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Peace Picks June 3-June 9

1. How Security Cooperation Advances US Interests|June 4^th, 2019|10:00am-11:00am|Brookings Institution|Saul Zilkha Room, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036|Register Here

One of the United States’ key strategic advantages is a global web of alliances that allow it to project power and influence abroad. Defense security cooperation includes defense trade and arms transfers, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, institutional capacity building, and international education and training activities. The United States leverages these programs to ensure its allies and partners have the capability to defend themselves and carry out multinational operations while also building up relationships that promote American interests. As near-peer competitors seek to erode U.S. technological advantages, the importance of security cooperation will only grow in the coming years.

On June 4, Brookings will host a conversation between Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon and Lt. General Charles Hooper, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), on how DSCA advances U.S. foreign policy objectives in an era increasingly driven by great power competition.

2. Europe’s Populist and Brexit Economic Challenge|June 4^th, 2019|2:00pm-4:00pm|American Enterprise Institute|Auditorium, 1789 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036|Register Here

Europe’s political landscape is becoming much more challenging, as evidenced by the strong showing of populist parties in the recent European parliamentary elections and by the deepening Brexit crisis. This event will examine how serious these challenges are to the European economic outlook and the economic policies that might be needed to meet these challenges.

Agenda:

1:45 PM
Registration

2:00 PM
Introduction:
Desmond Lachman, AEI

2:05 PM
Panel discussion

Panelists:
Lorenzo Forni, Prometeia Associazione
Vitor Gaspar, International Monetary Fund
Desmond Lachman, AEI
Athanasios Orphanides, MIT

Moderator:
Alex J. Pollock, R Street Institute

3:15 PM
Q&A

4:00 PM
Adjournment

3. Countering Terrorism in the Middle East: A Situation Report|June 4^th, 2019|3:00-4:30pm|Middle East Institute|1319 18^thSt NW, Washington, DC 20036|Register Here

The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to host a public panel on countering terrorism in the Middle East, featuring high-level panelists representing the United States, the United Nations and the United Kingdom: Ambassador James Jeffrey, Edmund Fitton-Brown and Jessica Jambert-Gray.

The territorial defeat of ISIS’s self-declared Caliphate in March 2019 was a significant victory in the fight against terrorism, but the ISIS threat remains urgent and widely distributed across the Middle East and beyond. Al-Qaeda meanwhile, has faced a series of challenges in the years since the Arab uprisings of 2010 and 2011, with some of its affiliates appearing to have learned lessons from the past and adapted their strategies towards operating more durably, within existing and likely intractable local conflicts. That pursuit has been a defining feature of Iran’s regional strategy, in which local militant proxies – some designated terrorist organizations – are built and consolidated in order to become permanent fixtures of countries like Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

The international community clearly has a long struggle ahead in terms of combating the threats posed by terrorist organizations. This panel will seek to discuss these challenges and address existing and future policy responses to them.

Panelists:

Ambassador James Jeffrey, Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, Special Representative for Syria Engagement, U.S. Department of State

Edmund Fitton-Brown, Coordinator, Analytical Support & Sanctions Monitoring Team, ISIS, Al-Qaeda & Taliban, United Nations

Jessica Jambert-Gray, First Secretary, Counter-Terrorism, British Embassy to the U.S.

Charles Lister, moderator, Senior Fellow and Director, Countering Terrorism and Extremism program, MEI

4. African Women’s Mobilization in Times of Unrest|June 5th, 2019|10:30am-3:00pm|Wilson Center|5^thFloor, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004-3027|Register Here

Please join the Wilson Center Africa Program and the Women and Peacebuilding in Africa Consortium for a discussion on “African Women’s Mobilization in Times of Unrest” on Wednesday, June 5, from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm in the 5^th Floor Conference Room. The symposium will examine the cost of women’s exclusion and the possibilities for their inclusion in peacebuilding in war-affected African countries. Based on research conducted by the Consortium, this event will seek to provide evidence, comparative theoretical insights, and policy implications on women and conflict.

The morning session will focus on Women’s Mobilization in the Current Uprisings in Sudan and Algeriaand the ways in which women’s past mobilization has led to the extraordinary roles they are playing in leading the fight for democracy, inclusion, and transparency in the current Algerian and Sudanese uprisings.

The afternoon session will discuss Women Activists’ Informal Peacebuilding Strategies in conflicts in northern Nigeria and South Sudan. It will look at the costs of exclusion from formal peacebuilding processes, and explore efforts at inclusion in governance in Somalia

Moderators:

Aili Mari Tripp, Fellow, Professor of Political Science and Women’s Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Ayesha Imam, Coordinator, Baobab, A Women’s Human Rights Organization in Nigeria

Speakers:

Samia El Nagar, Independent Researcher, Sudan

Liv Tønnessen, Research Director, Chr Michelsen Institute, Norway 

Helen Kezie-Nwoha, Executive Director, Isis-Women’s International Cross Cultural Exchange

Jackline Nasiwa, Founder and National Director, Centre for Inclusive Governance, Peace and Justice, South Sudan

Ladan Affi, Assistant Professor, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi

 

5. A Changing Ethiopia: Lessons from U.S. Diplomatic Engagement|June 5^th, 2019|2:00pm-4:00pm|U.S. Institute of Peace|2301 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20037|Register Here

With more than 100 million people, Ethiopia is one of Africa’s most important and populous countries.  Recent changes in political leadership have heralded widely welcomed political and economic reforms, at home and abroad. Yet amid the positivity, Ethiopia faces notable challenges: many reforms remain transitory, the country’s broader national stability is being tested, and its internal politics disputed. Given the historically strong bilateral relationship with Ethiopia, how the United States responds and supports the transition in Ethiopia will be hugely significant for the country’s future.

During this crucial period of reform and uncertainty in Ethiopia, join the U.S. Institute of Peace to hear from a distinguished panel who will reflect on their experiences as serving diplomats in Ethiopia, and identify what lessons are relevant to engagement with Ethiopia today. Take part in the conversation on Twitter with #AChangingEthiopia.

Participants:

Ambassador Johnnie Carson, opening remarks, Senior Advisor to the President, U.S. Institute of Peace

Ambassador David Shinn, U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, 1996-1999; Adjunct Professor, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University

Ambassador Aurelia Brazeal, U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, 2002-2005

Ambassador Donald Boot, U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, 2010-2013

Susan Stigant, Director, Africa Program, U.S. Institute of Peace

Aly Verjee, moderator, Senior Advisor, Africa Program, U.S. Institute of Peace

6. Understanding Extremism in Northern Mozambique|June 6^th, 2019|9:00am-12:00pm|Center for Strategic & International Studies|2^nd Floor, 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036|Register Here

Since their first October 2017 attack in Mozambique, Islamist extremists—invariably called al-Shabaab or Ahlu Sunna wa Jama—have conducted over 110 attacks, with more than 295 civilian and military deaths. Despite this escalating violence, there are significant gaps in our understanding of the problem. There is not a consensus about the key drivers of extremism in the region, including the linkages between local, regional, and international extremist networks. Experts have struggled to identify who comprises al-Shabaab (Ahlu Sunna wa Jama), and furnish answers to key questions regarding their objectives, recruitment, or funding sources.

Join the CSIS Africa Program on Thursday, June 6, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for a half-day conference on growing insecurity in Mozambique. This event will feature two expert panels on the drivers of extremism and potential response efforts in Mozambique.

Panel 1: Examining Social, Political, and Religious Drivers
Featuring Dr. Alex Vines (Chatham House), Dr. Yussuf Adam (Universidade Eduardo Mondlane), and Dr. Liazzat Bonate (University of West Indies)
Moderated by Emilia Columbo

Panel 2: Exploring Regional and International Response Efforts
Featuring H. Dean Pittman (former U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique), Zenaida Machado (Human Rights Watch), and Dr. Gregory Pirio (Empowering Communications)
Moderated by Judd Devermont (Director, CSIS Africa Program)

This event is made possible by the general support to CSIS.

FEATURING:

Dr. Alex Vines OBE,Head, Africa Program at Chatham House 

Dr. Yussuf Adam, Lecturer, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane

Dr. Liazzat Bonate, Lecturer, University of West Indies

Dr. Gregory Pirio, Director, Empowering Communications

Amb. H. Dean Pittman, Former U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique 

Zenaida Machado , Researcher, Human Rights Watch Africa Division 

Judd Devermont, Director, Africa Program

7. After India’s Vote: Prospects for Improved Ties with Pakistan|June 6^th, 2019|10:00am-11:30am|U.S. Institute of Peace|2301 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20037|Register Here

In March, India and Pakistan moved to the brink of war. In response to a terrorist attack claimed by a Pakistan-based militant group, India conducted an airstrike into Pakistani territory for the first time since 1971. The next day, Pakistan downed an Indian MiG 21 jet and captured its pilot. By returning the pilot two days later, India and Pakistan avoided further immediate escalation. However, tensions remain high.

Now India’s just-completed parliamentary elections pose new questions: How will the next government in New Delhi engage Pakistan, and how might Islamabad respond? To share assessments of the likely trajectory of India-Pakistan relations following India’s election and the necessary steps to improve ties, USIP will host a panel on Thursday, June 6 from 10:00am-11:30am. Panelists will include two USIP senior fellows leading the Institute’s research on the best current options for reducing and resolving the 70-year-old India-Pakistan conflict.

Participants:

Ambassador Jalil Jilani, Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow, U.S. Institute of Peace
Former Pakistani Ambassador to the United States
Tara Kartha, Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow, U.S. Institute of Peace 
Former Director of Indian National Security Council Secretariat
Josh White, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University
Vikram Singh, moderator, Senior Advisor, Asia Center, U.S. Institute of Peace 

8. China’s Changing Role in the Middle East|June 6^th, 2019|12:00pm|Atlantic Council|12^thFloor, 1030 15^thSt NW, Washington, DC|Register Here

Please join the Atlantic Council for a keynote address outlining the Trump Administration’s views on China’s changing role in the Middle East and the implications for US foreign policy by National Security Council Senior Director for the Middle East Dr. Victoria Coates. This will be followed by a panel discussion to mark the release of an Atlantic Council report on this subject by Dr. Jonathan Fulton, assistant professor of Zayed University in Abu Dhabi based on his research across the region. The discussion will also include a perspective from Dr. Degang Sun, a visiting scholar at Harvard University and deputy director of the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University in China.

Opening remarks by:

Dr. Victoria Coates, Senior Director for the Middle East, US National Security Council

Panelists:

Dr. Jonathan Fulton, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Zayed University

Dr. Degang Sun, Visiting Scholar, Harvard University

Introduced and Moderated by: 

Mr. William F. Wechsler, Director, Middle East Programs, Director, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, Atlantic Council 

9. Brittle Boundaries: Creating Collective Cybersecurity Defense|June 6^th2019|3:00pm-5:00pm|Wilson Center|5^thFloor, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004-3027|Register Here

 

Currently, efforts worldwide to defend information systems and respond to cybersecurity incidents are based on a combination of government led actions, isolated regulations, and a limited culture of information sharing between industry, government, and the security research community. The current cybersecurity threat environment can be characterized by independent actions with brittle boundaries. Looking forward, there is a need for government, industry, and the security research community to work collectively together in defending systems and responding to incidents.

Please join the Wilson Center for an event to discuss the state of cyber threats – especially to critical infrastructure – and options for building a global collective defense. 

This event is held in co-operation with the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States and the Europa Institut at the University of Zurich.

Speakers:

Introduction

Robert S. Litwak, Senior Vice President and Director of International Security Studies

Ambassador Martin Dahinden, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States

Andreas Kellerhals, Global Fellow, Director, Europa Institute, University of Zurich

Keynote

André Kudelski, CEO, The Kudelski Group

Christopher C. Krebs, Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Department of Homeland Security

Panelists

André Kudelski, CEO, The Kudelski Group

Christopher C. Krebs, Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Department of Homeland Security

Paige Adams, Group Chief Information Security Officer, Zurich Insurance Group

Meg King, Strategic and National Security Advisor to the Wilson Center’s CEO & President; Coordinator of the Science and Technology Innovation Program