Events at USIP

Latest Episodes:

Senator Joni Ernst Discusses U.S. Policy Options in Post-ISIS Iraq Jul 26, 2018

Show notes

On Thursday, July 26, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) joined the U.S. Institute of Peace to give remarks on U.S. policy options in Iraq in the post-ISIS era. She discussed the protection of religious minority groups and offered her perspective on Iranian influence in the country and region.

Senator Ernst is the first female combat veteran to serve in the U.S. Senate, having retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard. She serves as the Chairwoman of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee.

Speakers: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) U.S. Senator from Iowa

Nancy Lindborg, moderator President, U.S. Institute of Peace

South Sudan - From Independence to Civil War Jul 19, 2018

Show notes

South Sudan’s civil war is one of the most brutal and destructive conflicts of the 21st century. Could the war have been prevented? Could some of the atrocities and misery caused by the war have been avoided? On July 19 the U.S. Institute of Peace and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide hosted a discussion on what lessons should be learned from U.S. policy toward South Sudan in the years leading up to and during the civil war.

Speakers: Ambassador Donald Booth Former U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan

Kate Almquist Knopf Director, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University

Joshua Meservey Senior Policy Analyst, Africa and the Middle East, The Heritage Foundation

Jon Temin Visiting Fellow, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide and Africa Director, Freedom House

Mike Yaffe, welcoming remarks Vice President, Middle East and Africa Center, U.S. Institute of Peace

Aly Verjee, moderator Visiting Expert, United States Institute of Peace

Will Pakistan's Youth be a Boom or Bust for its Democracy? Jul 19, 2018

Show notes

With over 44 percent of new voters between the ages of 18 and 35, Pakistan’s youth will play an important role in the upcoming elections and influence the future of the country’s democracy. To harness the power of Pakistan’s youth, a recent UNDP Human Development Report argues for a national focus on youth empowerment through education, employment, and meaningful engagement. According to the report, youth will prove to be a dividend or a serious challenge to the country, depending on how Pakistan invests in their development. To positively impact that policy, youth must be empowered and engaged.

Speakers: Sahar Khan Visiting Research Fellow, CATO Institute

Dr. Adil Najam Dean, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University

Pir Zubair Shah Freelance Journalist

Jumaina Siddiqui, Moderator Senior Program Officer, Asia Center, U.S. Institute of Peace

Wildlife Poaching and Trafficking - Combating a Source of Terrorist Funding Jul 17, 2018

Show notes

Illegal wildlife poaching and trafficking has destabilized local communities and devastated elephant, rhino, and endangered species populations across Africa. High demand for wildlife products in Asia has driven this surge in poaching and trafficking, threatening the future of these species. Illegal trade in protected wildlife is worth an estimated $7 to $10 billion. This figure places wildlife trafficking among the most lucrative criminal activities worldwide, rivaling the illegal trade in drugs and arms in size and scope. The United States, with support from Congress, has been at the forefront of this push, through legislation like the Congo Basin Forest Partnership Act of 2004 and the END Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016.

Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will discuss key successes, challenges, and next steps for U.S. policymakers.

Speakers: Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) U.S. Representative from California

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) U.S. Senator from Delaware

Nancy Lindborg President, U.S. Institute of Peace

Senator Jeff Merkley on Violence and Humanitarian Response in Africa Jul 11, 2018

Show notes

Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) recently returned from a five-country visit to Somalia, South Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to assess the region’s humanitarian crises while seeking to better understand their root causes. He held over 35 meetings with civil society, refugees living in camps, aid workers, government officials, and U.N. peacekeepers. During his visit, it became clear to Senator Merkley that U.S. diplomatic leadership, development aid, and humanitarian response are critical to addressing the root causes of conflict, climate change and corruption.

Speakers: Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) U.S. Senator from Oregon

Nancy Lindborg, Moderator President, U.S. Institute of Peace

A Year in the Life of a Peace Teacher Jul 10, 2018

Show notes

At a time when violent international conflict and the threat of extremism loom large, four high school teachers in Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, and Florida have spent the last year taking part in a U.S. Institute of Peace program to help their students gain the knowledge, skills and perspectives they need to work toward a more peaceful world.

Three of USIP’s 2017 Peace Teachers will share how they advanced their students’ understanding of conflict and the possibilities of peace in ways that aligned with their existing curriculum. Their stories will reveal how students from very different communities across the U.S. make sense of the world and what they were inspired to do over the past year as part of this USIP program.

Participants: Nancy Lindborg, Welcoming Remarks President, U.S. Institute of Peace

Megan Chabalowski, Introductions Program Officer, Public Education, U.S. Institute of Peace

Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Moderator American novelist, short story writer and journalist, and Member, International Advisory Council, U.S. Institute of Peace

Amy Cameron Grandview High School, Grandview, MO

Ezra Shearer Sentinel High School, Missoula, MT

Maria Zelaya Eastside High School, Gainesville, FL

Mapping the Role of Religion in Fragile States Jun 29, 2018

Show notes

From Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s influence in the Iraqi elections to the involvement of religious actors in South Sudan’s peace process, the role of religion in conflict zones continues to dominate headlines. Please join field researchers and U.S. Institute of Peace experts on June 26, as they present an approach for mapping the role of religious actors and institutions to better understand their legitimacy and influence in contributing to peace and conflict, exploring findings from three recent mappings from Libya, South Sudan, and Iraq based on work from the field.

Speakers: Col. Paul Hughes, welcoming remarks Acting Vice President, Center for Applied Conflict Transformation, U.S. Institute of Peace

Rev. Susan Hayward, introductory remarks Senior Advisor, Religion & Inclusive Societies, U.S. Institute of Peace

Rosarie Tucci, moderator Director, Inclusive Societies, U.S. Institute of Peace

Palwasha Kakar Senior Program Officer, Libya Project Coordinator, U.S. Institute of Peace

Monica Pio South Sudan Researcher, Forcier Consulting

Zainab Qassim Networks Manager, Sanad for Peacebuilding, U.S. Institute of Peace

Dr. Ann Wainscott Lead Researcher and Iraq Project Coordinator, U.S. Institute of Peace

Dr. Jacqueline Wilson Lead Researcher and South Sudan Project Coordinator, U.S. Institute of Peace

A Conversation with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova Jun 27, 2018

Show notes

The U.S. Institute of Peace is proud to host Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip, accompanied by several of his cabinet ministers, for a discussion focused on his country’s foreign policy, regional role, reform achievements, political situation, and efforts to combat Russian influence. It is a critical period for Eastern Europe and a key time for Moldova in light of November's parliamentary elections that will determine the further direction of the country.

Russia - 21st Century Disrupter in Europe - A Bipartisan Congressional Dialogue Jun 20, 2018

Show notes

For over a decade, Russia’s Vladimir Putin has campaigned to subvert the liberal world order and undermine global norms by invading neighbors and interfering in democratic processes at home and abroad. Without strong leadership from an allied West to push back on Russian ambitions, the postwar order established by the United States and its allies is in jeopardy, and progress made over the last 70 years is at risk of being reversed. The United States must continue to lead on global issues, support democracy, uphold the rule of law, and push back on the disruptive ambitions of revisionist states like Russia.

Speakers: Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL) 19th Congressional District of Florida, U.S. House of Representatives

Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA) 9th Congressional District of Massachusetts, U.S. House of Representatives

Nancy Lindborg, moderator President, U.S. Institute of Peace

The Long Search for Peace in Afghanistan Jun 08, 2018

Show notes

This event features discussion about the practical steps for the search for peace in Afghanistan. This effort has moved to center stage in recent months following President Ashraf Ghani’s late February peace offer to the Taliban, a series of major international conferences that consolidated support for a peace deal, and a wave of pro-peace demonstrations across Afghanistan. Crucial questions nonetheless remain: What it will take to get the Taliban to join peace talks in earnest? What will a prospective peace agreement look like? How does the peace process affect the Afghan and international military campaign?

Panel 1: Top-Down Peace: Negotiations, the Taliban, and the Shape of a Deal

Steve Brooking, Director of Peace and Reconciliation, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Laurel Miller, Former State Department Acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Barnett Rubin, Senior Fellow and Associate Director of the Center for International Cooperation, New York University Rahmatullah Amiri, Senior Researcher, The Liaison Office (TLO) Moderator: Johnny Walsh, Senior Expert on Afghanistan, U.S. Institute of Peace

Panel 2: Bottom-Up Peace: Militias, Reintegration and Local Accommodations

Michael Semple, Visiting Professor, Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice, Queen's University, Belfast Kate Clark, Director, Afghanistan Analysts Network Erica Gaston, Non-Resident Fellow, Global Public Policy Institute Nilofar Sakhi, Lecturer, George Mason University Moderator: Scott Worden, Director of Afghanistan and Central Asia Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace

Closing Remarks with Ambassador Hamdullah Mohib, Afghan Ambassador to the United States

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected