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Check out the new film about Cuba's "unknown dissident" Dr Oscar Biscet
Tuesday, November 16, 2010- 8:00 a.m. “2010 Forum on Restoring America’s Leadership of a Democratic World.”
The Foreign Policy Initiative will be holding its 2010 forum on Restoring America’s Leadership of a Democratic World on November 16. The event will include Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., delivers remarks on Winning the War in Afghanistan. The event will also include Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar delivering remarks on The Challenge to the West, and the Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg will be delivering remarks. The event will take place at the W Hotel, 515 15th Street NW, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact 202-296-3322, info@foreignpolicyi.org.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010- 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. “The Frontiers of Europe: Challenges for Lithuania’s Upcoming Chairmanships.” The last two decades have witnessed dramatic changes in the European political landscape. Following the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union, the NATO and European Union enlargement processes integrated new democracies into Europe and the Euro-Atlantic community, and helped underpin democracy, stability, and modernization in the region. One notable illustration of Europe’s broadening frontiers is Lithuania, a nation once under Soviet control that will soon hold the chairmanships of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Community of Democracies in 2011, and the European Union presidency in 2013. On November 16, the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings will host Lithuanian Foreign Minister and incoming OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Audronius Ažubalis for an address on the challenges facing the organization. In his remarks, Minister Ažubalis will outline the priorities and ideas that Lithuania will bring to its upcoming chairmanships, and the implications they will have for the Euro-Atlantic community as a whole. Following the foreign minister’s remarks, State Department Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Nancy McEldowney and former U.S. Representative to the OSCE Julie Finley will provide comments. Brookings Senior Fellow Steven Pifer will provide introductory remarks and moderate the discussion. After the program, the speakers will take audience questions. The event will take place at the Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Falk Auditorium, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact 202-797-6105, events@brookings.edu.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010- 9:00 a.m. “Brazil’s Foreign Policy of Today and Tomorrow: A Critical Appraisal.” The Woodrow Wilson Center (WWC) is holding a discussion on Brazil’s Foreign Policy of Today and Tomorrow: A Critical Appraisal. The speakers will include: Roberto Abdenur, former Brazilian deputy foreign minister and former Brazilian ambassador to China and the United States; Sergio Amaral, former Brazilian minister of development, industry and commerce, and former Brazilian ambassador to England and France; Marcos Azambuja, former Brazilian deputy foreign minister and former Brazilian ambassador to Argentina and France; Antonio Carlos Pereira, editor of the Opinion Page at O Estado de S. Paulo; Paulo Sotero, director of the WWC’s Brazil Institute; James Ferrer, director of the George Washington University Center for Latin American Studies; and Peter Hakim, president emeritus at Inter-American Dialogue. The event will take place at the WWC, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. for more information please contact 202-691-4000.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010- 10:00 a.m. “Egypt Votes: Challenges and Prospects.” The panel is being moderated by Mohamed Elshinnawi, a 30-year veteran of reporting from and about the Middle East for VOA. Experts will explore some of the particulars of the current parliamentary election process. They will also look at the bigger picture: what is at stake for next year’s presidential election? Will opposition parties boycott as threatened? And what does all this mean for democracy in the region? The speakers will include Karim Haggag, director of the Egyptian Press and Information Office; former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, Edward Walker; Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Egyptian sociologist; and Elizabeth Arrott, VOA Cairo Bureau chief. The event will take place at the Voice of America, 330 Independence Avenue SW, Briefing Room 1528-A, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact 202-203-4959.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010- 2:00 p.m. “Beyond the Strategic Dialogue: U.S.-Pakistan Relationship.” Please join the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center on November 16 for a discussion of US-Pakistan relations with H.E. Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States.
H.E. Husain Haqqani is Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States in Washington, DC. A trusted advisor of late Pakistani Prime Minister, Ms. Benazir Bhutto, Ambassador Haqqani is known as a Professor at Boston University and Co-Chair of the Hudson Institute’s Project on the Future of the Muslim World as well as editor of the journal ‘Current Trends in Islamist Thought’ published from Washington DC. The event will take place at the Atlantic Council, 1101 15th Street NW, 11th Floor, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact Mary Micevych, 202-778-4993, press@acus.org
Tuesday, November 16, 2010-5:00 p.m. “World Premier of Justice for Sergei.” The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission) will be holding a briefing to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the death of Russian anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky – with the world premier of Justice for Sergei, a film about the anti-corruption lawyer’s life and death. The speakers will include Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md.; Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla.; Boris Nemtsov, Russian opposition leader; and David Kramer, executive director at Freedom House. The event will take place at the CVC-Orientation Theater North, U.S. Capitol. For more information please contact Neil Simon, 202-225-1901, neil.simon@mail.house.gov; or Kyle Parker, 202-225-1901, kyle.parker@mail.house.gov.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010- 6:30 p.m. “Distinguished Women in International Affairs.” The George Washington University (GWU) Elliott School of International Affairs will be holding a Distinguished Women in International Affairs series event. The guest speaker will be Anne-Marie Slaughter, director of policy planning at the State Department. The event will take place at the 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://tiny.cc/annemarieslaughter]
Wednesday, November 17, 2010- 4:00 p.m. “200 Days Under Yanukovych and After Local Elections: Implications for Ukraine’s Democracy and Foreign Policy.” George Washington University (GWU) Elliott School of International Affairs will be holding a discussion on 200 Days Under Yanukovych and After Local Elections: Implications for Ukraine’s Democracy and Foreign Policy. The guest speaker will be Taras Kuzio, visiting fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Studies at the School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. The event will take place at GWU Elliott School, 1957 E Street NW, Voesar Conference Room, Suite 412, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact 202-994-8025. RSVP to ieresgwu@gwu.edu
Thursday, November 18, 2010- 9:30 a.m. “2010 International Press Freedom Awards.” The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) will be holding a briefing with recipients of the 2010 International Press Freedom Awards, who will tell their stories and assess the challenges and repercussions of practicing independent journalism in their countries. The speakers will include Alan Bjerga, president of the National Press Club; Joel Simon, executive director at CPJ; and 2010 International Press Freedom Awards recipients: Dawit Kebede, founder and managing editor at Awramba Times in Ethiopia; Nadira Isayeva, editor-in-chief of Chernovik in Russia; Laureano Marguez, opinion writer, satirist and columnist of Tal Cual in Venezuela; and Mohammad Davari, editor-in-chief of Saham News, imprisoned in Iran, represented by CPJ’s Middle East Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem. The event will take place at the National Press Club, 14th and F Streets NW, Lisagor Room, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact Magnus Ag, 21-562-1004 ext. 128, mag@cpj.org.
Thursday, November 18, 2010- 11:00 a.m. “Democracy at Risk: Central America Under Siege.” Two decades after the end of the Cold War and a restoration of peace, Central America faces unrelenting challenges that threaten the region’s health. From Nicaragua currently fractured by President Daniel Ortega’s quest for a third term and Guatemala rendered increasingly ungovernable by drug lords to a polarized Honduras recovering from last year’s constitutional crisis and El Salvador with its unique experiment in leftist government, the Central American situation appears problematic. In the 1980s, Washington judged developments in Central America critical to U.S. interests. In 2010, Central America is largely an afterthought, a troublesome region rife with crime, conflict, and potential immigrants but well down on the policy agenda. Professor Cruz’s presentation and the panel discussion will help clarify thinking and demonstrate why the fate of Central America and its 40 million citizens should be a matter of concern for the United States today. The event will take place at the Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Lehrman Auditorium, Washington, D.C. For more information please contact 202-675-1752, lectures.seminars@heritage.org; [Note: RSVP to 202-675-1752.]
Thursday, November 18, 2010- 12:15-1:45 p.m. “Egypt’s Political Future: The Parliamentary Elections and Beyond.” Opposition activity is heating up as Egypt moves closer to parliamentary elections on November 28. But as voters prepare to head to the polls, the Egyptian government has tightened restrictions on independent media and civil society, and has already disqualified one-quarter of the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidates. It remains unclear to what extent domestic or international monitors will be allowed to observe the elections. How will competition within the National Democratic Party affect the elections? How will the conduct and results of parliamentary elections affect next year’s presidential election? And what will the elections means for Egypt’s relations with the United States and U.S. policy toward its key ally in the Arab world? Amr Hamzawy, research director and a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center, and Michele Dunne, a senior associate in the Carnegie Middle East Program, will discuss the high stakes of Egypt’s upcoming election.
Thursday, November 18, 2010- 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m. “Foreign Policy and Development: Structure, Process, Policy, and The Drip-by-Drip Erosion of USAID.” Ironically, while foreign assistance has grown in importance in U.S. foreign policy and , as of the Obama Administration’s National Security Strategy, is now “on par” with diplomacy and defense, it has deteriorated organizationally, substantively and procedurally. It will not take long to see how great a difference the deterioration in structure and process will have on development content. Already, the tangible erosion has had discernable, negative effects on the quality of analysis, internal discourse, and decision-making. Gerry Hyman’s CSIS article – Foreign Policy and Development… – explores these tensions and notes that its lessons apply more broadly across government: the impulse to create new bureaucratic structures or to reorganize existing ones often fails to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of the new organization and the costs and benefits of reorganizing, especially the unanticipated consequences. Speakers will include, Dan Runde, Jerry Hyman, Jim Kolbe, and Larry Garber. The event will take place at the B-1 Conference Center at CSIS, 1800 K Street, NW, Washington DC. Please RSVP to Lauren Soelberg at lsoelberg@csis.org.
Thursday, November 18, 2010- 4:30 p.m.– 6:00 p.m. “Belarus 2010: Presidential Elections, Political Stability and Foreign Relations.” Belarus holds its next presidential elections on December 19 and, while they are not likely to be free or fair, they are shaping up to be critical elections for the survival of the regime of President Alexander Lukashenka. Next month, Lukashenka fights his first presidential election without Russian support. Lukashenka’s popularity is at its lowest for many years. Yet, the opposition remains divided. What can we expect of Belarus 2010? Panelists will analyze the international and domestic factors that will shape these critical elections. The event is hosted by The Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University are hosting the event. Guest speakers will include Orest Deychakiwsky, Policy Advisor at the US Helsinki Commission, David Kramer, the Executive Director at Freedom House, Taras Kuzio, Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Fellow at CTR, and Mitchell Orenstein, Associate Professor of European Studies at SAIS. The event will take place at Room 500, 1717 Massachusetts Ave N.W., Washington, DC. RSVP to transatlanticrsvp@jhu.edu with “Nov 18 Belarus” in the subject line.
Thursday, November 18, 2010- 6:00 p.m. “Oscar’s Cuba.” The Embassy of the Czech Republic and the Embassy of Hungary are hosting a special screening of the film Oscar’s Cuba withguest director Jordan Allott on November 18, 2010 at 7 p.m. This 60-minute video documentary presented in Spanish and English tells the story of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, a prisoner of conscience serving a 25-year prison sentence for the crime of “disrespecting the revolution” through his promotion of human rights, democracy and respect for human life in Cuba. Dr. Biscet is one of the communist island´s best-known opposition leaders and human rights advocates. The event will take place at the Embassy of the Czech Republic, 3900 Spring of Freedom Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008. RSVP by November 16 to michala_kocarkova@mzv.cz or 202-274-9134.
Friday, November 19, 2010-9:00 a.m. “Human Rights, Democracy and Displacement in Georgia.” Since the conflicts over Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the early 1990s, violence has erupted several times in Georgia, most notably in August 2008. Large-scale human rights violations characterized the August 2008 war, including the displacement of almost 150,000 people. By the time the fighting ended, Georgia had lost the last areas it controlled in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and Russia subsequently recognized the independence of both. While most of those displaced in the August 2008 war have returned, over 200,000 people from earlier conflicts remain displaced. On November 19, the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement will host a discussion of current issues around human rights, democracy and displacement in Georgia. The event will feature a presentation by Tinatin Khidasheli, international secretary of the Republican Party of Georgia, and Giorgi Chkheidze, executive director of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association. Following their remarks, Sam Patten, senior program manager for Eurasia at Freedom House, and Nadine Walicki, country analyst for the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, will join the discussion. Senior Fellow Elizabeth Ferris, co-director of the Brookings-Bern Project, will provide introductory remarks and moderate the discussion. After the program, panelists will take audience questions. The event will take place at The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW. For more information please contact 202-797-6105 .
Friday, November 19, 2010- 12:15 p.m.-1:45 p.m. “The North Caucasus: New Threats and Challenges.” The situation in the North Caucasus has worsened this year. A new upsurge of violence in the region is challenging the notion that Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has stabilized the situation, while turbulence continued to plague Dagestan and Ingushetia. Moscow’s latest envoy to the region, Alexander Khloponin, recently reported that his efforts to boost the economy there have so far failed. A panel of experts will examine the reasons for the latest violence and the policy options available to both Washington and Moscow for tackling a new phase of instability in the North Caucasus. The speakers will include Alexei Malashenko, Joshua Yaffa, the National Endowment for Democracy’s Miriam Lanskoy, Thomas de Waal. The event will take place at 1779 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC.
Monday, November 29, 2010- 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. “Book Discussion: The Victims Return: Survivors of the Gulag after Stalin.” The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars will be hosting a book discussion on The Victims Return: Survivors of the Gulag after Stalin.” Stephen F. Cohen, the author, and Professor of Russian Studies and History, New York University will be speaking. The event will be held in the 6th floor Flom Auditorium. For more information please go here.
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? 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.
Monday, March 7, 2011- 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. “Irving Kristol and the Neoconservative Persuasion.” The American Enterprise Institute will be hosting the Bradley Lecture by William Kristol on “Irving Kristol and the Neoconservative Persuasion” on March 7, 2011 at the American Enterprise Institute, in the Wohlstetter Conference Center on the 12th Floor, 1150 Seventeenth Street, NW, Washington DC 20036. For more information please go here.
The listing was compiled by Hannah Egerton.
