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PDFTuesday, October 26, 2010- 12:30 p.m. Preparing for the Possibility of a North Korean Collapse. The National Defense University’s Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction is holding a seminar on Preparing for the Possibility of a North Korean Collapse. The guest speaker will be Bruce Bennett, senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation. The seminar will take place at the National Defense University, Fort McNair, 260 Fifth Avenue SW, Building 64, Room 1107, Washington, D.C. For more information, please contact Amanda Ducasse, ducassea@ndu.edu [Note: RSVP requested to Amanda Ducasse.]
Tuesday, October 26, 2010- 12:30 p.m. China Lite? How the West Supports One Party Rule in Vietnam. The George Washington University (GWU) Elliott School of International Affairs; and the Asia Society will be holding a discussion on China Lite? How the West Supports One Party Rule in Vietnam. Participants will include, Bill Hayton, senior broadcast journalist at BBC News. Bill Hayton is the author of Vietnam: Rising Dragon, published this year by Yale University Press. He was the BBC’s Vietnam reporter 2006-7 and now works for BBC World News TV in London. He has been a journalist since 1995, working for Dow Jones, Associated Press TV, and Al Jazeera, among other broadcasters, and has reported from Iran, Yemen, Israel, and the Balkans as well as Southeast Asia. This event is co-hosted with the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at the George Washington University. The event will take place at GWU Elliott School, 1957 E Street NW, Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact 202-994-8025; [Note: RSVP online: http://tinyurl.com/ChinaLiteOct26]
Tuesday, October 26, 2010- 12:30 p.m. Letters to My Torturer: Love, Revolution and Imprisonment in Iran. A journalist, writer, and translator, Houshang Asadi was a member of both the Writers’ Association of Iran and the Iranian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the co-founder of the Association of Iranian Film Critics and Script Writers. Prior to the Islamic Revolution he served for many years as Deputy Editor at Kayhan, Iran’s largest daily newspaper. In 1983, following the new Iranian government’s crackdown on all opposition parties, Asadi was arrested and sent again to Moshtarek prison. He was severely tortured until he falsely confessed to operating as a spy for the British and Russian intelligence agencies. He received a sentence of death by hanging, but was freed after serving six years. In 2003 he escaped Iran. He now lives in exile in Paris, where he co-founded the Persian-language news site Rooz Online. His memoir, Letters to My Torturer: Love, Revolution and Imprisonment in Iran, has just been published by Oneworld Publications. The event will take place at Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets NW, Intercultural Conference Center, Washington, D.C. For more information or to RSVP please contact 202-687-6215, ccasevents@georgetown.edu [Note: RSVP required].
Wednesday, October 27, 2010- 9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Playing with Fire: Why Pakistan’s Democracy is Losing Ground to Islamic Extremists. Pam Constable, a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center will be hosting an event, Playing With Fire: Why Pakistan’s Democracy is Losing Ground to Islamic Extremists at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for scholars located at One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20004.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010- 12:00 p.m. China’s Rise: Regional Responses and Lessons for Washington. As recent incidents in the East China Sea, South China Sea, and Yellow Sea confirm, China’s military expansion and the possible implications for American strategic interests in Asia are serious. Less known is the evolving strategy that countries such as Taiwan, Australia, Japan, and South Korea are crafting in response. Speakers will include, Dan Blumenthal, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; John Lee, foreign policy fellow at Sydney’s Center for Independent Studies; Andrew Shearer, director of studies at Lowy Institute; and Seth Cropsey, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. The event will take place at the Hudson Institute, 1015 15th Street NW, Sixth Floor, Betsy and Walter Stern Conference Center, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact 202-223-7770; [Note: RSVP to events@hudson.org].
Wednesday, October 27, 2010- 12:30 p.m. African Governance in the Post-Independence Era. The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) will be holding a discussion on African Governance in the Post-Independence Era. Joel Barkan, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; and Michael Bratton, professor of political science at Michigan State University, will be discussing this topic. The event will take place at SAIS, Bernstein-Offit Building, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Room 736, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact Felisa Neuringer Klubes, 202-663-5626, fklubes@jhu.edu; [Note: The public should RSVP to 202-663-5676 or itolber1@jhu.edu]
Wednesday, October 27, 2010- 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East. Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations will discuss how Muslim women and men are adopting progressive interpretations of Islam to support women’s rights in a growing movement of Islamic feminism. Her new book journeys through the strategic crescent of the greater Middle East to reveal how activists are working within the tenets of Islam to create economic, political, and educational opportunities for women—defying claims that women’s empowerment is a somehow a form of Western cultural imperialism or, worse, anti-Islamic. Coleman argues that these efforts are critical to reform and stand to bring greater stability and prosperity to the region. The event will take place at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, located at One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington DC 20004.To RSVP click here.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010- 5:30 p.m. What Are America’s Real commitments in Afghanistan? The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) will be holding a forum on What Are America’s Real Commitments in Afghanistan? The participants will include former Afghanistan Interior Minister Ali Jalali, professor of the Near East and South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at National Defense University. The event will take place at SAIS, Rome Building, 1619 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Auditorium, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact Felisa Neuringer Klubes, 202-663-5626, fklubes@jhu.edu [Note: The speaker's main remarks will be off the record, but the question and answer portion of the forum will be on the record. The public should RSVP to 202-663-7723 or pfung2@jhu.edu]
Wednesday, October 27, 2010- 6:00 p.m. Negotiating with Iran: Wrestling the Ghosts of History. The George Washington University (GWU) Elliott School of International Affairs will be holding a book discussion on Negotiating with Iran: Wrestling the Ghosts of History with the author and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran and Near Eastern Affairs John Limbert. The event will take place at GWU Elliott School, 1957 E Street NW, Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, Washington, D.C. For more information, please call 202-994-8025 [Note: RSVP online here.]
Thursday, October 28, 2010- 9:00 a.m. Soft Censorship: Chipping Away at Press Freedom in Latin America. While not as overt as traditional forms of censorship, soft or indirect censorship is slowly but surely chipping away at freedom of expression. Governments in Latin America are using financial, legal, and administrative pressures to influence media coverage. In Argentina and Colombia, the government has repeatedly used advertising contracts to reward or punish media companies. In Venezuela, Ecuador, and elsewhere, legislatures are considering media laws and administrative procedures that would effectively result in self-censorship. Finally, the allocation of broadcast licenses presents another avenue for governments to punish or control specific media outlets. Participants will include Alvaro Herrero of Asociacion Derechos Civiles (Argentina); Cesar Ricaurte of Fundamedios (Ecuador); Luis Botello of the International Center for Journalists; and Don Podesta of the Center for International Media Assistance. The event will take place at NED, 1025 F Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. CONTACT: 202-378-9700, [Note: RSVP to cima@ned.org]
Thursday, October 28, 2010- 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Human Rights in Iran. While the Iranian nuclear program grabs all of the headlines, for the average Iranian what matters more is the worsening human rights abuses of the regime in Tehran. The United States was vague on this issue for over a year after Iran’s disputed 2009 presidential election and the protests and brutal crackdowns that followed. However, the Obama Administration has now strongly signaled that it is heeding the advice of many Iranians and humanitarians around the world to take up this cause by sanctioning eight Iranian regime officials for their involvement in large-scale abuse of human rights. On October 28, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings and the National Security Network will host a discussion of human rights and its relevance to broader American policy towards Iran. Panelists include Century Foundation Fellow Geneive Abdo; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Philo Dibble; Iranian human rights activist Saba Vasefi and German Commissioner for Human Rights Markus Löning. Senior Fellow Kenneth Pollack, director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, will provide introductory remarks and moderate the discussion. After the program, the panelists will take audience questions. The event will take place at The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC. To RSVP for this event, please call the Office of Communications at 202.797.6105 or click here.
Thursday, October 28, 2010- 10:30 a.m. Religious Freedom and National Security Policy. With the growth of religious pluralism on a global scale, freedom of religion has emerged as more than a fundamental human rights issue. It also intersects with other foreign policy challenges, including political, social, and economic development. One of the most important but most poorly understood connections is with national security. Through the Luce/SFS Program on Religion and International Affairs, Georgetown’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs will hold a symposium on October 28, 2010 on religious freedom and US national security policy. Questions to be addressed include: Why should national security specialists be concerned about religious freedom? Under what conditions might greater US support for religious liberty abroad help to reduce political instability, religious radicalism and terrorist violence? When, where and why might an emphasis on religious liberty provoke negative reactions abroad that undermine American political and security interests? Might a wise and prudent religious liberty policy overcome such reactions and if so how? The symposium will address these and related questions in two sessions. The first session will examine the presence/absence of religious freedom in US national security policy in general, with a focus on the Obama Administration’s National Security Strategy document. The second session will address the cases of Afghanistan and Iraq. Guest speakers will include Dr. Pauletta Otis, Professor of Security Studies at Marine Corps University, Dr. William Inboden, Distinguished Scholar, University of Texas , Dr. Eric Patterson, Assistant Director, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, Ms. Jennifer Marshall, Director, Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society, Mr. Rashad Hussain, U.S. Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Mr. Knox Thames, Director of Policy and Research, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, Ambassador Andrew Natsios, Professor, Georgetown University, Ambassador Touqir Hussain, Professor, Georgetown University and Dr. Rebecca Johnson, Georgetown Public Policy Institute. The event will take place at 3307 M Street, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20007. RSVP here.
Friday, October 29, 2010- 10:00 a.m. Is Haiti Building Back Better? The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is holding a discussion on Is Haiti Building Back Better? with guest speakers Michele Pierre-Louis, visiting fellow of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University; Robert Maguire, chair of the Haiti Working Group at USIP; and Robert Perito, director of USIP’s Haiti Program. The event will take place at USIP, 1200 17th Street NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact Lauren Sucher, 202-429-3822, lsucher@usip.org; [Note: RSVP required.]
Friday, October 29, 2010- 2:00 p.m. Democratic Accountability Relations: Exploring Global Patterns. Professor Kitschelt specializes in comparative political parties and elections in established and new democracies, comparative public policy/political economy, and 20th century social theory. He is the author of numerous books, including The Logics of Party Formation (CornellUniversity Press 1989), Beyond the European Left (Duke University Press 1990), The ransformation of European Social Democracy (Cambridge University Press 1994), The Radical Right in Western Europe (University of Michigan 1997), and Post-Communist Party Systems: Competition, Representation and Inter-Party Cooperation (Cambridge University Press 1999), as well as many scholarly articles. His recent work examines party competition and citizen-politician linkages in Latin America. In 2002, Professor Kitschelt was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS). The event will take place at GWU Elliott School, 2115 G Street NW, Monroe Hall, Room 428, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact 202-994-8025; [Note: RSVP to ieresgwu@gwu.edu]
Tuesday, November 2, 2010- 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Winds from the East: the People’s Republic of China Seeks to Influence the Media in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.
As Western news outlets have cut their overseas staffs and U.S. and European governments have allocated fewer resources for international training and support, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has made media aid a high priority in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. By using various components of public diplomacy to influence the media sector in these areas, the PRC is attempting to present China as a reliable friend and partner and to create a positive image for itself. A new CIMA report by Douglas Farah and Andrew Mosher, Winds From the East: How the People’s Republic of China Seeks to Influence the Media in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, examines the Chinese government’s efforts to reshape much of the world’s media in its own image. The authors argue that such activities shift the media’s role away from a watchdog stance toward the government to one where the government’s interests are the paramount concern in deciding what to disseminate. The report calls on media development implementers and those who fund them to take note, as China’s efforts also often result in helping authoritarian governments expand control over their local media, while working to undermine the democratic model of a free and independent media. The speakers will include Douglas Farah and Andrew Mosher, the authors of Winds from the East, Deborah Brautigam from American University, and Louisa Coan Greve from the National Endowment. The event will take place at 1025 F Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20004. To RSVP please contact cima@ned.org.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010- 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. A Special Briefing on Religion and Politics. The World Affairs Council Distinguished Speakers will be holding A Special Briefing on Religion and Politics. The guest speakers will include Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, and Ibn Khaldun, Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, and First Distinguished Chair of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, US Naval Academy, and Dr. Bernard Lewis, Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University. The event will take place on Wednesday, November 3, 2010. 6:30-8:00PM, at Charles Sumner School 1201 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. For more information please go here.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010- 6:00 p.m.-7:15 p.m. Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power. America’s preoccupation with the Middle East suits China perfectly. We are paying in blood and treasure to stabilize Afghanistan while China is building transport and pipeline networks throughout Central Asia that will ultimately reach Kabul and the trillion dollars’ worth of minerals lying underground. Whereas Americans ask how can we escape Afghanistan, the Chinese, who are already prospecting for copper there, ask: ‘How can we stay’? Our military mission in Afghanistan diverts us from properly reacting to the Chinese naval challenge in East Asia. – Robert D. Kaplan, The Washington Post, September 26, 2010. Like the monsoon itself, a cyclical weather system that can be both destructive and essential for growth and prosperity, the rise of countries like China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Sri Lanka represent a shift in global balance that cannot be ignored. From Pakistan’s uncertain future, the growth of Chinese military power, African states teetering on the edge of failure, violent Islamic extremism and piracy, this region will be the true nexus of power and conflict in the coming years. In Monsoon, Kaplan shows how crucial the Indian Ocean area has become to American power in the 21st century. He argues it is in that region – volatile, nuclearized, and plagued by weak infrastructure and young populations tempted by extremism – that the fight for democracy, energy independence, and religious freedom will be lost or won, and where the United States must focus in order to remain relevant in this ever-changing world. On November 9, 2010, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) will hold the first Washington, D.C. book launch for Monsoon featuring best-selling author Robert Kaplan and NPR’s award-winning correspondent Tom Gjelten. Please join us for an engaging conversation on one of the most thought-provoking books of 2010. The event will take place at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel’s Crystal Room, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20004. RSVP online here. Or, call 202.457.9427.
Monday, November 15, 2010 Preventing Genocide and Mass Atrocities: Goals and Challenges of International Cooperation. The Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Committee on Conscience will be hosting a symposium, Preventing Genocide and Mass Atrocities: Goals and Challenges of International Cooperation, to be held on November 15, 2010, in Paris, France. If you are planning to attend, please contact by September 27, Nadia Ficara at nficara@ushmm.org<mailto:nficara@ushmm.org.
March 1 and 2, 2011- Belarus in the 2010s: Challenges of Change, and Pathways to Success.
Fourth Annual Conference of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS, Lithuania)
March 1-2, 2011, Minsk, Belarus. Twenty years after its independence Belarus society and the governing elite faces qualitatively new challenges of development. While Belarus is aiming to join the ranks of the most developed countries in the world with the best business climate and the highest level of human development, which institutions and policies, foreign engagements and patterns of state-society relations would suit these goals the best? Can the country reach these ambitious goals only slightly modifying the political and economic systems? Is balancing between East and West sustainable, particularly in reflection how Russia’s position, and policy, has changed? Which of the Belarus’s neighbors (i.e., Russia and the European Union) will have the leading to be the key partners in the country’s modernization and development? Or does Belarus want to be the European China?
The fourth BISS annual conference «Belarus in the 2010s: Challenges of Change, and Pathways to Success» will take place in March 1-2, 2011. Policy makers, experts, scholars from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, the European Union, and North America, will reflect on the new economic, social, and geopolitical context Belarus found itself after the prolonged conflict with Russia and in the aftermath of the presidential elections held on December 19, 2010, and will measure how the ambitious developmental goals the country is striving to achieve will be framed and moderated by the new realities. The conference debates will be centered upon three policy areas: economic reform, education and human capital development, and energy security. The purpose of the conference discussions is to come up with the expert consensus on which institutions and policies, foreign engagements and patterns of state-society relations would suit these goals the best in each of these policy areas, and to approach the formulation of the reform agenda for Belarus that would enjoy both internal and international support. Please save the date and join us in Minsk on March 1-2, 2011.
The listing was compiled by Hannah Egerton.
