A Conversation with Republic of Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema

On September 23, USIP hosted a conversation with newly-elected Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and a panel of experts that explored Hichilema’s governing priorities, as well as his approach toward key continent-wide issues such as Africa’s engagement with China, implementation of the African Union Agenda 2063, youth and gender issues, and lessons learned to strengthen democracy across Africa.

Speakers

Lise Grande, welcoming remarks
President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace 

Ambassador George E. Moose, moderator
Vice Chair of the Board, U.S. Institute of Peace

His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema
President of the Republic of Zambia 

Dana Banks
Special Assistant to the President of the United States; Senior Director for Africa, National Security Council 

Ambassador Johnnie Carson
Senior Advisor, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/conversation-republic-zambia-president-hakainde-hichilema

The Peril and Potential of War Zone Partnerships

Violent conflicts are increasingly defined by overlapping webs of alliances, proxies and other types of “support relationships” between state and non-state belligerents. To help policymakers understand the stakes of these partnerships, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) recently launched its seminal report, “Allies, Partners and Proxies: Managing Support Relationships in Armed Conflict to Reduce the Human Cost of War.” On September 16, USIP and ICRC held a discussion on the report’s findings, how they can be applied to security partnerships, and the practical steps that U.S. and international policymakers should consider to better protect civilians in today’s increasingly complex crises.

Speakers

Lise Grande
President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace

Peter Maurer
President, International Committee of the Red Cross

Lieutenant General Michael K. Nagata, USA (Ret)

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/peril-and-potential-war-zone-partnerships

Twenty Years After 9/11: How Peacebuilding Has Changed

On September 10, 2021, USIP reflected on how the tragic events of 9/11 have shaped the field of peacebuilding. USIP Board Chair and former National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley, USIP Vice Chair Ambassador George Moose and USIP President and CEO Lise Grande discussed how the field of peacebuilding has changed in the last 20 years — and how it should evolve to meet the challenges that will define the next two decades.

Speakers

Lise Grande
President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace

Stephen J. Hadley
Chair, Board of Directors, U.S. Institute of Peace

Ambassador George Moose
Vice Chair, Board of Directors, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/twenty-years-after-911-how-peacebuilding-has-changed

Religion, Identity and Conflict in Northern Nigeria

Conflict in northern Nigeria is once again on the rise. On September 9, USIP and Mercy Corps held a discussion about new research and evidence that examine the complex linkages between the political, economic and identity-based conflicts that are driving broader conflict in northern Nigeria — as well as the implications for policy and programmatic interventions. The conversation covered the multiple overlapping cleavages related to identity (including ethnicity and religion) and livelihood activities (such as farming and pastoralism) that continue to animate violence in the region.

Speakers

Oge Onubogu, moderator
Director, West Africa Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace

Kaltumi Abdulazeez  
Program Officer, Community Initiative to Promote Peace (CIPP) Program, Interfaith Mediation Center  

Jason Klocek
Senior Researcher, Religion and Inclusive Societies, U.S. Institute of Peace
Assistant Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham

Emmanuel Ogbudu 
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager, Mercy Corps

Ryan Sheely 
Director of Research, Mercy Corps

Mukhtari Shitu
Conflict Program Specialist, USAID

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/religion-identity-and-conflict-northern-nigeria

Pakistan’s National Security Outlook: A Conversation with Pakistani National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf

With escalating violence in Afghanistan, intensifying competition between the United States and China, limited hopes for rapprochement with India, and the COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan’s neighborhood is evolving — and Pakistan’s national security approach will have to evolve with it. On August 5, USIP hosted a conversation with Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf. The discussion looked at what these developments mean for Pakistan’s national security outlook towards its neighbors and its relationship with the United States, as well as how the pandemic impacts Pakistan’s security and economic policy.

Speakers

Lise Grande, opening remarks
President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace

Dr. Moeed Yusuf
National Security Advisor, Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Ambassador Richard Olson, moderator 
Senior Advisor, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/pakistans-national-security-outlook

Whose Court Is the Ball In? Making Progress on Peace and Denuclearization With North Korea

North Korea’s unwillingness or hesitation to meet with the United States raises questions about North Korea’s motivations, fears and calculus — as well as whether Washington and Seoul’s best course of action is greater outreach, pressure or patience. On August 4, USIP and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea co-hosted a discussion on the current state of diplomacy with North Korea.

Speakers

Ki-jung Kim
President, Institute of National Security Strategy 

Joseph Yun
Senior Advisor, U.S. Institute of Peace

Gee Dong Lee
Senior Research Fellow, Institute of National Security Strategy 

Moon-soo Yang
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor, University of North Korean Studies

Hee-Seung Na
Former President, Korea Railroad Research Institute

Kathleen Stephens
President and CEO, Korea Economic Institute of America

Markus Garlauskas
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council

Frank Aum, moderator
Senior Expert, Northeast Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/whose-court-ball-making-progress-peace-and-denuclearization-north-korea

Addressing the Legacies of the Vietnam War: The Next Step Forward

The U.S. government will soon launch a Vietnamese Wartime Accounting Initiative following decades of Vietnamese cooperation to conduct the fullest possible accounting of missing U.S. personnel. To support this and other bilateral initiatives, USIP has established a new project that will promote greater dialogue both in and between the United States and Vietnam on war legacy issues and reconciliation. On August 3, USIP hosted a discussion with U.S. and Vietnamese officials on the Vietnamese Wartime Accounting Initiative and how it fits into broader efforts to overcome legacies of war.

Speakers

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
U.S. Senator; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations 

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien
Deputy Minister, Vietnam Ministry of National Defense

Ha Kim Ngoc
Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the United States

Christopher Klein
Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy in Vietnam

Colonel Thomas Stevenson
U.S. Defense Attaché, U.S. Embassy in Hanoi

Ann Marie Yastishock
Mission Director to Vietnam, USAID

Major General Tran Quoc Dung
Chief of the Executive Office, NSC-515

Lise Grande, welcoming remarks
President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace

Ambassador George Moose, moderator
Vice Chair, Board of Directors, U.S. Institute of Peace 

Brian Harding, moderator
Senior Expert, Southeast Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/addressing-legacies-vietnam-war-next-step-forward

Nuclear Security Policy in an Era of Strategic Competition

The Congressional Nuclear Security Working Group, co-chaired by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL), is a bipartisan caucus dedicated to facilitating awareness and engagement on the urgent threats posed by the prospect of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism. The caucus goals include strengthening nuclear safeguards, securing fissile material and preventing the misuse and spread of sensitive nuclear materials and technologies. On July 28, USIP hosted a conversation with Reps. Fortenberry and Foster to explore some of the key issues facing policymakers when it comes to nuclear nonproliferation, maintenance and modernization, and diplomacy in this era of strategic competition.

Speakers

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE)
U.S. Representative from Nebraska
@JeffFortenberry

Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL)
U.S. Representative from Illinois 
@RepBillFoster

Lise Grande, moderator
President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/nuclear-security-policy-era-strategic-competition

The Convention on Refugees at 70: A Conversation with Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield

Driven by violent conflict and insecurity, the world is facing a new displacement crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated displacement trends, pushing healthcare infrastructure to the brink and creating dire economic conditions as countries struggle to contain the virus. Meanwhile, climate change uprooted more than 30 million people—the highest figure in a decade. On July 28, USIP hosted U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield to reflect on the 70th anniversary of the Refugee Convention and its critical importance in the current global context. The discussion took stock of the global community’s efforts to protect the rights of refugees and asylum seekers under international refugee and humanitarian law and considered how the United States and its network of allies and partners can better protect those rights in a moment of profound global crisis and uncertainty.

Speakers

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

Lise Grande
President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/convention-refugees-70-conversation-ambassador-linda-thomas-greenfield

China’s Potential Role in Venezuela’s Political and Humanitarian Crisis

China-Venezuela relations were strong at the outset of the 21st Century, but there are indications that China may be growing dissatisfied with the status quo. These include failed infrastructure projects, labor disputes, the challenges of navigating oil embargos and, most importantly, Venezuela’s inability to repay billions of dollars in loans from China. These economic interests will most likely be an important consideration as Beijing navigates its possible involvement in resolving the crisis. On July 22, USIP hosted a discussion on the nature of the China-Venezuela relationship, the role China could realistically play in support of a negotiated political settlement and how Washington and Beijing may be able to find common ground on key issues.

Speakers

Keith Mines, opening remarks
Director, Latin America Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace

Adriana Erthal Abdenur,
Executive Director, Plataforma CIPÓ (Brazil)

Marialbert Barrios
Deputy, Primero Justicia, National Assembly of Venezuela 

Matthew Ferchen 
Research Fellow, Leiden University

Yuan Mengqi 
Researcher, China-Latin America Issues, Institute for International and Area Studies, Tsinghua University

Joseph Tucker
Senior Expert, Greater Horn of Africa, U.S. Institute of Peace

Amb. Thomas A. Shannon Jr., closing remarks
U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, 2016-2018

Henry Tugendhat, moderator
Senior Policy Analyst, China, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/chinas-potential-role-venezuelas-political-and-humanitarian-crisis