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Peace Picks | September 8 – 11, 2020

• Election 2020: Challenges & Opportunities for U.S. Policy in the Middle East | September 8, 2020 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT | Middle East Institute | Register Here
  
  The Middle East is going through one of the most unstable periods in its recent history. Each country in the region faces its own unique challenges, but there are also cross-cutting issues ranging from proxy conflict and terrorism to climate change and water security that permeates throughout the region. The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to launch Election 2020: Challenges and Opportunities for US Policy in the Middle East. The briefs in this book offer policy insights from MEI scholars on key issues in the Middle East and serve as a contribution to the broader discussion about the challenges and opportunities for US policy in the region.
  
  What are the key issues the next administration must prioritize? In what ways can the US pursue and achieve its policy goals in the Middle East through diplomacy, conflict resolution, and military engagement? How can a concerted regional strategy address region-wide issues and their global impacts?
  
  Speakers:
  
  Amb. Gerald Feierstein (Moderator): Senior Vice President, Middle East Institute
  
  Paul Salem: President, Middle East Institute
  
  Randa Slim: Senior Fellow & Director, Conflict Resolution & Track II Dialogues Program, Middle East Institute
  
  Gen. Joseph Votel: Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Security, Middle East Institute
  
• U.S. Policy in the Middle East: A Conversation With Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker | September 9, 2020 | 10:00 – 11:15 AM EDT | Brookings Institution | Register Here
  
  The United States has been very active diplomatically in the Middle East as of late, despite public focus elsewhere, on issues ranging from the crisis in Lebanon, to maritime tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, to U.A.E.-Israeli normalization of relations.
  
  On September 9, the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings will host a discussion with David Schenker, assistant secretary of Near Eastern affairs at the U.S. Department of State to examine the current state of U.S policy and diplomacy in the region and its future trajectory. Assistant Secretary Schenker will be returning from a mission to the region, which includes stops in Kuwait, Qatar, and Lebanon and will offer thoughts on his recent meetings. Natan Sachs, director of the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings, will moderate the conversation.
  
  Speakers:
  
  Suzanne Maloney (Introduction): Vice President & Director, Foreign Policy, Brookings
  
  David Schenker: Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State
  
  Natan Sachs: Director, Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings
  
• Rising Political Polarization in Southeast Asia | September 9, 2020 | 10:00 – 11:30 AM CEST | Carnegie Endowment | Register Here
  
  Rising levels of political polarization are hurting democracy in many Southeast Asian countries. Drawing on a recent Carnegie Endowment report on the topic, this event will examine three critical cases—Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand—to gain a regional understanding of why polarization is increasing, its political effects, and how political and civic actors can take steps to address it.
  
  This event is being held in collaboration with the Institute of Asian Studies.
  
  Speakers:
  
  Thomas Carothers: Senior Vice President for Studies, Carnegie Endowment
  
  Janjira Sombatpoonsiri: Associate Fellow, German Institute for Global & Area Studies
  
  Naruemon Thabchumpon: Deputy Director for Research Affairs, Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University
  
  Eve Warburton: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Asia Research Institute, National Research University of Singapore
  
  Bridget Welsh: Honorary Research Associate, Asia Research Institute, University of Nottingham Malaysia
  
• A New Direction for U.S. Policy on North Korea | September 9, 2020 | 5:00 – 6:30 PM EDT | U.S. Institute of Peace | Register Here
  
  Since the February 2019 Hanoi Summit failed to reach an agreement, the United States and North Korea have been mired in a diplomatic stalemate with minimal negotiations. At the same time, Pyongyang has continued to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs while reversing many of the inter-Korean tension reduction measures achieved in 2018. The next U.S. administration, whether Republican or Democratic, will have the opportunity to break this deadlock with a North Korean regime that is increasingly confident in its nuclear capabilities but still insecure about its longevity.
  
  The next U.S. administration will encounter a North Korean regime that has promised to demonstrate a “new strategic weapon” in its nuclear weapons program and vowed to withstand the international sanctions campaign.  The policy approach taken by the next administration will help determine whether Pyongyang will cling to its nuclear weapons or if the two countries will set a new course for building peace and reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
  
  Speakers:
  
  Frank Aum (Moderator): Senior Expert, North Korea, U.S. Institute of Peace
  
  Christine Ahn: Founder & Executive Director, Women Cross DMZ; Co-Founder, Korea Peace Network
  
  Suzanne Dimaggio: Chair, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment
  
  Markus Garlauskas: Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; Former National Intelligence Officer for North Korea, Office of the Director for National Intelligence
  
  Van Jackson: Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington; Former Senior Defense Strategist, U.S. Department of Defense
  
  Ankit Panda: Stanton Senior Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment
  
• Ecological Threats to Peace | September 10, 2020 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM EDT | U.S. Institute of Peace | Register Here
  
  Global warming, extreme weather events, and rising sea levels are already adversely affecting food and water security throughout the world—leaving the least resilient countries with an increased risk of political instability, social fragmentation, and economic collapse. A more accurate measurement of levels of exposure to tomorrow’s ecological threats is key to helping these countries maintain peace today and can enable others to better prepare and adapt for the future.
  
  The new Ecological Threat Register (ETR), produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, synthesizes and visualizes data on environmental indicators to estimate which countries, regions, and areas are most vulnerable to environment-induced conflict. In particular, the ETR underscores that 141 countries are vulnerable to ecological threats, and that approximately 1.2 billion people could be displaced globally by ecological disasters in the next 30 years.
  
  Speakers:
  
  Tyler Beckelman (Moderator): Director, International Partnerships, U.S. Institute of Peace
  
  Sagal Abshir: Nonresident Fellow, Center on International Cooperation, New York University
  
  Michael Collins: Executive Director, Institute for Economics & Peace
  
  Dr. Joseph Hewitt: Vice President for Policy, Learning, & Strategy, U.S. Institute of Peace
  
• Jihadism at a Crossroads | September 11, 2020 | 9:00 – 10:00 PM EDT | Brookings Institution | Register Here
  
  Almost 20 years after 9/11, jihadi groups are no longer in the spotlight. However, ISIS, al-Qaida, and al-Shabab remain active, and new groups have emerged. The movement as a whole is evolving, as is the threat it poses.
  
  On September 11, the Center for Middle East Policy will host a virtual panel event to discuss the current status of jihadi groups. The panel will feature Thomas Hegghammer, senior research fellow at the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment and author of the new book, “The Caravan: Abdallah Azzam and the Rise of Global Jihad.”Other panelists will include Tricia Bacon, assistant professor at American University, and Bruce Riedel, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Brookings Senior Fellow Daniel Byman will moderate the discussion.
  
  Speakers:
  
  Daniel L Byman: Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings
  
  Tricia Bacon: Professional Lecturer, School of Public Affairs, American University
  
  Thomas Hegghammer: Senior Research Fellow, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment
  
  Bruce Riedel: Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings