Events at USIP

Latest Episodes:

Can Inclusive Peace Processes Work? May 18, 2018

Show notes

Too often, peace processes only include dueling parties—leaving women; religious, indigenous, and ethnic groups; youth; and survivors of violence excluded from critical discussions that shape the future landscape of a country. Yet, sidelining their voices often results in a resurgence of conflict and fails to achieve comprehensive or sustainable peace.

The U.S. Institute of Peace and Conciliation Resources hosted a discussion on overcoming challenges to inclusive peace processes and negotiated settlements. This event furthered policy conversations supported by evidence-based research on inclusion in peace efforts conducted by Conciliation Resources.

The research draws on case studies and local perspectives with local partners from Colombia, Bougainville and Nepal. The event explored how inclusion is negotiated in war to peace transitions, common barriers to and trade-offs between inclusion and stability, and types of external and internal support that have been effective. The findings reflect upon strategies used by different groups, in particular women and other marginalized groups, to influence these processes.

Speakers:

Nancy Lindborg President, U.S. Institute of Peace

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

Zahbia Yousuf Senior Advisor, Peace and Transition Process, Conciliation Resources

Sophia Close Senior Advisor, Gender and Peacebuilding, Conciliation Resources

Deepak Thapa Director, Social Science Baha Kathmandu, Nepal

Rosa Emilia Salamanca Director, Institute for Social and Economic Research and Action (CIASE) Bogota, Colombia

Esra Cuhadar JR Senior Fellow, U.S. Institute of Peace

Jennifer Marron Peace Process Advisor, Bureau of Conflict Stabilization and Operations, Department of State

War by Other Means May 07, 2018

Show notes

Russia’s concerted disinformation campaign against the West is sowing confusion and distrust and undermining democratic institutions from Ukraine to the United States. Anne Applebaum—a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, thought leader and commentator on politics and foreign policy—and U.S. Institute of Peace Executive Vice President William Taylor will discuss the challenges to the West from Russian aggression and the weapons of disinformation and disruption, and what the United States and its allies need to do to respond.

Speakers: Anne Applebaum Washington Post columnist, Pulitzer-Prize winning author and Professor of Practice at the London School of Economics

William Taylor, Moderator Executive Vice President, U.S. Institute of Peace

Time for Action in the Western Balkans May 04, 2018

Show notes

The Western Balkans—Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania, and Serbia—are re-emerging as a region of stagnation and instability due to poor governance, the influence of outside forces and tense relations between ethnic groups and neighboring states. A forthcoming report by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and the EastWest Institute highlights the need for immediate, decisive action by the U.S. and the European Union to head off instability and possible violent strife.

Join the U.S. Institute of Peace to hear from the authors of the report—all veterans of U.S. diplomacy in the Balkans and Europe—as they present a strategy for the United States and Europe, working in a revitalized partnership, to forestall a downward spiral in the Western Balkans, which could potentially lead to fractured states and widespread instability on Europe’s borders.

Speakers: Amb. Sarah Mendelson, Moderator Distinguished Service Professor of Public Policy and Head of Heinz College in Washington, D.C., Carnegie Mellon University, and former U.S. Representative to the Economic and Social Council at the United Nations

Amb. Frank G. Wisner International Affairs Advisor, Squire Patton Boggs and former U.S. ambassador to Zambia, Egypt, the Philippines and India

Jonathan Levitsky Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton, and former Counselor to Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations

Amb. Cameron Munter CEO and President, The EastWest Institute and former U.S. Ambassador to Serbia and Pakistan

Tom Graham Senior Fellow and Managing Director, Kissinger Associates, Inc.

Afghanistan in 2020: Is Peace Possible? Apr 26, 2018

Show notes

The search for peace has become a central focus of Afghanistan policy in Washington and for Kabul. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered the Taliban constitutional reform and status as a legitimate political party in late February on the condition that the group makes peace. In recent months, the Taliban have also publicly offered talks with the United States and prominent Afghan powerbrokers, and high-profile peace demonstrations in conflict-torn Helmand province have spread across much of the country.

Speakers: Ambassador Timothy Carney Former U.S. Ambassador to Sudan and Haiti

John Wood Associate Professor, National Defense University and former U.S. National Security Council Senior Director for Afghanistan

Johnny Walsh Senior Expert, Afghanistan, U.S. Institute of Peace and former U.S. Department of State lead for Afghan reconciliation

Courtney Cooper International Affairs Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations and former U.S. National Security Council Director for Afghanistan

Ahmad Mohibi Founder and President, Rise to Peace

Michael Sherwin, Moderator Assistant United States Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice and former U.S. Navy Intelligence Officer

Aiding Afghanistan's Economy - Lessons from the U.S. Experience Apr 20, 2018

Show notes

Since 2001, the United States and international donors have supported Afghanistan in its attempt to build a thriving private-sector economy. Despite 17 years of effort, progress has been mixed and much remains to be done. Please join USIP and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) for a presentation and panel discussion on how the United States can improve its private-sector development and economic growth efforts in Afghanistan and in other states emerging from conflict.

At this report launch event, SIGAR will release its latest lessons learned report, Private Sector Development and Economic Growth: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan. This report examines how the U.S. government supported private sector development in Afghanistan since 2001 through efforts led by USAID, with additional significant roles played by the Departments of State, Defense, Commerce, and Treasury. It discusses the myriad challenges of supporting economic development in Afghanistan and offers key findings, lessons, and recommendations to improve private sector development efforts.

Participants: John F. Sopko, Keynote Address Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction

Scott Worden, Moderator Director, Afghanistan and Central Asia Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace

William Byrd Senior Expert, Afghanistan, U.S. Institute of Peace

Paul Fishstein Lead Research Analyst, Lessons Learned Program, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction

Mary Louise Vitelli, Esq. President, Vitelli & Associates, and former advisor to Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum

China and North Korea Conference - War and its Aftermath on the Korean Peninsula - What Role Could China Play? Apr 18, 2018

Show notes

This panel will discuss the contours of a potential conflict on the Korean Peninsula, to include U.S. operations, how China may respond, and opportunities for cooperation. Participants will also examine Beijing’s role in shaping the post-war situation on the peninsula.

Panelists:

Jennifer Staats, Moderator Director, East and Southeast Asia Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace

Abraham Denmark Director, Asia Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Lieutenant General Jan-Marc Jouas USAF (Ret.) Former Deputy Commander, US Forces Korea and United Nations Command Korea

Oriana Skylar Mastro Assistant Professor of Security Studies, Georgetown University Jeanne Kirkpatrick Scholar, American Enterprise Institute

China and North Korea Conference - Ambasssador Mark Lippert Keynote Address Apr 18, 2018

Show notes

With international attention focused on a potential U.S.-North Korea summit meeting in May, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a surprise trip to Beijing in late March to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The North Korean leader’s visit to Beijing, his first foreign visit since assuming power in late 2011, came amid strained bilateral relations in recent years. Kim and Xi appear to have reinvigorated the historical bonds between the two countries and reaffirmed China’s crucial role in the future of the Korean Peninsula. Ambassador Mark Lippert will offer a keynote address that will explore the dynamics and tensions of the historical relationship between China and North Korea, the potential impact of Korean reunification on China, and China’s role in a limited military conflict and its aftermath.

Speakers:

Ambassador Mark Lippert, Keynote Speaker Current member of the Board of Trustees at the Asia Foundation and former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea. Oriana Skylar Mastro, Moderator Assistant Professor of Security Studies, Georgetown University Jeanne Kirkpatrick Scholar, American Enterprise Institute

China and North Korea Conference - Would a Reunified Korea under South Korean Leadership be Positive or Negative for China? Apr 18, 2018

Show notes

This panel will assess China’s position on the ideal end state for the Korean Peninsula and whether a reunified peninsula under South Korean leadership would be beneficial or detrimental to Chinese economic, political, and security interests given South Korean, Japanese and U.S. likely responses.

Panelists:

Frank Aum, Moderator Senior Expert on North Korea, U.S. Institute of Peace Yun Sun Co-Director, East Asia Program; Director, China Program, Stimson Center

Heung-Kyu Kim Director and Professor of Political Science, China Policy Institute, Ajou University, South Korea

Michael Green Chair in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy and Director of Asian Studies, Georgetown University Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies

China and North Korea Conference - China and North Korea Relations Apr 18, 2018

Show notes

This panel will examine the historical China-North Korea relationship, changes in political and security relations, and role of past and present economic ties on the future of the bilateral relationship.

Panelists:

Dennis Wilder, Moderator Managing Director, Initiative for US-China Dialogue on Global Issues; Assistant Professor of Practice, Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University Stella Xu Associate Professor of History, Roanoke College

Yafeng Xia Professor of History, Long Island University Brooklyn

Junsheng Wang Visiting Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council Director and Associate Professor, Department of China’s Regional Strategy, National Institute of International Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China

Countering Illicit Funding of Terrorism - A Bipartisan Congressional Dialogue Apr 17, 2018

Show notes

Criminal and terrorist networks are exploiting today’s innovative technologies for their own gain, posing a direct threat to U.S. security and global stability. Illicit terrorist financing, including through bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, are now being used to fund terrorist groups and circumvent U.S. sanctions. ISIS and rogue nation-states like North Korea, and regional powers like Iran and Russia, sanctioned for their role in conflicts, may also look to illicit financing in order to exploit the international financial system.

The National Security Strategy for 2018 says the United States will “use sophisticated investigative tools to disrupt the ability of criminals to use online marketplaces, cryptocurrencies, and other tools for illicit activities.” On April 17, Representative Steve Pearce (R-NM) and Representative Jim Himes (D-CT) will discuss the growing threat of illicit exploitation of online terrorist financial networks and steps the U.S. should take to improve security and reduce global conflict. Both members serve on the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance, where Rep. Pearce serves as chairman.

Speakers:

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

Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM) 2nd Congressional District of New Mexico, U.S. House of Representatives

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) 4th Congressional District of Connecticut, U.S. House of Representatives