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Peace Picks May 27-June 2

Posted in Nathaniel Haas - May 28, 2019 - 0 Comment

The Role of Parliament in Today’s Britain|Tuesday, May 28^th|9:45am-11:15am|Brookings Institution|Falk Auditorium 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036|Register Here

On May 28, Foreign Policy at Brookings will host Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow for a discussion of Parliament’s role in politics and policy at a pivotal time for one of the United States’ closest allies. The past year has seen a series of extraordinary developments in British politics, with the House of Commons at the center of it all. Following repeated parliamentary defeats for the government’s Brexit agreement with the European Union, the country’s scheduled departure from the EU has been delayed until October 31 and elections for the European Parliament will be held on May 23.

Brookings President John R. Allen will introduce Speaker Bercow. Following the speaker’s remarks, Thomas Wright, director of Brookings’s Center on the United States and Europe, will moderate a conversation with Bercow and Amanda Sloat, Robert Bosch Senior Fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe. Questions from the audience will follow the discussion.

This event is part of the Brookings – Robert Bosch Foundation Transatlantic Initiative, which aims to build up and expand resilient networks and trans-Atlantic activities to analyze and work on issues concerning trans-Atlantic relations and social cohesion in Europe and the United States.

Hudson Institute will host the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Lieutenant General Robert P. Ashley, Jr., for a discussion on Russian and Chinese nuclear weapons. Lt. Gen. Ashley will provide keynote remarks and engage in a discussion with Hudson Senior Fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs. This will be followed by a panel of senior government officials who will discuss the global landscape for arms control.

Speakers:

Lt. Gen. Robert P. Ashley, Jr., Director, Defense Intelligence Agency

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

Dr. James H. Anderson, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities, U.S. Department of Defense

Tim Morrison, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Weapons of Mass Destruction and Biodefense, National Security Council (NSC)

Thomas DiNanno, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Policy, Emerging Threats, And Outreach, Bureau Of Arms Control, Verification And Compliance, U.S. Department of State

During his distinguished tenure as 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—the nation’s highest-ranking military officer—General Joseph Dunford has been a key force at the center of America’s defense policy. He has helped redirect U.S. strategic attention to the challenges posed by great power competition, while also remaining vigilant against threats from the Korean Peninsula to the Persian Gulf and broader Middle East, and addressing rapidly evolving military technologies as well as other challenges.

On May 29, Brookings will host General Dunford for a discussion with on the national security landscape facing America, the state of the nation’s armed forces, and key defense choices for the future, moderated by Brookings Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon.

Questions from the audience will follow their conversation.

Please join the Atlantic Council on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for a conversation on “EU Elections 2019: The Future of the European Project.”

In the wake of the 2019 EU elections, the Future Europe Initiative will host a number of experts to discuss their insights on the results. They will provide analysis on the election results, the outcome on individual nations and regions within the EU, and the impact on Europe and the European project as a whole.

Mr. Antoine Ripoll, the Representative of the EU Parliament in Washington, DC, will provide opening remarks with Dr. Frances G. Burwell, Distinguished Fellow with the Future Europe Initiative at the Atlantic Council, moderating the conversation.

Additional speakers will include Dr. Emiliano Alessandri of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, Dr. Célia Belin of The Brookings Institution, Ms. Katerina Sokou of Kathimerini and SKAI TV, and Mr. Bart Oosterveld of the Atlantic Council.

To share the perspective on the ground, Mr. Jeremy Cliffe of the Economist and Ms. Sophia Besch of the Centre for European Reform will join us via webcast from Brussels and Berlin respectively.

After five years of war, the conflict in Ukraine is effectively stalemated. Join Carnegie for a timely conversation on whether the arrival of a new Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, can help break the deadlock. How should the Trump administration and its European allies respond to this new political reality and continued provocative Russian actions in eastern Ukraine?

U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Amb. Kurt Volker will deliver a keynote address, followed by a panel discussion with leading experts and former government officials.

Travel for participants in this event was made possible with the support of the Embassies of Lithuania and Poland.

Panelists:

Charles Kupchan, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and Professor of international affairs at Georgetown University

Marek Menkiszak, Head of the Russia Department at the Centre for Eastern Studies in Warsaw, Poland.

Oxana Shevel, Associate Professor in Political Science, Tufts University

Amb. Petras Vaitienkūnasis, former Foreign Minister of Lithuania and Ambassador to Ukraine (2010 to 2014), Adviser to the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council

Moderator:

Andrew S. Weiss, James Family chair and Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

6. Russia’s Resurgence in the Middle East: How does US Policy Meet the Challenge?|Thursday, May 30^th|2:00pm|Atlantic Council||1030 15^thSt NW, 12^thFloor, Washington, DC 20005|Register Here

Russia is once again a major player in the Middle East. Moscow has notably backed the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while it has a growing footprint in Iran, Turkey, and the Gulf. Russia’s return to the region has posed significant challenges for transatlantic policymaking in this era of renewed great-power competition. The Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security will bring together a panel of experts to discuss Russia’s growing role in the region and its economic, political, and security implications. This event is intended to qualify as a widely-attended gathering under the Executive Branch and Congressional gift rules.

Introduced by:

William F. Wechsler, Director, Middle East Programs, Atlantic Council

Keynote address by:

Kathryn Wheelbarger, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, US Department of Defense

Panelists:

Mark N. Katz, Professor, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University

Becca Wasser, Policy Analyst, RAND Corporation

Efforts to develop more inclusive peace processes are making progress. Yet, 20 years after the passage of U.N. Security Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security, very few women are currently part of formal peace processes. This gap is exemplified by the recent struggles of Afghan women to be included in peace talks and U.N. reports that showed between 1990 and 2017, women constituted only 2 percent of mediators, 8 percent of negotiators, and 5 percent of witnesses and signatories in major peace processes. A new initiative from Our Secure Future, “Mobilizing Men as Partners for Women, Peace and Security,” seeks to remedy this by calling on men in gatekeeping positions throughout the defense, diplomacy, development, civil society, faith-based, and business sectors to commit to ensuring women are an equal part of peace processes and decision making.

Join the U.S. Institute of Peace for an event exploring how men in leadership positions are organizing as partners to identify, encourage, and mobilize collective voices in the support of women’s engagement in the pursuit of peace. By bringing global citizens more fully into this campaign, these stakeholders can step away from the sidelines of the women, peace, and security movement and more fully stand alongside—and empower—the women leading the effort. Take part in the conversation on Twitter with #MobilizingMen4WPS.

Reception to follow.

Speakers

Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini, Founder and Executive Director, ICAN

Honorable Ed Royce, Former U.S. Representative from California

Ambassador Donald Steinberg, Fellow, Our Secure Future

Ambassador Steven McGann, Founder, The Stevenson Group
Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security

Ambassador Rick Barton, Co-director, Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative, Princeton University

Rosarie Tucci, moderator, Director, Inclusive Peace Processes, U.S. Institute of Peace

Sahana Dharmapuri, Director, Our Secure Future

Dean Peacock, Senior Advisor for Global Policy, Promundo

Over the last decade, firing by Indian and Pakistani troops across the Line of Control in Kashmir increased dramatically, but did not escalate to general conflict. Meanwhile, the February 2019 terrorist attack in Pulwama sparked a sharp, albeit short, military confrontation between India and Pakistan that saw the first aerial combat between the two since 1971. What explains the patterns of violence along the Line of Control and what are the chances that conflict could escalate and involve nuclear weapons?

Join Carnegie for a conversation with Happymon Jacob on this question and more. In his new book Line on Fire: Ceasefire Violations and India-Pakistan Escalation Dynamics, Jacob analyzes new empirical data to examine the causes of India-Pakistan violence along the Kashmir border and the relationship with potential crisis escalation.

Panel:

Happymon Jacob, Associate professor of Disarmament Studies at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Tamanna Salikuddin, Senior Expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace

George Perkovich, Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Chair and Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, overseeing the Technology and International Affairs Program and Nuclear Policy Program.

Tags : Brexit, EU, Europe, European Union, Germany, India, India Pakistan, Israel/Palestine, Pakistan, Peace, peace picks, Russia, Terrorism, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States

Peace Picks April 22-26

Posted in Bouela Lehbib - April 21, 2019 - 0 Comment

The Trump administration has taken U.S. foreign economic policy in directions not seen since the establishment of the postwar liberal regime for international trade. The US has been unprecedentedly critical of the WTO, sought to replace NAFTA with a new US-Mexico-Canada agreement, and cast the EU as a foe in trade relations while halting progress on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. But the most significant trade moves have targeted China and focused on the Asia-Pacific: opting out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, criticizing Chinese policies and practices as unfair on issues ranging across market access, currency manipulation, coerced or illicit intellectual property transfers, industrial policy, import duties, government subsidies, and Chinese firms’ violations of US sanctions on third countries. Initial rounds of tariffs from both sides and threats to escalate portended a possible full-blown US-China trade war as negotiations failed to move expeditiously toward a mutually acceptable deal.

The TPP has moved forward without the US, as the CPTPP with Japan in the leading role. The China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is emerging, with overlapping membership and less demanding rules. China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank may further change the regional economic and institutional landscape. Alongside its more confrontational stance on trade, the US has pressed for a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” What have been, and are likely to be, the regional impacts of recent US policy? What are the prospects for multilateral cooperation in the region? Is the current US approach, associated with President Trump but with some roots in earlier periods, likely to change and, if so, with what effects? Join us for a discussion on the challenges ahead in dealing with the new trade realities and what it means for U.S. relations with Asia in particular.

AGENDA

11:45
Registration and lunch
12:10
Introduction and opening remarks
12:15-1:45
Panel I: Regional impact of the “trade war”

David Dollar, Senior Fellow, John L Thornton China Center, Brookings

Meg Lundsager, Public Policy Fellow, Wilson Center

Michael Pillsbury, Senior Fellow and Director for Chinese Strategy, Hudson Institute

Bradford Ward, Partner, King and Spalding

Jacques DeLisle, Director, Center for East Asian Studies and Stephen A Cozen Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School (moderator)
1:45-2:00
coffee break
2:00-3:15
Panel 2: Trade realities and prospects for cooperation

Taeho Bark, Professor Emeritus, Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University

Jacob Schlesinger, Senior Correspondent, Wall Street Journal Washington Bureau

Wayne Morrison, Specialist in Asian Trade and FInance, Congressional Research Service

Shihoko Goto, Deputy Director for Geoeconomics, Asia Program, Wilson Center (moderator)

Join Carnegie for a timely conversation about the impact of the Ukrainian presidential elections on the country’s politics and society. April 26 also marks the thirty-third anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, an event which played a central role in the formation of Ukrainian national identity, a topic that once again is at the forefront of the country’s extremely dynamic domestic politics.

Serhill Plokhll, Maykhailo S. Hrushevs’kyi, professor of Ukrainian history and director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University

Matthew Kaminski, global editor of POLITICO and the founding editor of POLITICO’s European edition.

Balázs Jarábik, nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Andrew S. Weiss, James Family chair and vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Congress charged the U.S. Institute of Peace, an independent, bipartisan leader in reducing and preventing conflict, with convening The Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States. The Task Force has developed a proposal for a new cost-effective, evidence-based, and coordinated preventive approach. Modest U.S. investments—if they are strategic, coordinated, well-timed, and sustained—can empower communities over time to better resist extremism on their own and motivate international donors to support this cause. Join us as we wrestle with the challenge of supporting fragile states to build resiliency, sustain progress and prevent future threats and instability.

Agenda
9:30am – 10:30am – Recommendations of the Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States

Secretary Madeleine Albright, Chair, Albright Stonebridge Group

Stephen Hadley, Chair of the Board of Directors, U.S. Institute of Peace

Governor Tom Kean, Co-Chair, Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States

Nancy Lindborg, President, U.S. Institute of Peace

Michael Singh, Lane-Swig Senior Fellow and Managing Director, The Washington Institute

David Ignatius, moderator, Columnist and Author, The Washington Post

10:30am – 11:30am – Prioritizing Prevention Across the United States Government

Chris Milligan, Counselor, The U.S. Agency for International Development

Lieutenant General Michael Nagata, Director for Strategic Operational Planning, National Counterterrorism Center

Alina Romanowski, Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State

11:30am – 11:45am – Coffee Break

11:45am – 12:45pm – International Prevention Efforts

Ambassador Diane Corner, Counsellor of Foreign and Security Policy, British Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Martin Dahinden, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States of America

Habib Mayar, Deputy General Secretary of the g7+

Ulrika Modéer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy

Sam Worthington, President and CEO, InterAction

Raj Kumar, moderator, Founding President and Editor-in-Chief, Devex

In an exciting new book, “Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, From Balfour to Trump,” Brookings Nonresident Fellow Khaled Elgindy takes a historical view of America’s engagement with the Palestinians and Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. He argues that while the United States has often presented itself as an honest broker and the one power best suited to mediate peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Washington’s ability to serve as an effective peace broker has been hampered by a “blind spot” in two critical areas: Israeli power and Palestinian politics. The Trump administration’s policies, such as moving the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, are only the most extreme manifestations of this age-old, American blind spot, Elgindy writes.

Agenda

Daniel L. Byman, Senior Fellow – Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy

4. The Future of Afghanistan: Ongoing Negotiations and the Role of Regional Allies| Monday, April 22,2019 | 11:00 am | The Atlantic Council | 1030 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005|Register here|

The Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center is pleased to invite you to “The Future of Afghanistan: Ongoing Negotiations and the Role of Regional Partners,” a panel discussion on the progress of ongoing negotiations between the United States and the Taliban, and the role of regional partners.

The status of a future peace settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban remains uncertain, even as negotiations with the United States move forward. The role of US partners, including coalition allies, Pakistan and India will heavily influence the shape and success of any future political resolution in Afghanistan. This panel discussion will explore the contours of these relationships and the potential roles regional partners may play in supporting, or undermining, an eventual Afghan peace process.

Agenda
Moderated by:

Fatemeh Aman, Nonresident Senior Fellow, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council

A conversation with:

Daud Khattak, Senior Editor, Radio Mashaal, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Ambassador Omar Samad, Nonresident Senior Fellow, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council

Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director and Senior Associate for South Asia, Wilson Center

Hudson Institute will host a panel to discuss the implications of the State Department’s recent designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as foreign terrorist organization (FTO). Panelists will include FDD Senior Fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu; Atlantic Council nonresident Senior Fellow Nader Uskowi; the New Iran’s Alireza Nader; and Hudson Senior Fellow Michael Pregent. The BBC’s Suzanne Kianpour will moderate the discussion.

On April 15, the U.S. formally designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as an FTO. The designation groups the IRGC with terrorist organizations like ISIS and al Qaeda, and marks the first time a government entity has been added to the list. The U.S. hopes that given the group’s significant political and economic influence, the designation will ratchet up pressure on Iran and blunt the country’s primary instrument of state-sponsored terrorism. Will international allies and partners abide by the U.S. designation? Will Iran fold to this newfound pressure, or will it end up being more resilient than the U.S. perceives?

Speakers
Suzanne Kianpour Moderator, Foreign Affairs and Political Journalist, BBC

Mike Pregent, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute,

Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Nader Uskowi, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

Alireza Nader, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, New Iran

Tags : Afghanistan, Asia, Iran, Israel/Palestine, Ukraine, US

Counterproductive

Posted in Daniel Serwer - April 16, 2019 - 0 Comment

The loss of a large part of Notre Dame de Paris is profoundly sad. There is little I can say to amplify what so many others have already written. But sadder still is a President of the United States who can’t keep his mouth shut and always seems to choose the most destructive course of action. In this case, he suggested:

So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!

What neither he nor I knew was that dumping water on an ancient stone building can weaken its mortar and cause even more damage than the fire, perhaps even collapse of the whole structure.

This is Trump’s modus operandi. He is unable to acknowledge that he may not know better than others, which requires that he surround himself with yes-people. They encourage his self-aggrandizement, preventing any reevaluation or self-correction. So Trump cancels US assistance to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, hoping that will somehow block their citizens from leaving. No one can say him nay. But that move is pretty much guaranteed to make conditions in those three countries worse and cause more asylum-seekers to arrive in the US, not fewer.

Ditto policy on Iran. Trump’s tight squeeze there without support from Europe, China, or Russia is strengthening Iran’s hardliners and making even extension of the Iran nuclear deal, which begins to “sunset” in just a few years, more difficult. National Security Adviser Bolton has even begun to lay the foundation for a military attack on Iran, by claiming it could be done under the existing Congressional Authorization to Use Military Force. One more Middle East war: precisely what the world needs right now. Iraq and Afghanistan haven’t yet cost enough.

Double ditto on North Korea, where the President has lurched from threatening (nuclear) war to befriending one of the world’s worst tyrants and meeting with his good friend (shall I say lover?) twice to no good effect. Now the Administration is contemplating a third meeting. What’s that saying, attributed to Einstein, about doing the same thing and expecting a different result?

Triple ditto on the Israel/Palestine conflict, where Trump is trying to squeeze the Palestinians by denying them humanitarian and law enforcement assistance. There aren’t enough desperate young Palestinians ready to take up the cudgels?

In none of these situations is it difficult to imagine the Trump Administration’s decisions making things go from bad to worse. And there are others:

the decision in Syria to withdraw, then not to withdraw, but still to withdraw;
the President’s comment that US troops should stay in Iraq to keep an eye on Iran, which makes it more difficult for Iraqi politicians to give the necessary approval;
telling the world the US isn’t interested in Libya, which opened the door to a military push on Tripoli likely to re-ignite the civil war there, or possibly lead to re-imposition of a military dictatorship;
threatening military action in Venezuela, where everyone understands there is no serious military option, thus reducing the US to a paper tiger;
continuing to cozy up to President Putin despite Russian behavior in Ukraine and the Sea of Azov, not to mention interference in US politics on a daily basis;
the threat to close the Mexican border, which would devastate the US and Mexican economies.

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the President is incorrigible, mainly because he doesn’t abide correction. His response to criticism is to double down on failed policy and hope that will work, or turn 180 degrees and hope that will. It doesn’t. The more this shambolic Administration continues, the more the rest of the world, friends and enemies, will adjust by hedging that reduces American influence. Trump is destined to be remembered as not just ineffective but also counterproductive.

Tags : Iran, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Latin America, Libya, Mexico, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Ukraine

Peace Picks 15-19

Posted in Bouela Lehbib - April 14, 2019 - 0 Comment

Hudson Institute will host a panel to explore the strategic implications of the conflict in Yemen. In 2014, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels overthrew the government of Yemen and seized the capital. With U.S. logistical support, Saudi Arabia mustered a coalition to restore the government. In response, the Houthis waged war on Riyadh, firing ballistic missiles at civilian areas, including airports. Though the Houthis have been successful in portraying themselves as defenders of Yemen and Saudi Arabia as the aggressors, they have violated countless internationally brokered ceasefires and the conflict continues today.

In the U.S., Congress has voted to withdraw support from the Saudi-led campaign and the White House has turned up the pressure on Tehran, recently imposing sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—the Houthis’ patron. Can the Trump administration afford to let the Islamic Republic implant a Hezbollah-clone on the border of a key U.S. ally, thereby creating a failed state, and threatening international trade through Bab al-Mandeb?

Speakers

Fatima Abo Alasrar, Senior Analyst, Arabia Foundation

Michael Doran, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

Bernard Haykel, Professor, Near Eastern Studies Director, Institute for Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, Princeton University

Lee Smith Speaker, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

The CSIS Southeast Asia Program is pleased to present “Results of the Indonesian Elections: New Directions or More of the Same?” a panel discussion featuring Dr. Ann Marie Murphy (Professor, Seton Hall University) and Adam Schwarz (Founder and CEO, Asia Group Advisors). An estimated 193 million eligible voters in Indonesia will head to the polls on April 17 to cast their vote for president, vice president, and members of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR).The “Results of the Indonesian Elections: New Directions or More of the Same?” event will assess the outcomes of these elections, and what they mean for Indonesian domestic politics, economic policy, foreign policy, and U.S.-Indonesia relations.

Speakers

Dr. Ann Marie Murphy, Professor, Seton Hall University

Adam Schwarz, Founder and CEO, Asia Group Advisors

The reelection of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a fifth term was widely perceived as a blow to the prospects for peace and protection of Palestinian rights.

Netanyahu’s pledge to annex parts of occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank, as well as the ongoing marginalization of Palestinians inside Israel, make Palestinian statehood and the possibility of a peace plan seem ever more distant.

To assess the consequences of this vote, The Middle East Institute (MEI) and The Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS) invite you to a timely conversation with Raef Zreik, a prominent Palestinian lawyer and academic. Zreik will discuss what the elections say about the Israeli body politic, and the implications for Israel’s domestic and foreign policy. Amb. Gerald Feierstein, MEI’s senior vice president, will moderate the conversation.

Speakers

Raef Zreik, Associate professor, Carmel Academic College; Academic co-director, Minerva Centre for the Humanities, Tel Aviv University

Ambassador Gerald Feierstein, moderator, Senior vice president, MEI

This past November marked the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack in Mumbai that killed more than 160 people, perpetrated by a Pakistan-based jihadist terrorist group called Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. Today the group still operates inside, and outside, of Pakistan’s borders despite mounting international pressure on Pakistan to disrupt its operations. As the group continues to attack India from bases in Pakistan, it further escalates tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries.

C. Christine Fair’s new book, In Their Own Words: Understanding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, reveals little-known details of how this group functions by translating and commenting upon its sophisticated propagandist literature. The book examines how this canon of texts is the group’s most popular and potent weapon, in particular demonstrating how Lashkar-e-Tayyaba thinks about recruiting families rather than simply fighters. C. Christine Fair, Joshua T. White, and Polly Nayak will discuss the book’s findings and implications for the broader challenges around Pakistan’s nuclear coercion. Carnegie’s Ashley J. Tellis will moderate.

C. Christine Fair, associate professor in the Security Studies Program within Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Polly Nayak, fellow with the South Asia program at the Stimson Center

Joshua T. White, associate professor of the practice of South Asia Studies and Fellow at the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asia Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS

Polly Nayak, fellow with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center.

The Atlantic Council and Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), are pleased to invite you to a special event on April 18, 2019 at the Atlantic Council Headquarters (1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, West Tower Elevators) to celebrate Ukraine’s future.

In the five years since the end of the Revolution of Dignity, Ukraine continues to ask the important question: How will the country ensure democratic values in its future development? Much of Ukraine’s hope lies in its young leaders who will drive the country forward in the coming years. CDDRL has been fortunate to provide a year-long residency to some of these future leaders as part of the Center’s Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program.

Agenda
Welcome and Introduction:

Ambassador John Herbst, Director, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council

Keynote Address:

Dr. Francis Fukuyama, Mosbacher Director of the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University

Panel Discussion:

Ms. Nataliya Mykolska, Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program 2018-19, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies;Former Trade Representative of Ukraine, Deputy Minister, Stanford University; Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine

Mr. Ivan Prymachenko, Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program 2018-19, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; Co-founder, Stanford University; Prometheus

Ms. Oleksandra Ustinova, Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program 2018-19, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; Head of Communications and Anti-Corruption in HealthCare Projects, Stanford University; Anti-Corruption Action Center (ANTAC)

Moderated By: Ms. Melinda Haring, Editor, UkraineAlert, Atlantic Council

Since February, millions of Algerians have taken to the streets week after week for historic, peaceful mass protests against a fifth term for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and for democratic change. The popular pressure led to the postponement of the April 24 presidential elections and, on April 2, to Bouteflika’s resignation after 20 years in power. Abdelkader Bensalah, long a key ally of Bouteflika and since 2002 the Speaker of Algeria’s upper house of parliament, has been appointed interim president. This appointment is in line with Algeria’s constitution, but is contrary to protesters’ demand for a genuinely independent figure to oversee this transitional period. The next steps remain unclear and many Algerians worry that the regime will resist a democratic transition. Please join POMED to hear from a panel of Algeria experts who will analyze what led to the protests, what has happened so far, and what might happen next.

Rochdi Alloui, Independent Analyst on North Africa, Georgia State University

Alexis Arieff, Africa Policy Analyst, Congressional Research Service

Amel Boubekeur, (speaking by video from Algiers)
Research Fellow, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales

William Lawrence, Visiting Professor of Political Science and International Affairs,
George Washington University

Moderator: Stephen McInerney, Executive Director, POMED

Africa is at a crossroads—and which road its leaders take will shape the lives of billions of people, not only in Africa but also beyond its borders. Often overlooked, population trends play a significant role in Sub-Saharan Africa’s chances for prosperity. Between 15 and 20 million young people are expected to join the African workforce every year for the next three decades. Investing in the health and education of these young people, and providing opportunities for employment, will be essential to ensuring a positive future marked by economic prosperity and stability in the region.

Please join the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program and Maternal Health Initiative, in partnership with Population Institute, for a discussion about impactful investments that country leaders can make to empower their countries’ youth.

Speakers

Moderator, Lauren Herzer Risi, Project Director, Environmental Change and Security Program
Parfait Eloundou-Enyegue, Professor, Department Chair, Department of Development Sociology, Cornell University; Associate Director, Cornell Population Center, Unami Jeremiah, Founder, Mosadi Global Trust
Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Founder and CEO, Conservation Through Public Health
Musimbi Kanyoro, President and Chief Executive Officer, Global Fund for Women

Tags : Africa, Algeria, India, Indonesia, Israel/Palestine, Ukraine, US, Yemen

Peace Picks April 8-12

Posted in Bouela Lehbib - April 7, 2019 - 0 Comment

The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to host a book talk with MEI Scholar Daniel Serwer, the director of John Hopkins SAIS’s conflict management and American foreign policy programs and the author ofFrom War to Peace: the Balkans, the Middle East and Ukraine.

In his book, Serwer explores how lessons learned from peacebuilding initiatives in the Balkans in the 1990s can be applied to conflicts in the Middle East. Serwer draws comparisons between the sectarian, ethnic, and religious divides of the Balkans in the 1990s and similar tensions in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. He also explores the impact of policies such as conflict prevention, engagement of neighbors, the establishment of safe zones, partition, decentralization, and power sharing arrangements, and how they can be effectively utilized, or not, in the Middle East.

Speakers

Daniel Serwer, , author
Scholar, MEI; director, Conflict Management and American Foreign Policy program, John Hopkins SAIS

Randa Slim, discussant
Senior fellow and director of Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues program, MEI

Paul Salem, moderator, President, MEI

Join USIP and the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security for an interactive, intergenerational conversation with the study’s lead author, Graeme Simpson, as well as youth and peacebuilding experts and young peacebuilders from around the world.

The event will look at the two-year evidence gathering process—which engaged more than 4,000 young people around the world and has been heralded as “possibly the most participatory process ever undertaken by the U.N.”—to draw out key lessons and recommendations regarding what works in the field of youth, peace and security, and what prevents youth’s meaningful inclusion in peace and security efforts. The conversation will also look forward, with an eye toward sustaining UNSCR 2250’s momentum and cementing our commitment to the role of youth people in preventing conflict and contributing to sustainable peace.

Speakers

Nancy Lindborg, welcoming remarks,

President, U.S. Institute of Peace

Aubrey Cox, Program Officer, Youth, U.S. Institute of Peace

Giannina Raffo, Youth Peace Leader, Venezuela

Graeme Simpson, Lead Author of the Progress Study and Director, Interpeace USA

Noella Richard, moderator, Youth Team Leader, United Nations Development Program

Saji Prelis, closing remarks
Director of Children & Youth Programs, Search for Common Ground

The Egyptian parliament is in the process of finalizing amendments to the 2014 constitution that would allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to stay in office for twenty years, increase military control of politics, and end judicial independence. U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Sisi to Washington for a visit prior to a public referendum on the proposed amendments.

Please join the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Project on Middle East Democracy for a discussion of the ramifications of the amendments and Sisi’s visit for the future of Egypt, the U.S.-Egypt relationship, and for regional peace.

Speakers:

MOATAZ EL FEGIERY, general coordinator for the Egyptian Human Rights Forum.

MAI EL-SADANY, legal and judicial director for the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.

MICHELE DUNNE, Director and senior fellow of the Carnegie Middle East Program.

SUSAN B. GLASSER, staff writer at the New Yorker.

The Taiwan Relations Act, enacted by the United States Congress in April 1979, authorized continued “commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the United States and the people of Taiwan” in the wake of the U.S. decision to establish diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China. By authorizing the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and other provisions, the TRA created a framework for relations between the U.S. and Taiwan which has enabled their partnership and friendship to thrive in the absence of diplomatic relations.

In observance of the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, this daylong public conference will feature analysis of the creation and implementation of the TRA, and how it continues to guide U.S.-Taiwan relations and interaction among Taiwan, China, and the United States.

This conference is co-hosted by CSIS, the Brookings Institution, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

8:35am Opening Remarks

John Hamre (President and CEO, CSIS)
8:45am Welcome Speech

Stanley Kao (Representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States) (Introduced by Bonnie Glaser)

8:55am Speaker Introduction

Richard Armitage (President, Armitage International and CSIS Trustee)

9:00am VTC Speech and Q&A

Her Excellency President Tsai Ing-wen of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Q&A Moderator: Michael Green (Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair, CSIS / Director of Asian Studies, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service)

9:45am Coffee Break

10:00am Panel One: Looking Back on U.S.-Taiwan Relations Since 1979

Moderator: Richard Bush (Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution)

Panelist 1: The TRA and the U.S. One-China Policy

Stephen Young (Former Director, American Institute in Taiwan)

Panelist 2: Cross-Strait Relations and U.S.-Taiwan Relations

Steven Goldstein (Associate, Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies)

Panelist 3: The Evolution of the U.S.-Taiwan Security Partnership

Shirley Kan (Former Specialist in Asian Security Affairs, Congressional Research Service)

11:15am Coffee Break

11:30am Speech and Q&A

Legislator Bi-khim Hsiao (Legislative Yuan)

(Introduced by Bonnie Glaser)

12:15pm Keynote Remarks

Representative Gerald Connolly (D-Virginia)

(Introduced by Richard Bush)
1:00pm Lunch

1:30pm Panel Two: Taiwan’s Strategic Environment Today

Moderator: Bonnie Glaser (Senior Adviser for Asia and Director of the China Power Project, CSIS)

Panelist 1: Taiwan’s Changing Security Environment

Michael Chase (Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation)

Panelist 2: How Taiwan Should Ensure Economic Competitiveness

Eric Altbach (Senior Vice President, Albright Stonebridge Group)

Panelist 3: Taiwan’s Options Regarding China

Susan Thornton (Former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs)

Panelist 4: U.S.-Taiwan Economic Ties

Da-nien Daniel Liu (Director of the Regional Development Study Center, Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research)

2:45pm Panel Three: The Next Forty Years

Moderator: Abraham Denmark (Director of the Asia Program, Wilson Center)

Panelist 1: The TRA’s Continuing Relevance to U.S. Policy

Robert Sutter (Professor of Practice of International Affairs, George Washington University)

Panelist 2: China’s Strategies Toward Taiwan and Taiwan/U.S. Responses

Ryan Hass (David M. Rubenstein Fellow – Foreign Policy, Brookings Institution)

Panelist 3: Taiwan’s Future Sources of Strength and Weakness

Jacques deLisle (Professor of Law & Political Science, University of Pennsylvania)

4:00pm Coffee Break

4:15pm Speech and Q&A

W. Patrick Murphy (Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of State Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs)

(Introduced by Abraham Denmark)

5:00pm Conference End

Last week, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the Taiwan Assurance Act, which reaffirms the US commitment to Taiwan forty years after the signing of the Taiwan Relations Act. As China exerts increasing pressure against Taiwan’s position in the region, Taiwan’s leaders have sought greater support from the United States. Given US interests in the Indo-Pacific, what diplomatic, economic, and security steps should the United States take to signal support for Taiwan as a democratic partner in the region? What opportunities and challenges do the United States and Taiwan face moving forward? Where do US-Taiwan relations fit into the broader strategic picture?

KEYNOTE REMARKS BY

H.E. Bi-khim Hsiao, Legislator, Legislative Yuan, Taiwan

FEATURING

Mr. Ian Easton, Research Fellow Project 2049 Institute

Mr. Michael Mazza, Visiting Fellow, Foreign & Defense Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute

Mr. Barry Pavel, Senior Vice President, Arnold Kanter Chair, and Director, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

For both Russia and China, foreign political interference activities are a useful and cost-effective method of foreign policy. In Russia it is theorized as “smart power”, while China still uses the Soviet-era term “united front work”. The activities of Russia and China go well beyond accepted norms of public diplomacy and are having a corrupting and corrosive effect on many societies. This half-day symposium focuses on Russia and China’s Political Interference Activities in NATO Small States. The world is seeing a return of both “might is right” politics and spheres of influence. As history has shown, the weakness of small states in a time of rising security threats can undermine the security of larger powers. The Symposium examines case studies of some representative small NATO states experiencing Russia and China’s political interference activities, the patterns of interference to look for, and discusses what is to be done.

Speakers:

Neringa Bladaitė, University of Vilnius
Anne-Marie Brady, Wilson Center/University of Canterbury
Donald J. Jensen, Center for European Policy Analysis
Ryan Knight, Georgetown University
Martin Hála, Charles University
Margarita Šešelgytė, University of Vilnius
Khamza Sharifzoda, Georgetown University
Mark Stokes, 2049 Project
Alan Tidwell, Georgetown University
Baldur Thorhallson, University of Iceland
Moderator: Abe Denmark, Asia Program, Wilson Center

AGENDA:

8:45am – Panel One

Donald J. Jensen: Assessing Contemporary Russian Interference Activities

Anne-Marie Brady: Magic Weapons? An Overview of CCP Interference Activities

Mark Stokes: Huawei and One Thousand Talents: China’s military links and technology transfer activities

Ryan Knight: Russia’s use of the Orthodox Church in Small NATO states

Alan Tidwell: Active Measures: Lessons Learned from the Past

10:10am – Morning tea

10:30am – Panel Two

Martin Hála: The CCP’s Magic Weapons at work in the Czech Republic

Khamza Sharifzoda: Armenia’s Struggle: Escaping the Kremlin

Baldur Thorhallson: Iceland’s engagements with Russia and China

Neringa Bladaite: Russia’s Political Interference Activities in Latvia

Margarita Šešelgytė: Russia and China’s Political Interference Activities and Lithuania

The Small States and the New Security Environment (SSANSE) Project is funded by NATO-SPS

Tags : Balkans, China, Egypt, Russia, Taiwan, The Middle East, Ukraine, United Nations

Peace picks 1-5

Posted in Bouela Lehbib - April 1, 2019 - 0 Comment

In August 2017, security forces in Burma’s Rakhine state staged a harsh and extended crackdown on the Rohingya—a deeply marginalized and persecuted Muslim minority community. Thousands are estimated to have died, while more than half a million fled to neighboring Bangladesh. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the tragedy as ethnic cleansing. At this event, Dr. Nehginpao Kipgen, a top expert on Burma, will discuss developments involving the Rohingya since the 2017 crackdown, including key recent events, and what might be in store next for the troubled community. Does the political will exist in Burma to improve conditions for the Rohingya and to address the underlying issues that fuel their persecution? What will become of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh? Dr. Kipgen will address these questions and more.

Speakers
Nehginpao Kipgen, Associate Professor and Executive Director at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies
Michael C. Davis, Fellow Professor of Law and International Affairs, Jindal Global University, Delhi, India

2. Ukraine’s Presidential Election| Tuesday, April 2, 2019 | 12:00pm| The Atlantic Council | 1030 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005| Register Here |

The March 2019 presidential election is a pivotal event in Ukraine’s history. Outside attempts to influence the elections have been documented, particularly by the Kremlin, which has employed a full-range of hybrid tactics in Ukraine in an effort to destabilize the country.

Recognizing the high stakes, the Atlantic Council, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, and the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity have established the Ukrainian Election Task Force. Working with other Ukrainian institutions and analysts–StopFake, Razumkov Centre, and Detector Media–the Task Force is a rapid-response team with the ability to monitor, evaluate, and disclose the full range of foreign subversive activities in Ukraine and to propose suitable responses.

Agenda
Panel One Discussion:

Dr. Anders Aslund, Senior Fellow, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council

Mr. Carl Gershman, President, National Endowment for Democracy

Ms. Nataliya Bugayova, Director of Development and Research Fellow, Russia Team

Institute for the Study of War

Ambassador John Herbst, Director, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council

Moderated by:

Ms. Melinda Haring, Editor for Ukraine Alert, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council

Panel Two Discussion:

Mr. David J. Kramer, Senior Fellow Vaclav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy,

Ms. Laura Galante, Cyber Lead; Senior Fellow, Eurasia Center, Ukrainian Election Task Force; Atlantic Council

Mr. Jakub Kalenský, Disinformation Lead; Senior Fellow, Eurasia Center, Ukrainian Election Task Force; Atlantic Council

Mr. Oleksiy Melnyk, Kinetic Lead; Co-Director, Foreign Relations and International Security Programs

Moderated by:

Ms. Geysha Gonzalez, Deputy Director, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council

The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to host a panel discussion on the future of Egypt’s economy. While Egypt’s recent economic reforms have made good inroads into improving the macroeconomic outlook, the pace of global development means that Egyptian businesses must work twice as hard to keep pace, and even harder if they want to pull ahead of the pack. Egypt’s state economy is huge, particularly in comparison with that of other emerging markets, but new reforms may give the private sector the opportunity to become Egypt’s growth engine.

Speakers

Sarah El-Battouty, Chairman and founder, ECOnsult

Girgis Abd El-Shahid, Managing partner, Shahid Law Firm

Tarek Tawfik, Chairman, Cairo Poultry Group; President, American Chamber of Commerce

Dalia Wahba, Chairman, CID Consulting

Mirette F. Mabrouk, moderator, Senior fellow and director of the Egypt program, MEI

President Donald Trump won the 2016 election largely by carrying Rust Belt states and doing especially well with a demographic skeptical of America’s role in the world regarding trade, investment, diplomacy, alliances, and immigration policy. His election has had consequences for U.S. foreign policy, from reducing foreign aid and pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, to imposing highly restrictive immigration policies and questioning numerous alliances.

Yet, U.S. foreign policy remains in flux as President Trump’s approach evolves, with the 2018 midterm elections demonstrating that many voters are not satisfied with the direction of the country. This situation provides a rich backdrop for debate, now and in the run-up to the 2020 political season, about how to best advance America’s interests at home and abroad.

Introduction
9:00 AM- 9:05 AM

Bonnie Jenkins, Executive Director – Nonresident Senior Fellow -The Brookings Institution
Discussion
9:05 AM – 9:30 AM

DISCUSSANT

Bonnie Jenkins, Executive Director, Nonresident Senior Fellow -The Brookings Institution
Jenkinsbd

Arsalan Suleman, Chair – America Indivisible
Panel I
US voting and US foreign policy: Regional focus
9:35 AM – 10:45 AM

MODERATOR

Michael E. O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow – The Sydney Stein, Jr. Chair
Panelists

Jeannine Scott, Board President – Constituency for Africa
Sylvia Mishra, India-US Fellow in Public Interest Technology – New America
Asha Castleberry, Adjunct Professor – George Washington University
Jung H. Pak, SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies, Senior Fellow – Center for East Asia Policy Studies
Laura Kupe, Counsel – Committee on Homeland Security, US House of Representatives
Emily Mendrala, Executive Director – Center for Democracy in the Americas

Panel II
US voting and new national security issues
10:45 AM – 11:55 AM

MODERATOR

Liza Arias, Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow – Center for Strategic & International Studies
PANELISTs

Uzra Zeya, President and CEO – Alliance for Peacebuilding
Daniel Lucey, Senior Scholar – O’Neill Institute, Georgetown University
Sean Shank, Vice President – BNY Mellon
Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, Member – Third Way Cyber Enforcement Initiative Advisory Board
Dr. Muhammad Fraser-Rahim, Executive Director – North America for Quilliam International
Closing
11:55 AM – 12:00 PM
Michael E. O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow -Director of Research, The Sydney Stein, Jr. Chair

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) are pleased to host another conference as part of the Future Strategy Forum, an initiative to connect scholars who research national security with its leading practitioners.

The 2019 focus is “The Future of Statecraft” and will examine the future of great power cooperation, international institutions, and economic statecraft. The conference will feature a keynote conversation with former National Security Advisor Ambassador Susan Rice.

Conference Schedule
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Registration and Breakfast

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM Welcome Remarks

Dr. Kathleen Hicks, Senior Vice President; Henry A. Kissinger Chair

Dr. Francis J. Gavin, Giovanni Agnelli Distinguished Professor and Director Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs Johns Hopkins SAIS

Ms. Sara Plana and Ms. Rachel Tecott , PhD Candidates, Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

9:15 AM – 10:45 AM Panel 1: “Great Power Cooperation”

Ms. Lindsey Ford, Director of Political-Security Affairs, Richard Holbrooke Fellow, and
Deputy Director of the Washington D.C. Office, Asia Society Policy Institute

Dr. Angela Stent, Director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies and Professor of Government and Foreign Service, Georgetown University

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Distinguished Resident Fellow in African Studies, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University

Dr. Irene Wu, Former Fellow, Wilson Center and Georgetown University

Ms. Meg Guliford (Moderator), PhD Candidate, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

10:45 AM – 11:00 AM Coffee Break

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Panel 2: “International Institutions”

Dr. Esther Brimmer, Executive Director and CEO, NAFSA: Association of International Educators

Ms. Heather Conley, Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic; and Director, Europe Program, CSIS

Ms. Naima Green, PhD Candidate, Harvard University

Dr. Kristina Spohr, Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Professor, Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs, Johns Hopkins SAIS

Dr. Mischa Thompson (Moderator), Director of Global Partnership, Policy, and Innovaiton, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

12:30 PM – 1:45 PM Lunch and Talk

1:45 PM – 3:15 PM Panel 3: “Economic Statecraft”

Ms. Elizabeth Rosenberg, Senior Fellow and Director, Energy Economics and Security Program, Center for a New American Security

Dr. Sarah Sewall, Speyer Family Foundation Distinguished Scholar, Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs, Johns Hopkins SAIS

Ms. Camille Stewart, Esq., Cybersecurity Policy Fellow, New America

Ms. Tori K. Whiting, Jay Van Andel Trade Economist, Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation

Dr. Radha Iyengar Plumb (Moderator), Adjunct Economist, RAND Corporation

3:15 PM – 3:30 PM Coffee Break

3:30 PM – 4:45 PM Keynote Discussion with Ambassador Susan Rice

Ambassador Susan Rice, Former National Security Advisor and U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations

Dr. Kathleen Hicks (Moderator), Senior Vice President; Henry A. Kissinger Chair; Director, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies

4:45 PM – 5:30 PM Closing Reception

Over the past forty years, conservatives have mastered the art of pursuing policy change at the state level, while similar liberal efforts have floundered. Today, conservatives fully control 26 state legislatures and governorships — one of the largest advantages either party has had since the New Deal.

What did the party do right? How have conservatives learned from their mistakes over the years? And why have liberals struggled to build similar cross-state organizing clout?

In State Capture: How Conservative Activists, Big Businesses, and Wealthy Donors Reshaped the American States — and the Nation, Alex Hertel-Fernandez provides the first in-depth and accessible history of the rise of cross-state conservative lobbying groups, including the American Legislative Exchange Council, the State Policy Network, and Americans for Prosperity, documenting both their victories and their missteps over time. In his book, Hertel-Fernandez also spells out the specific policy consequences of conservative cross-state organizing, including its effects on labor market standards, unions, and the Affordable Care Act. The book also tracks liberal efforts to counter-balance the right and why they have frequently failed to match conservative scale and clout.

Presenters

Alex Hertel-Fernandez, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs, Columbia SIPA

Lydia Bean, Fellow, Political Reform Program at New America

Mark Schmitt, Director, Political Reform Program at New America

Tags : Burma, Egypt, Ukraine, US

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