July 22, 2009. Captive Nations: Past, Present and Future?
The Heritage Foundation will mark the 50th anniversary of National Captive Nations Week with a panel discussion on what U.S. policy toward the five remaining communist countries should be. The panelists will include: Lee Edwards, Ph.D, distinguished Fellow in Conservative Thought, The Heritage Foundation, and Chairman, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation; and Marek Chodakiewicz, Ph.D., Academic Dean and Professor of History, Institute of World Politics.
Venue: Allison Auditorium, 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington, DC. From 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. RSVP online at http://www.heritage.org/Press/Events/ or call (202) 675-1752.
July 23, 2009. Iran’s Clenched Fist: Should the United States Extend or Withdraw its Hand?
Leading experts Roger Cohen, New York Times; Ali Ansari, director of the Iranian Institute at the University of St. Andrews; and George Perkovich, director of Carnegie’s Nonproliferation Program, will discuss the effect of the Iranian election on U.S. policy. Karim Sadjadpour will moderate the discussion. Venue: 1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC. From 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. RSVP is necessary.
July 23, 2009. Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Controversy: The Debate behind Drafting a New Constitution. Freedom House will hold a panel discussion with stakeholders in Zimbabwe’s constitutional reform process. The discussion will center on the conflict between the opposing groups and what the future holds for Zimbabwe. The participants will be: Hon. Lovemore Moyo, Speaker of Parliament – to be confirmed; Dr. Lovemore Madhuku, National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), Chairman; Douglas Mwonzora, Co-Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee; Otto Saki, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).
Venue: 1800 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC. From 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. RSVP to Elena Postnikova at Postnikova@freedomhouse.org or 202-747-7038.
July 23, 2009. Vietnam: An Update on the Status of Human Rights and Religious Freedom
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission will hold a hearing on the status of human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam. The witnesses will be: Michael Cromartie, vice chairman, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director, Human Rights Watch; and Thang Nguyen, executive director, Boat People SOS.
Venue: 2255 Rayburn HOB. From 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Hoffman (Rep. Wolf) or Hans Hogrefe (Rep. McGovern) at 202-225-3599.
July 27, 2009. Hugo Chávez and the Collapse of the Venezuelan Economy
The news from Caracas is bleak: “Today, there’s no milk, no rice, no beans, no chicken, no meat, no butter, and no cooking oil,” reported one Venezuelan as he shopped at a government-run store selling subsidized staples for the poor. Despite record oil revenue, Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy staggers as inflation soars to 30 percent and economic growth slows to its lowest rate in five years. Any government revenue that remains has been sapped by massive corruption and inefficiency; unaccounted social spending; growing debt; and President Hugo Chávez’s costly coalition of client states, including Bolivia and Nicaragua.
What does Chávez’s unconstitutional attack on private enterprise and brazen economic disregard portend for the Venezuelan people, who are already in the midst of an economic crisis? What will it take to revive Venezuela’s consumer spending and fiscal stability? What does the crisis in Venezuela mean for other countries in the region? Moisés Naím, editor in chief of Foreign Policy, and a board member of the National Endowment for Democracy will deliver a keynote address, followed by a panel of distinguished Venezuelan political and economic experts. AEI’s Roger F. Noriega will moderate. 1:00-2:30 p.m. Wohlstetter Conference Center, Twelfth Floor, AEI, 1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036
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