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PDFMarch 31, 2010. 10 a.m. – Current Realities and Future Possibilities in Burma/Myanmar. United States Institute of Peace; and the Asia Society. Speakers: Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark; former U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Henrietta Fore; Suzanne DiMaggio, director of policy studies at the Asia Society; Richard Solomon, president of USIP; and Priscilla Clap, former U.S. chief of mission in Burma. Venue: USIP, 1200 17th Street NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, D.C. Contact202-429-3822, info@usip.org<mailto:info@usip.org>; http://www.usip.org [Note: RSVP online: http://www.currentrealitiesinburma.eventbrite.com]
March 31, 2010 . Ukraine Changes Course: Where the New President Lead the Nation? Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Speakers: Serhiy Kudelia, assistant professor of political science at the National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine and post-doctoral fellow at the Center for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at the University of Toronto. 12:30 p.m. Venue: SAIS, Rome Building, 1619 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Room 812, Washington, D.C. Contact: Felisa Neuringer Klubes, 202-663-5626, fklubes@jhu.edu http://www.sais-jhu.edu [RSVP to 202-663-5795 or egerasimov@jhu.edu<mailto:egerasimov@jhu.edu
March 31, 2010. A New Foundation for Afghanistan. 5:30 p.m. Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Speaker: Afghanistan's Ambassador to the United States Said Tayeb Jawad. Venue: SAIS, Rome Building, 1619 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Auditorium, Washington, D.C. ContactFelisa Neuringer Klubes, 202-663-5626, fklubes@jhu.edu<mailto:fklubes@jhu.edu>; http://www.sais-jhu.edu [Note: RSVP to 202-663-7723 or saiscaciforums@jhu.edu<mailto:saiscaciforums@jhu.edu>]
April 1, 2010. Peace vs. Human Rights? Implications for a Peace Settlement with the Taliban? 10 a.m. United States Institute of Peace. Speakers: Nader Nadery, commissioner at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission Organization; Farishta Sakhi, executive director of Women’s Activities and Social Services Association; Michael Semple, fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights at Harvard University; Noah Coburn, traditional justice specialist at USIP; Anthony Richter, associate director of the Open Society Institute; and J. Alexander Thier, director of Afghanistan and Pakistan at USIP. Venue: USIP, 1200 17th Street NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, D.C. Contact202-429-3822, info@usip.org<mailto:info@usip.org>; http://www.usip.org [Note: RSVP required.]
April 1, 2010. Do the Millennium Development Goals Miss the Point in Africa? 12:15 p.m. – The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP). Speakers: : Jan Vandemoortele, formerly of the United Nations; Shanta Devarajan of the World Bank; Selim Jahan of the United Nations Development Programme; and Eduardo Zepeda of CEIP. Venue: CEIP, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. Contact: 202-483-7600; http://www.CarnegieEndowment.org
April 2, 2010 Religion and Politics in Africa. All Day Conference. Starts at 9 a.m. Venue: SAIS, Nitze Building, 1740 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Kenney Auditorium, Washington, D.C. Contact: Imani Tolbert, 202-663-5676, itolber1@jhu.edu<mailto:itolber1@jhu.edu
April 2, 2010. Previewing Sudan’s Upcoming Elections. Speakers: Linda Bishai, senior program officer at USIP; John Ryle, Legrand Ramsey professor of anthropology at Bard College; Khalid Mustafa Medani, professor of political science and islamic studies at McGill University; and Jon Temin, senior program officer at USIP. Venue: USIP, 1200 17th Street NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, D.C. Contact: 202-429-3822, info@usip.org<mailto:info@usip.org>; http://www.usip.org [RSVP required.]
Monday, April 5, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Assessing the Reset: The First Year of the Obama Administration’s Russia Policy – Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. – Featuring Samuel Charap, Associate Director, Russia and Eurasia Program, Center for American Progress.
April 6, 2010. Iran: Prospects for Regime Change. 8:30AM – 12:00PM, 1777 F Street NW, Washington, DC. The ongoing turmoil in Iran almost nine months after 2009′s fraudulent presidential election raises questions about the continued viability of the Iranian regime. With the United States exploring sanctions at the United Nations and key members of Congress calling for increased support to the Iranian opposition, the Foreign Policy Initiative will host a half-day conference on “Iran: Prospects for Regime Change,” on Tuesday, April 6th. Leading Iran experts will examine the state of the opposition and discuss U.S. policy options. With a growing consensus in Washington that the actions of the Iranian regime make a negotiated settlement to the Iranian nuclear crisis unlikely, this timely conference will explore the prospects for change in Iran from within and what the United States should be doing to support Iran’s democrats and resolve the Iranian nuclear question once and for all.
8:30 – 9:00 Registration and Breakfast. 9:00 – 10:15 State of the Green Movement. Panelists: Reuel Gerecht, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Mehdi Khalaji, Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Mohsen Sazegara, Research Institute for Contemporary Iran. Moderator: William Kristol, The Weekly Standard and The Foreign Policy Initiative. 10:15 – 10:30 Break 10:30 – 12:00 U.S. Policy Options Panelists: Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign Relations; Danielle Pletka, The American Enterprise Institute; Ray Takeyh, Council on Foreign Relations. Moderator: Robert Kagan, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and The Foreign Policy Initiative.
To RSVP, please visit FPI’s website.
April 7, 2010, Political Turmoil and Receding Reform: Democratic Governance in Uncertain Times. 3:00 – 4:30 pm. The Brookings Institution and Freedom House present the public release of new findings from Countries at the Crossroads, Freedom House’s latest assessment of democratic governance. Hosted by The Brookings Institution, Saul/Zilkha Rooms, 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
At a time when democracy is experiencing a worrisome global deterioration, an important subset of struggling democratic, developing states have been dealt an especially hard blow from the economic crisis. Spread across the globe, these countries occupy the world’s political middle ground. Because many of these states receive significant attention from international donors, the challenges they face raise serious questions about the prospects for fostering development, deepening democratic roots, and expanding effective governance.
On April 7, Freedom House and Foreign Policy Studies at Brookings will host the release of the 2010 edition of Countries at the Crossroads, Freedom House’s latest analysis of democratic governance. A panel of experts will discuss the regional governance challenges in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. After the discussion, speakers will take questions from the audience.
Introduction: Carol Graham, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution. Overview of Countries at the Crossroads 2010 Findings: Jake Dizard, Managing Editor, Countries at the Crossroads. Panel: Governance Challenges in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; Joel Barkan, Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Kevin Casas-Zamora, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution; Joshua Kurlantzick, Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Moderator: Jennifer Windsor, Executive Director, Freedom House. Discussant: Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution.
RSVP to Caitlin Fogarty by email: fogarty@freedomhouse.org or phone: 212.514.8040, ext. 25.
Wednesday, April 7 2010, 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Legacy of President Lula and Brazil’s 2010 Presidential Race – Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.Washington, DC. Clifford Young, Executive Director, IPSOS Public Affairs Brazil; Chris Garman, Director, Eurasia Group; David Fleischer, Professor Emeritus, Universidade de Brasília and President, TCC-Brazil (Transparency, Consciousness and Citizenship); João Augusto de Castro Neves, Founding Partner and Political Analyst, CAC Consultoria; and more to be announced. RSVP here.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010. Twenty Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall: The Legacy of Democratic Awakening (Demokratischer Aufbruch) with Daniela Dahn, author and journalist, 12:00pm to 1:30pm. AICGS – RGL Conference Room, 1755 Massachusetts Ave NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036.
In this lecture, Daniela Dahn will examine why, after the victory over East German dictatorial constraints, the desired period of happiness and harmony was elusive on both sides. The dogmatic GDR system has been overcome – the democratic awakening was worthwhile. But the reformation of both Western and Eastern systems stopped half way. As the last financial crisis showed, the socially destructive path has not been abandoned. Daniela Dahn was born in Berlin and studied journalism in Leipzig. She worked as a reporter for East Germany’s television station until 1981, when she left her position for ideological reasons. Since 1982 she has worked as a freelance writer. In 1989 she was one of the most vital activists during the political change in East Germany: a founding member of Demokratischer Aufbruch (Democratic Awakening), one of the new civil movements at that time. For more information about Ms. Dahn please visit www.danieladahn.de. To register for this event, please click here.
Monday, April 12 – 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Challenges in Building Russian Democracy - Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. – Featuring Robert Orttung, President, Resource Security Institute, and former Title VIII-Supported Short-Term Scholar, Kennan Institute. Seating for this event is available on a first come, first served basis-no reservations required.
Monday 12th April, 2010 at 2pm. The Uighurs: China’s Forgotten Muslims. A Roundtable with Dr. Enver Tohti, Chairman of the Uighur Association and UK representative of the World Uighur Congress. Until recently, the roughly ten million Muslim Uighurs of China’s north-western Xinjiang province, one of the world’s least known Muslim minority populations, appeared largely content living under Chinese rule. In the last two years, however, the relationship between Chinese Uighurs and Beijing has become increasingly tense. In July 2009, these tensions exploded, leading to violent ethnic riots in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, against the majority Han Chinese population. The riots killed around 200 people and were covered widely in the international press. Since then, China’s Uighur population has come under increasing pressure. Religious freedoms have been attacked, mosques have been demolished, clerics have been arrested and Uighur activists have been imprisoned and even executed.
Rather than quieting Uighur discontent, however, these measures have made many Uighurs, both in China and around the world, more vulnerable to Islamist radicalization. At the same time, China’s Xinjiang province, as well as the Uighur diaspora, is being increasingly targeted by radical groups ranging from Hizb ut-Tahrir to al-Qaeda seeking to exploit the situation for their own ends. Islamist groups in the UK and elsewhere have also sought to use the Uighur’s situation to further their own narrative of a global ‘war on Islam’.
Speaker: Dr. Enver Tohti is an exiled Muslim political activist from China’s Xinjiang province. He is the UK representative of the World Uighur Congress, the largest global association of Uighur exile groups, and the head of the UK Uighur Association, the largest organization for Uighurs living in Britain.
This roundtable discussion will allow individuals to learn more about the situation of the Uighur people both in China and in diaspora communities, and to understand the threat of radicalization that they face in the region and the possible ramifications for the West.
Central London location, TBC. Please arrive from 1:45pm for a 2pm start. We will aim to draw the discussion to a close soon after 3pm. Places are limited. To reserve your place please email: events@quilliamfoundation.org.
Wednesday, April 28 – 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. U.S. Relations with the Muslim World: One Year After Cairo – Ronald Reagan Building Amphitheater, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW – This all day conference will discuss many pressing issues, such as Muslim Perceptions & Public Opinion, Islam, Human Rights, and Development, and keynote speech, Prospects for Improved Relations and Understanding Between the U.S. and the Muslim World from Tariq Ramadan, Oxford University. View tentative schedule here.
July 25 – 30, 2010. Islam and Religious Freedom at the Princeton Theological – Princeton University – The Witherspoon Institute presents a seminar on Islam and Religious Freedom at the Princeton Theological Seminary. The Islam and Religious Freedom Seminar is a week-long program for graduate students and professionals in Islam-related fields of study and work. In a small seminar setting, led by scholars, religious leaders, and experienced policy makers, participants will explore the intersection of Islam and religious freedom. This will include Muslim perspectives on faith and religious freedom, U.S. government policies on religious freedom abroad, modern social science research about the relationship of religious freedom to societal and individual well being, and perspectives on religious freedom in philosophy and among other faiths. The seminar will address religious freedom issues facing Muslim minorities, Muslim dissenters in Muslim-majority areas, and non-Muslims living in Muslim-majority areas.
The seminar is open to graduate students or professionals in Islam-related fields. If accepted, a seminar registration fee — $100 for students, $300 for non-students — will be required. The seminar will provide room, board, and seminar materials. Travel expenses are not included. A limited number of travel scholarships will be available. To apply, please send the following by April 1, 2010 via e-mail to islamproject@winst.org. Applicants can expect to be notified of admission decisions no later than April 15, 2010. Full details here.
