Tag: United States
Peace Picks, September 23-27
1. Peace and War: The View from Israel
September 23, 2013 // 3:00pm — 5:00pm
Wilson Center, 6th Floor
The Middle East seems permanently in crisis. Join us for a analysis of Israel’s view of the region, its challenges and opportunities—and the U.S.-Israeli relationship from two former Israeli officials deeply involved in matters of negotiations and national security policy, with comments from Doran and Miller.
Event Speakers List:
Aaron David Miller // Vice President for New Initiatives and Distinguished Scholar Historian, analyst, negotiator, and former advisor to Republican and Democratic Secretaries of State on Arab-Israeli negotiations, 1978-2003.
Gilead Sher // Head of the Center for Negotiations, the Institute for National Security Studies, Tel Aviv and former Israeli Chief Peace Negotiator
Amos Yadlin // Director of the Institute for National Security Studies, Tel Aviv and former chief of Israeli military intelligence
Michael Doran // Roger Hertog Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center, Brookings Institution
RSVP: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/rsvp?eid=28667&pid=112 Read more
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Reshaping Afpak aid
In the next 15 months, the US presence in South Asia will be drastically reduced, with profound consequences for regional governments and Washington’s aid programs. The future of brittle economies and political structures could hinge on effective support from the international community, including the US.
Those themes emerged on Thursday afternoon at the Middle East Institute’s panel discussion on how US aid and development programs can contribute to the stability of Afghanistan and Pakistan following the withdrawal of US combat forces from Afghanistan. The panel included Dr. Vanda Felbab-Brown, senior fellow with the Center for 21st Century Security at Brookings; Polly Nayak, an independent consultant; Ambassador Robin Raphel, the US coordinator for non-military assistance to Pakistan; and Alex Thier, the assistant to the administrator for policy, planning, and learning at USAID. The Middle East Institute’s Dr. Marvin Weinbaum moderated the panel.
Following the withdrawal of foreign combat forces from Afghanistan, the US government will reprioritize and reallocate aid to the region. While a main objective of US aid programs in the two countries is to win the hearts and minds of the people, Nayak said, the US government should refocus development priorities based on a new set of goals. Corruption has plagued foreign assistance programs in this region, she said, and that must be addressed if the Obama Administration expects to win support for its policies. Read more
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Op/ed diplomacy
Iranian President Rouhani’s appeal for constructive dialogue, published by the Washington Post last night, is a good deal more interesting, both for what it says and what it doesn’t say, than President Putin’s drivel, published by the New York Times a week ago. Rouhani ends with an appeal:
I urge [my counterparts] to look beyond the pines and be brave enough to tell me what they see — if not for their national interests, then for the sake of their legacies, and our children and future generations.
This seemingly anodyne appeal is very much to the point in this context. What Americans see “beyond the pines” is a serious threat that Iran might become a nuclear weapons state. They don’t like that, because it would encourage further proliferation and render the balance of power in the region unstable, with possibly catastrophic consequences. While Ken Pollack thinks we could manage the risks, there is overwhelming support in the United States for a preventive approach. Iran, most Americans think, should not be permitted to build a nuclear weapon, or get so close to being able to build one that it could not be stopped.
On nuclear technology, Rouhani is admirably frank about Iran’s interest : Read more
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Heartbreak and loveless marriages
Wedenesday morning’s event at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was yet another panel focused on Syria, focused on the interests and perspectives of the domestic and international parties currently involved in the crisis. Moderated by Marwan Muasher of the Carnegie Endowment, the discussion included Ambassador Nasser al-Kidwa, deputy to Arab League Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment, Paul Salem of the Carnegie Middle East Center, and Andrew Weiss also of the Carnegie Endowment.
Ambassador al-Kidwa focused his remarks on the future of negotiations in Syria. He believes the Geneva Communiqué drafted last June is still relevant today and provides practical solutions for Syria. The US decision not to strike on Syria but rather focus on placing Syria’s chemical weapons under international control shows its commitment to the Geneva Communiqué. The framework agreement on chemical weapons between the US and Russia is a positive development.
The UN is currently working on a resolution that will mostly likely incorporate much of the strong language used in the US-Russia agreement. Al-Kidwa believes that it will be adopted under Chapter 7 with some language regarding using necessary force if there is no compliance from the Assad regime. He sees a real possibility for negotiations between the opposition and the Assad government. He argues that regional players and the international community have an unusually important role. Read more
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Background check, mate
Agents of all sorts interview me a lot for security clearances. One of my students, co-workers, former employees, neighbors or acquaintances seems always to be trying to get one. This is one of several uncompensated tasks (letters of recommendation, job referrals, career advice, informational interviews, academic counseling) that take up far more time than I every imagined.
But I have never turned away one of the agents. What they are doing is necessary: how will these folks ever get a government job, or the government determine that they are suitable, without my responding to the usual litany of questions?
They might go something like this in the case of a fictitious Alexis Aaron, a stand-in for you know who: Read more
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Peace picks, September 16-20
A busy week ahead in the Nation’s Capital:
1. Unthinkable: Iran, the Bomb, and the American Strategy
Monday, September 16, 2013 | 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
Brookings Institute, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
Lying behind the turmoil over Syria is another, greater challenge. It is the challenge of a nuclear Iran, which already haunts our Syria debate. President Rouhani’s election has revived the hope of many that a negotiated resolution of this issue is still possible. However, the history of U.S.-Iranian relations leaves room for considerable skepticism. Should these negotiations fail too, the United States will soon have to choose between the last, worst options: going to war to prevent a nuclear Iran or learning to contain one. A nuclear Iran is something few in the international community wish to see, but many fear that a choice will have to be made soon to either prevent or respond to that reality. Can the U.S. spearhead a renewed international effort to prevent a nuclear Iran, or will it be forced to do the unthinkable: to determine how to contain a nuclear Iran?
In his new book, Unthinkable: Iran, the Bomb, and American Strategy, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Kenneth M. Pollack tackles these daunting questions. Pollack delves deeply into what the U.S. can do to prevent a nuclear Iran, why the military options leave much to be desired and what the U.S. might have to do to make containment a viable alternative. On September 16th at 2:30pm, Foreign Policy at Brookings will host Senior Fellow Kenneth M. Pollack to discuss these sobering issues. Robin Wright, a United States Institute of Peace distinguished fellow and author of several highly-regarded books on Iran, will moderate the discussion, after which the author will take audience questions. Copies of the book will also be available for sale at the event.
EVENT AGENDA
- Introduction
Tamara Cofman Wittes
Director, Saban Center for Middle East Policy
Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy,Saban Center for Middle East Policy
@tcwittes
- Featured Speaker
Kenneth M. Pollack
Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy,Saban Center for Middle East Policy
- Moderator
Robin Wright
Distinguished Fellow, United States Institute of Peace
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