesperson for the German Green party.
Rachel Ellehuus (Moderator)
Deputy Director of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program
Heather A. Conley (Introductory Remarks)
Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctica
5. African and South Asian perspectives on the Leaders Summit on Climate| April 28, 2021 | 9:00 AM ET | Atlantic Council | Register Here
Under the Biden administration, the United States is making climate action a top priority. While the Trump administration failed to properly drive United States’ environmental policy towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, the Biden administration is set for unprecedented action on climate issues, even going as far as to pledge commitment to working with China to fight climate change and to help developing nations finance their efforts to lower their carbon footprints.
As part of his efforts to tackle the imminent threat posed by climate change, President Biden will host a Leaders Summit on Climate on April 22 and 23, to conclude days before our event. Some of the key themes of the summit are to explore the possibilities of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to mitigate the consequences of a global temperature increase over 1.5 degrees Celsius as well as financing vulnerable countries’ efforts to transition to clean energy economies.
Speakers:
Jairam Ramesh
Former chief negotiation for India, Copenhagen Climate Change Summit;
Former cabinet minister for rural development, Government of India;
Present member of parliament (Rajya Sabha)
Dr. Syed Mohammed Ali
Non-resident scholar, Middle East Institute;
Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins University
Ms. Ayaan Adam
Senior Director and CEO, AFC Capital;
Former Director of the Private Sector Facility, Green Climate Fund
Irfan Nooruddin (Introductory Remarks)
Director, Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center
Aubrey Hruby (Moderator)
Nonresident senior fellow, Atlantic Council’s Africa Center
6. The UK Integrated Defense Review: A Conversation with General Sir Nick Carter| April 28, 2021 | 11:00 AM ET | CSIS | Register Here
Please join the Center for Strategic and International Studies for a conversation with General Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the UK Defence Staff. General Sir Nick Carter and Dr. Seth Jones, Senior Vice President and Director of the International Security Program, will discuss the UK Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, and how the UK military is prioritizing modernization.
Speakers:
General Sir Nick Carter
Chief of the UK Defence Staff
Dr. Seth Jones
Senior Vice President and Director of the International Security Program
7. Strengthening International Peace and Security | April 28, 2021 | 11:00 AM ET | German Marshall Fund of the United States| Register Here
The German Marshall Fund of the United States would like to invite you to a timely conversation with Helga Schmid, the new secretary general at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The conversation, moderated by GMF’s Ian Lesser, will focus on Secretary General Schmid’s priorities in her new capacity at the OSCE. This includes a focus on OSCE efforts to address the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19 and Secretary General Schmid’s vision on how multilateral organizations, including the OSCE, can strengthen peace building, prevent conflict, and empower women and girls.
Representing 57 member countries, the OSCE holds a unique position in the international security architecture. Promoting a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects, the organization addresses a wide range of security challenges, including arms control, human rights, democratization, policing strategies, counterterrorism, and economic and environmental activities.
Speakers:
Helga Schmid
Secretary General, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
Ian Lesser
Vice President, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
8. Putin’s Mediterranean gambit: Endgame unclear | April 29, 2021 | 9:00 AM ET | Atlantic Council | Register Here
A discussion on President Vladimir Putin’s successes in the Mediterranean, his broader objectives in the Mediterranean, the factors that have helped and hindered Putin’s achievement of these objectives and why the United States should be concerned and what it should do about growing Russian influence in the Mediterranean.
For more than 250 years, Russian leaders have sought to project power and influence in the Mediterranean region. Sometimes these efforts have met with a significant degree of success. At times, though, Russia has pulled back from the Mediterranean because of setbacks in the region, events in Europe, or convulsions inside Russia. These pullbacks, however, have never been permanent and have always been followed by renewed Russian efforts to gain influence in the region.
Speakers:
Christopher J. Bort
National Intelligence Officer for Russiaand Eurasia
National Intelligence Council
Laura K. Cooper
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia
United States Department of Defense
William F. Wechsler
Director, Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East ProgramsAtlantic Council
Mark N. Katz (Moderator)
Nonresident Senior Fellow
Atlantic Council
9. World order in the 21st century: Illiberal orders, a concert of power, or a Western revival?| April 29, 2021 | 6:00 PM ET | Chatham House| Register Here
In the years after World War I, many international affairs schools and think tanks opened their doors, dedicated to educating students, informing publics, and devising solutions to the problems of war, peace and international order.
A century later, political, socio-economic and geopolitical change has raised profound questions about whether today’s ideas and institutions, many of which emerged in the aftermath of World War I and World War II, are fit for purpose.
The stumblings of liberal democracy, the onset of the digital economy, growing inequality within and among nations, the COVID-19 pandemic, mounting great-power rivalry and many other developments necessitate a re-evaluation of how best to preserve order in an interdependent world.
Speakers:
Professor Charles Kupchan
Professor of International Affairs, Georgetown University; Senior Director for European Affairs, US National Security Council (2014-17)
Dr Leslie Vinjamuri
Director, US and the Americas Programme, Chatham House
Dr Anne-Marie Slaughter
CEO, New America; Director of Policy Planning, US Department of State (2009-11)
Professor Rana Mitter
Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China, St Cross College, Oxford University
Dr Robin Niblett
Director and Chief Executive, Chatham House
10. Criminal justice reform in America: Policing and pretrial detention |April 30, 2021 | 10:00 AM ET | Brookings Institute| Register Here
The United States incarcerates more people per capita than any other country in the world. Recidivism rates continue to be high as millions of people cycle in and out of the criminal justice system and deal with a cumbersome pretrial detention process. Black people are disproportionately more likely to die from police violence, and racial and ethnic minorities are simultaneously over- and under-policed. After 50 years, it is clear there are a plethora of unintended consequences of the War on Crime and the War on Drugs, which have led to issues across the criminal justice system.
Speakers:
Rashawn Ray
David M. Rubenstein Fellow: Governance Studies
Brent Orrell
Resident Fellow: American Enterprise Institute
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Peace Picks | April 12 – April 16, 2021
Notice: Due to public health concerns, upcoming events are only available via live stream.
- The Future of US Security in Space | April 12, 2021 | 1:30 PM ET | Atlantic Council | Register Here
Activity in space is rapidly expanding with an explosion of actors and commerce in recent years. More than seventy nations operate national space programs, making international space governance prime for a reboot. Private-sector investment in unique space technologies and more affordable space launch creates the exciting prospect of a space commerce boom. Meanwhile, the increasing salience of space in great-power competition and counterspace capabilities threaten freedom of access. Space exploration will likely evolve at pace over the next decades, offering potential resource abundance and the ability to expand the frontiers of space development. The United States and its allies require a strategy to meet the moment and shape the strategic landscape through 2050 and beyond.
Speakers:
Frederick Kempe: President & CEO, Atlantic Council
Gen. James E. Cartwright: Former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Hon. Deborah Lee James: Former Secretary of the Air Force
Hon. Charles F. Bolden Jr.: 12th NASA Administrator and Astronaut
Dr. Scott Pace: Former Executive Secretary, US National Space Council
Jennifer Griffin (moderator): National Security Correspondent, Fox News
Col. Andrew R. Morgan: Astronaut, NASA
Lt. Col. Christopher Mulder: Senior US Air Force Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security
Debra Facktor: Head of US Space Systems, Airbus US Space & Defense, Inc.
Ellen Chang: Head of Naval Portfolio, H4X Labs
Gregg Maryniak: Co-Founder and Director, XPRIZE Foundation
Dr. Matthew Daniels: Senior Fellow, Center for Security and Emerging Technology
Dr. Jana Robinson: Managing Director and Space Security Program Director, Prague Security Studies Institute
Jacqueline Feldscher (moderator): National Security and Space Reporter, POLITICO
2. Oscar-Nominated “Hunger Ward” Documentary: Inside Yemen’s Humanitarian Crisis | April 12, 2021 | 7:00 PM ET | United States Institute of Peace| Register Here
The conflict in Yemen has precipitated the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations, two-thirds of Yemenis need humanitarian assistance to survive. Meanwhile, more than 16 million people will face hunger this year, with nearly 50,000 Yemenis in famine-like conditions. Almost half of Yemen’s children under age five will suffer from acute malnutrition, including 400,000 who could die without urgent treatment.
Filmed from inside two of the most active therapeutic feeding centers in Yemen, “Hunger Ward” documents two female health care workers fighting to thwart the spread of starvation against the backdrop of Yemen’s raging conflict. The film provides an unflinching portrait of Dr. Aida Alsadeeq and Nurse Mekkia Mahdi as they try to save the lives of hunger-stricken children within a population on the brink of famine.
Join USIP as we host a screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary “Hunger Ward,” followed by a discussion of the film and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen with acclaimed journalist and PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Skye Fitzgerald, and former U.N. Resident Coordinator for Yemen and current USIP President and CEO Lise Grande.
This program is presented in partnership with MTV Documentary Films.
Speakers:
Lise Grande
President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace
Judy Woodruff
Anchor and Managing Editor, PBS NewsHour
Skye Fitzgerald
Director and Academy Award Nominee, “Hunger Ward”
3. The Nexus of Climate Change, Fragility, and Peacebuilding | April 13, 2021 | 10:00 AM ET | Wilson Center| Register Here
Join the Wilson Center and USIP for a timely discussion with experts on the linkages between climate and fragility, and how a more integrated approach to climate and fragility policies and responses can simultaneously strengthen resilience outcomes and minimize threats to peace and prosperity.
The Biden administration is taking action to center climate change in its foreign policy and national security agendas, preparing to dramatically curb U.S. emissions, and has recognized climate change’s connection to injustice. Yet, one thing has been missing from the administration’s climate agenda: The linkages between climate change action and opportunities to build peace. While climate impacts can drive conflict and insecurity, well-designed climate action can foster collaboration and promote peace, and strategic investments in peacebuilding can yield climate resilience.
The Global Fragility Act (GFA) and recently released “U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stabilization” could provide an important avenue to elevate and leverage the Biden administration’s bold climate agenda to address instability and build peace. Bridging the policy gap between climate action and peacebuilding is a crucial first step to a more climate resilient and peaceful future. In fact, research shows sustainable peace requires a climate-sensitive lens, and sustainable climate responses require a conflict-sensitive lens.
Join the Wilson Center and USIP for a timely discussion with experts on the linkages between climate and fragility, and how a more integrated approach to climate and fragility policies and responses can simultaneously strengthen resilience outcomes and minimize threats to peace and prosperity.
Speakers:
Joseph Hewitt: Vice President, Policy, Learning, and Strategy, U.S. Institute of Peace
Cynthia Brady (moderator): Global Fellow; Former Peacebuilding and Resilience Advisor, USAID
Dina Esposito: Vice President of Technical Leadership, Mercy Corps
Alice Hill: David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, Council on Foreign Relations; former Senior Director, Resilience Policy, National Security Council
Liz Hume: Acting President and CEO, Alliance for Peacebuilding
Erin Sikorsky: Deputy Director, The Center for Climate and Security; former Deputy Director, Strategic Futures Group, National Intelligence Council
4. Navigating Humanitarian Access During Covid-19: Towards Localization | April 14, 2021 | 9:00 AM ET | CSIS | Register Here
The Covid-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges in the delivery of humanitarian assistance worldwide. Global lockdowns and travel restrictions hindered humanitarian access for international aid organizations attempting to reach vulnerable populations and impeded the mobility of civilians displaced by armed conflict. As a result of these additional access constraints, national and local humanitarian actors were tasked with increased leadership and responsibility to deliver life-saving assistance.
Speakers:
Dr. Rebecca Brubaker: Senior Policy Adviser and Project Director at the United Nations University Centre for Policy
Research (UNU-CPR),
Eranda Wijewickrama: Leader at the Humanitarian Advisory Group,
Smruti Patel: Founder and Co-Director of the Global Mentoring Initiative.
Jacob Kurtzer: Director and Senior Fellow, Humanitarian Agenda
Kimberly Flowers: Senior Associate (Non-resident), Humanitarian Agenda and Global Food Security Progra
5. UAE: US Policy In The Middle East And Prospects For Peace And Economic Growth In A Troubled Region | April 14, 2021 | 9:00 AM ET | Hoover Institution | Watch Here
In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Yousef Al Otaiba discuss the Abraham Accords, the humanitarian crisis centered on ongoing crises in Syria and Yemen, the threat from Iran, and great power competition in the Middle East.
Speakers:
Yousef Al Otaiba: United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to the United States (US)
H. R. McMaster: Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University
6. Russia’s Dangerous Military Escalation with Ukraine| April 14, 2021 | 9:00 AM ET | Atlantic Council | Register Here
Moscow is amassing forces on Ukraine’s eastern border and in northern occupied Crimea. The Kremlin’s propaganda machine is working overtime talking about Kyiv’s aggressive actions and spreading disinformation that Ukraine is shelling civilians in the Donbas. Russian President Vladimir Putin is unhappy—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took away the media channels from Putin’s ally Viktor Medvedchuk, and a concerned United States conducted a series of high-level telephone calls to reassure Kyiv and demonstrate strong international support for Ukraine in this crisis. Why is this all happening now? What makes these military actions different from the leadup to Moscow’s invasion in 2014? Will Putin actually strike, and what should the West do now?
Speakers:
Oleksiy Honcharuk: Former Prime Minister of Ukraine; Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center
Evelyn Farkas: Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia
Ambassador Daniel Fried: Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council
Melinda Haring (moderator): Deputy Director of the Eurasia Center, to assess Russia’s recent military buildup near the Ukrainian border
7. Measuring Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe: Do Scores Matter? | April 15, 2021 | 8:30AM ET | German Marshall Fund | Register Here
Global democracy has been in decline for fifteen years, with Central and Eastern European countries leading the trend of autocratization in the Western world. However, while main democracy monitoring projects offer a uniform view on the decline of democracy and rising trends of authoritarianism in the region, including in EU and NATO member states, their warnings remain a cry in the wilderness. With domestic threats to democracy remaining largely disregarded, the debate revolving around the rule of law in the EU disguises the true nature of authoritarian trends, helping to maintain the legitimacy of non-democratic or barely democratic governments.
Why are the results of different efforts to measure democracy falling on deaf ears and remaining largely disregarded at the political level? When and why did measuring democracy largely lose its political and policy relevance, and how could this be re-established? And what are the major democratic and authoritarian trends and lessons learned in Central and Eastern Europe that European politicians and stakeholders should not ignore?
The German Marshall Fund of the United States is pleased to invite you to an online event and discussion that examines these and other questions related to the challenges and results of measuring democracy in Central and Eastern Europe.
Speakers:
Zselyke Csáky: Research Director, Europe & Eurasia, Freedom House
Sabine Donner: Senior Expert, Bertelsmann Transformation Index
Juraj Medzihorsky: Research Associate, V-Dem
Daniel Hegedüs (moderator): Fellow for Central Europe, German Marshall Fund of the United States
8. Bullets Not Ballots: Success in Counterinsurgency Warfare | April 15, 2021 | 12:15 PM ET | Harvard Belfar Center | Register Here
In Bullets Not Ballots, Jacqueline L. Hazelton challenges the claim that winning “hearts and minds” is critical to successful counterinsurgency campaigns. Good governance, this conventional wisdom holds, gains the besieged government popular support, denies support to the insurgency, and enables military and political victory. Hazelton argues that major counterinsurgent successes since World War II have resulted not through democratic reforms but rather through the use of military force against civilians and the co-optation of rival elites.
Hazelton offers new analyses of five historical cases frequently held up as examples of the effectiveness of good governance in ending rebellions—the Malayan Emergency, the Greek Civil War, the Huk Rebellion in the Philippines, the Dhofar rebellion in Oman, and the Salvadoran Civil War—to show that, although unpalatable, it was really brutal repression and bribery that brought each conflict to an end. By showing how compellence works in intrastate conflicts, Bullets Not Ballots makes clear that whether or not the international community decides these human, moral, and material costs are acceptable, responsible policymaking requires recognizing the actual components of counterinsurgent success—and the limited influence that external powers have over the tactics of counterinsurgent elites.
Speakers:
Jacqueline L. Hazelton: Associate, International Security Program
9. Defense Against the Dark Arts in Space | April 15, 2021 | 8:30AM ET | CSIS | Register Here
Analysts from CSIS and the Secure World Foundation will discuss way to protect space systems from counterspace weapons, including active and passive defenses, strategy and policy measures, and diplomatic initiatives.
Speakers:
Victoria Samson: Washington Office Director, Secure World Foundation
David Edmondson: Policy Head, Space Security and Advanced Threats
Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan: Director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology, Observer Research Foundation
Frank Rose: Co-Director of the Center for Security, Strategy and Technology
Todd Harrison: Director of Defence Budget Analysis and Director of the Aerospace Security Project
10. Great Power Challenges to the Transatlantic Alliance: Reinventing Leadership for a Stable Future | April 16, 2021 | 10:00AM ET | Carnegie Endowment | Watch Here
After a tenuous four years for the transatlantic alliance, the Biden administration has ushered in new hope for its future and made clear intentions to strengthen ties with European allies. But the challenges today are not centered around blunting frontal assaults by tanks; they turn on meeting competitive and containing malign activities by Russia and China in outlying regions (Black Sea), out of area (Iran) and new technological planes, while carving out opportunities to cooperate on vital security and trade issues. How best to renew the transatlantic alliance amid these dynamic trends in the security and technological landscape?
Join us for a conversation featuring Vicki Birchfield, Erik Brattberg, Philip Breedlove, and Suzanne DiMaggio in conversation with Suzanne Kelly, with special remarks by Sam Nunn on the path forward for the transatlantic alliance.
Speakers:
Suzanne Kelly: CEO & publisher of the Cipher Brief; Former CNN’s intelligence correspondent before spending two years in the private sector.
Vicki L. Birchfield: Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech, co-director of the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies, and director of the study abroad program on the European Union and Transatlantic Relations.
Erik Brattberg: Director of the Europe Program and a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washingto
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The Iraqi diaspora: roles and opportunities
This on the record discussion was based off a report published by the Atlantic Council last week entitled “Iraqi Diaspora Mobilization and the Future Development of Iraq.” The discussion focused on the mobilization of the Iraqi diaspora following the 2003 invasion and the demise of Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi diaspora remains strong, but remains what Oula Kadhum calls “a largely untapped resource.” Speakers were:
Ambassador Feisal Al-Istrabadi Founding Director, Center for the Study of the Middle East; Professor of the Practice of International Law and Diplomacy, Indiana University, Bloomington
Dr. Abbas Kadhim
Director, Iraq Initiative
Atlantic Council
Dr. Oula Kadhum
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Birmingham
Dr. Marsin Alshamary (Moderator)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
The Brookings Institute
Rebuilding Iraq: The Role of the Iraqi Diaspora:
Kadhum identifies two types of diaspora participation: top-down and bottom-up. The top down mobilization includes party politics and participation in civil society. A key reason the diaspora should be engaged in Iraqi social and political matters is the decades-long brain-drain.
Istrabadi notes ways that the Iraqi diaspora contributes to connectivity and potential opportunity for future growth and development in Iraq. Pre-2003, Iraq was isolated from the world and the diaspora remained largely disengaged. “Inpatriated” Iraqis, those who have never left the country, were disconnected from expatriated Iraqis. The largely expatriated political elite was more sectarian, creating division and resentment from the Iraqi population.
Kadhim also noted the dichotomy between those who are based in Iraq and those who have expatriated to the United States and Europe. Currently, there are no think-tanks operating in the country aside from the politically affiliated ones. By engaging with the development of independent think-tanks within Iraq, expatriates can contribute to the to the construction of a more engaged and intellectually strong inpatriated population.
A Generational Gap:
Kadhum noted that the diaspora that left pre-2003 face vastly different circumstances than the second generation diaspora. Those born abroad to Iraqi parents are also distinct. Different incentives need to be created and managed for the first generation and second generation. Creating a formal channel to engage the Iraqi diaspora from both the first and second generations could be a way to re-engage the diaspora into many sectors through training, knowledge transfers, and harnessing the skills the diaspora has to offer.
The security context has inhibited the re-integration of many Iraqis from the diaspora. The first generation is haunted by memories and experiences from a country riddled with war, sanctions, and distrust. The second generation, many of whom may have not experienced Iraq, feel disconnected as they don’t have experiences or memories of the country to engage within the country to the people on the ground.
The local needs of Iraqis, according to Kadhum, are apparent to the the expatriates, but there is a need for a social contract based on merit and technocracy, rather than the networks and patronage that generate fear of engaging the diaspora.
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Peace Picks | March 29 – April 2, 2021
Peace Picks | March 29 – April 2, 2021
Notice: Due to public health concerns, upcoming events are only available via live stream.
- Ready for Reform? Upholding the Rule of Law in Ukraine | March 29, 2021 | 10:00 AM ET | Atlantic Council | Register Here
Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic trajectory continues to face two immediate threats: vested interests and malign influence from the Kremlin. President Zelenskyy has recently taken important steps to fight back against these corrupt forces, shutting down Kremlin-backed Member of Parliament Viktor Medvedchuk’s pro-Russian TV channels and vowing to pursue criminal charges against other oligarchs, including Ihor Kolomoisky. Yet 2020 was a year of walking back from aspects of the post-Maidan anti-corruption program. Questions remain about Zelenskyy’s willingness to initiate broad-based reforms, which will require a coordinated, systemic approach to be successful in the long-term.
Is Zelenskyy ready to restart the reforms he began in 2019? How can Ukraine’s leading reformers work together to create a more just Ukraine?
Daniel Bilak,
Senior Counsel, Kinstellar
Sergii Ionushas,
Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada’s Law Enforcement Committee
Oleksandr Novikov
Chair of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption
Anastasia Radina,
Chair of the Verkhovna Rada’s Anti-Corruption Committee,
Ruslan Ryaboshapka,
Former Prosecutor General of Ukraine, and
Artem Sytnyk,
Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine
Melinda Haring (Moderator)
Deputy Director of the Eurasia Center
2. A Strategic Proxy Threat: Iran’s Transnational Network | March 29, 2021 | 12:00 PM ET | Middle East Institute | Register Here
Iran’s influence throughout the Middle East has grown dramatically in the past decade, in large part due to its expanding regional network of militias and their assertion of influence in unstable environments. Through the IRGC’s Quds Force and Iranian allies such as Lebanese Hezbollah, the Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs) in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen, Iran’s pursuit of regional hegemony through the removal of Western influence threatens stability.
What are the main challenges and threats posed by Iran’s regional network? How best should they be dealt with? Can diplomacy remove the incentive for Iranian proxy aggression? How must the United States and the wider international community respond to Iran’s direct and proxy involvement in conflicts across the Middle East?
Speakers:
Nadwa Al-Dawsari
Non Resident Scholar, Middle East Institute
Hanin Ghaddar
Friedmann Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Michael Knights
Jill and Jay Bernstein Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Charles Lister, (Moderator)
Senior Fellow and Director, Syria and Countering Terrorism and Extremism Programs, Middle East Institut
3. Nonviolent Action and Civil War Peace Processes | March 30, 2021 | 10:00 AM ET | United States Institute of Peace | Register Here
Civilians are often assumed to be victims or passive agents in civil war. However, civil society actors and nonviolent movements are far more active than is often acknowledged and they have used a vast array of nonviolent action tactics to foster peace — from forming local peace communities to organizing protests and strikes to demanding warring parties come to the negotiating table. Civil society actors have also participated in negotiation processes, either as negotiation delegations themselves or as observers, and have played active roles in the monitoring and implementation stages of peace processes as well. But what civilian nonviolent action strategies are effective in promoting peaceful conflict resolution in civil war?
Speakers:
Jacob Bul Bior
Cofounder and Media Coordinator, Anataban Arts Initiative
Luke Abbs
Researcher, BLG Data Research Centre, University of Essex
Esra Cuhadar
Senior Expert, Dialogue and Peace Processes, U.S. Institute of Peace
Marina Petrova
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Università Bocconi
Waheed Zaheer
Journalist and Peacebuilding Trainer
Jonathan Pinckney, (Moderator)
Senior Researcher, Nonviolent Action, U.S. Institute of Peace
4. Equity, Violence and the Law: Policing Lessons for Europe and the United States | March 30, 2021 | 10:00 AM ET | Wilson Center| Register Here
The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and other individuals energized the Black Lives Matter movement and sparked calls for police reforms not only in the United States, but in Europe and around the world. With the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin scheduled to begin on March 29, it is time to assess the impact of such efforts over the past year. While some U.S. states banned chokeholds or explored community-centered policing models, the use of deadly force by police in America is 10 to 20 times higher than in Europe. Still, policy brutality is very real for people of color in Europe.
How do U.S. and European approaches to safety and policing differ? What can we learn from each other? Who needs to be at the table to make sure police are adequately equipped to respond? Join us for a transatlantic discussion on police reforms, how to re-imagine public safety and assure policing equity for all citizens.
Speakers:
Artika R. Tyner
Professor and Director of the Center on Race, Leadership and Social Justice, University of St. Thomas
Kimmo Kimberg
Director of the Police University College, Finland
Ojeaku Nwabuzo
Senior Research Officer, European Network Against Racism
Teresa Eder (Moderator)
Program Associate, Global Europe Program
5. Sanctions and Tools of Economic Statecraft: Getting Allies’ Act Together | March 30, 2021 | 12:00 PM ET | German Marshall Fund| Register Here
The Biden administration has shown itself ready and willing to use sanctions as a tool of foreign policy, already having enacted a robust package of sanctions against Russia for its treatment of Alexei Navalny. The EU, for its part, recently passed a new human rights sanctions regime with which it hopes to better punish countries for human rights abuses. In this Transatlantic Tuesday, we will discuss how these developments are likely to impact U.S. and European sanctions policy going forward, as well as the prospects for allied coordination of sanctions. #TransatlanticTuesdays
Speakers:
Daniel Fried
Former US Ambassador to Poland, 1997-2000 and Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council
Markus Ziener
Professor of Journalism at the University of Applied Sciences Berlin (HMKW), Incoming Helmut Schmidt Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States & Zeit-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius
6. Yemen’s War: Current Developments and Regional Dynamics | March 30, 2021 | 1:00 PM ET | Chatham House| Register Here
In the last week of March 2015, Saudi Arabia announced that a coalition of twelve countries will begin Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen, a nation troubled by civil war and severe humanitarian crisis.
The Saudi-led intervention aimed at retaliating against the Shia Houthi rebels and restoring the exiled international government of Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Six years later, regional and international dynamics have changed, and Yemen has become even more fragmented with Yemeni civilians paying the heaviest price as they find themselves in what the UN has called the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
Within the Gulf, reconciliation between GCC countries is picking up after more than three years of diplomatic crisis between Qatar and a number of regional countries led by Saudi Arabia. In addition, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi’s main ally in the Yemen war, has withdrawn from the country.
In the United States, the new Biden administration has ended its military support for offensive operations by Saudi-led allies in Yemen including a freeze of arms sales.
In this webinar, organized by the Chatham House Middle East Programme, speakers will reflect on the last six years of war in Yemen and discuss prospects for peace.
• How has the conflict changed since 2015?
• What does the UAE military withdrawal from Yemen mean for the different parties involved?
• Is the UN framework for peace process still viable?
• How have the wider dynamics in the Gulf and the Middle East impacted the Yemen war, and vice versa?
• What is Iran’s end game in Yemen? And how has the regional order changed since 2015?
Speakers:
Farea Al-Muslimi, Chairman and Co-founder, Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies; Associate Fellow, MENA Programme, Chatham House
Mohammed Alyahya, Editor in Chief, Al Arabiya English
Sanam Vakil, Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow, MENA Programme Chatham House
Moderator: Lina Khatib, Director, MENA Programme, Chatham House.
7. Analyzing Israel’s Fourth Election: Will there be a Fifth? | March 30, 2021 | 2:00 PM ET | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace| Register Here
On March 23, for the fourth time in a little over two years, Israelis went to the polls to choose their next government. All votes have yet to be counted, but results so far suggest continued stalemate and the possibility of a fifth election.
Please join us as Daniel C. Kurtzer, Natan Sachs, and Dahlia Scheindlin sit down with Aaron David Miller to analyze the results, unpack the coalition negotiations to follow, and interpret the implications for Israel, the Middle East, and relations with the United States.
Speakers:
Daniel C. Kurtzer
Professor of Middle East Studies, Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs
Natan Sachs
Director, Brookings Institution Center for Middle East Policy
Dahlia Scheindlin
Strategic Consultant and Researcher; Fellow, Century
Aaron David Miller (Moderator)
Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
8. Women of the Revolution: A Vision for Post-War Yemen | March 31, 2021 | 10:00 AM ET | Wilson Center| Register Here
This event features some of the brightest female stars in Yemeni diasporic society. These women participated in Yemen’s revolution and have since risen to prominence in advocacy organizations, academia, and journalism. Each has been a vocal advocate for change in Yemen and has been on the forefront of considering possibilities for the country’s political future that go beyond the short-term solutions to the current conflict. They will provide a vision of post-war Yemen – how will the country be reconstituted, and what will its future look like? What can be done economically and socially to create a more stable and prosperous country?
Rather than seeing through the eyes of foreign pundits or Yemeni men commenting on events at home from abroad, this panel will offer the perspectives of Yemen’s women who are the defenders and peacemakers of their homeland.
Speakers:
Afrah Nasser
Researcher, Human Rights Watch
Summer Nasser
CEO, Yemen Aid
Maha Awadh
Found and Director, Wogood Foundation for Human Security
Asher Orkaby
Fellow, Research Scholar, Transregional Institute, Princeton University
Merissa Khurma,
Program Director, Middle East Program, Wilson Center
Amat Alsoswa (Moderator)
Founder, Yemeni National Women’s Committee
9. Who’s Voices Count on Afghanistan? The Politics of Knowledge Production | April 1, 2021 | 9:00 AM ET | Atlantic Council | Register Here
Over the last two decades, Afghanistan has rebuilt its academic and expert capability, with an increasingly vibrant research and academic community who are at the frontlines of the challenges and opportunities the country is grappling with. Yet these voices and their ideas are often sidelined, dismissed, and rarely at the center of debates on Afghanistan. The political nature of knowledge production and how it shapes narratives, understandings, processes, and outcomes is becoming increasingly apparent in the Afghan context.
The soft power of experts working in and on these conflict spaces is considerable. Experts can shape policies and practices, structure whose ideas and voices are suppressed or promoted, and can even disrupt or determine resource flows for elites, civil society, and communities. This makes it imperative that we recognize how research and policy analysis involves making ethical and political choices about whose knowledge counts and whose voices are heard.
Speakers:
Orzala Nemat
Director
Political Ethnographer and Veteran Researcher on Afghanistan
Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit
Bashir Safi
Former Senior Adviser
CT, CVE, and Propaganda in Conflict Zone
Afghan National Security Council
Mariam Safi
Co-Director
Women, Peace, and Security, and Peace Processes
The Afghanistan Mechanism for Inclusive Peace
Obaid Ali
Co-Director
Political Analyst and Veteran Researcher on Afghanistan
Afghanistan Analysts Network
Sahar Halaimzai (Introductory Remarks)
Non-resident senior fellow
Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center
Mustka Dastageer (Moderator)
Lecturer
Anti-Corruption Expert
American University of Afghanistan
10. Improving Civilian Protection in Conflict | April 1, 2021 | 1:00 PM ET | Center for Strategic and International Studies | Register Here
The United States has been involved in armed conflict continuously for the past two decades. While the U.S. military has invested time and effort in processes and technologies for avoiding collateral damage on the battlefield, the larger challenge of protecting civilians during operations has proved to be a recurring challenge. Despite substantial efforts in multiple campaigns, the protection of civilians remains an area for improvement, including in efforts to reduce civilian casualties, measuring the impact to civilians in military operations, and in providing compensation for such injuries.
Please join the CSIS Humanitarian Agenda for a discussion with Sarah Holewinski, Washington Director of Human Rights Watch, and Larry Lewis, Vice President and Director of the Center for Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence at the Center for Naval Analyses. The panel will explore the history of civilian protection in U.S. military operations, the nature of and reasons for recurring challenges, and steps the Biden administration can take to improve policy and practice on this crucial humanitarian mandate.
Speakers:
Sarah Holewinski
Washington Director, Human Rights Watch
Larry Lewis
Director, Center for Autonomous and Artificial Intelligence, CNA
Jacob Kurtzer
Director and Senior Fellow, Humanitarian Agenda
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Women who fight to be free
In this conversation, taking place on International Women’s Day (March 8), wNew York Times bestseller Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, discussed her newest book Daughters of Kobani. The book delves into the story of a group of Kurdish women who battled ISIS on the frontlines from 2014 to 2017. It is about the strength and adversity that women overcome, the respect they gain, and the power that they find in standing up to the Islamic State.
Speakers:
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon: Author, Journalist, and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations
Beverly Kirk: Fellow and Director for Outreach, International Security Program, CSIS
Nina Easton: Non-resident Senior Associate
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon wrote her newest book to share the untold and under-reported stories of a group of women bearing arms in Syria. Prior to the publication of Daughters of Kobani, the Syrian border town was relatively unknown to many outside of Syria and Turkey. Tzemach Lemmon describes in detail the uniqueness of this part of Kurdistan, where women are treated as equal and actively engaged in community matters at all levels. She shared small vignettes from the book, including courageous stories of women, but describes these experiences as “the universal quest for human dignity, that has nothing to do with any geography or any ethnic group, or any one gender.”
The Women’s Protection Unit (YPJ) follow the teachings of Abdullah Öcalan, a Kurdish political activist and founder of the PKK currently imprisoned in Turkey. He described women as a pillar in society and has long been a strong advocate of women’s rights: “The Kurds cannot be free until women are free.” This was one of the foundations for the YPJ’s confidence in their capabilities and their role in combat, a field that is overwhelmingly male dominated. However, because of their political affiliation with the “terrorist”-designated PKK, the YPJ was in a precarious situation during the debates in Washington DC concerned with the fight against ISIS. The State Department was at times reluctant to cooperate with the YPJ .
Tzemach Lemmon’s mission to inspire women, share their stories, and encourage women to share stories on their own account. She notes the extraordinary bravery of the women in the YPJ, but also grounds them as real people, who experience life and loss like others. The book, Daughters of Kobani, has already been picked up to be transformed into a television series, which will be an opportunity to engage with people who experienced life under the Islamic State.
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