Countering Youth Engagement in Violence

Violent extremism has become one of the major challenges to stability in fragile states, characterized by weak, non-inclusive institutions, and lack of economic opportunity. Youth are often perceived as particularly vulnerable to recruitment into extremist groups. The U.S. Institute of Peace has funded several impact evaluations of peacebuilding interventions over the last few years, including two rigorous evaluations of Mercy Corps’ youth programming in Afghanistan and Somalia aimed at reducing support for armed opposition groups.  This discussion will tackle the potential for implementing these programs at scale and its potential effect on broader conflict dynamics in places like Afghanistan and Somalia.

Speakers:
Joseph Hewitt, moderator
Vice President of Policy, Learning, and Strategy, USIP

Scott Worden
Director of Afghanistan and Central Asia Programs, USIP

Aubrey Cox
Program Officer, Youth, USIP

Abdullahi Boru Halakhe
Senior Officer Policy and Advocacy-Africa, International Rescue Committee

Beza Tesfaye
Senior Researcher, Mercy Corps

Can Power-sharing Arrangements Deliver Peace?

Power-sharing arrangements are often applied as a means to address conflict between two parties. But practitioners and policymakers alike agree that the foundation for such arrangements requires considerable strategy and planning, including articulating clear objectives and expectations. Under what conditions do power-sharing arrangements work? What are the key ingredients to help unity governments succeed? Do power-sharing arrangements build political trust by delivering to citizens?

Speakers:
Jeff Helsing
Associate Vice President, U.S. Institute of Peace

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

Susan Stigant
Director, Africa Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace

Caroline Hartzell
Professor, Political Science Department, Gettysburg College

Matthew Hoddie
Associate Professor, Towson University

Clark Letterman
Survey Research Specialist, Research Triangle Institute International

U.S.-Georgia Partnership - Conference Panel Two - Strategic Gateway for Regional Expansion

This year marks the centennial of Georgia’s independence and the establishment of the First Republic in 1918 and the 10th year since the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008. Please join the U.S. Institute of Peace, Embassy of Georgia and the Heritage Foundation in welcoming The Honorable Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia, for the Second Annual U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Conference. Renowned experts will explore the current state of regional affairs, focusing on the geopolitical interests of the United States and Georgia.

Panelists:

H.E. Dimitry Kumsishvili
First Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia

Mr. Brock Bierman
Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, USAID

Ambassador Elisabeth Millard
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs

Mr. Christian Danielsson
Director General for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission

Mr. Jonathan Katz, Moderator
Senior Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States

Closing Remarks:

H.E. Levan Izoria
Minister of Defense of Georgia

U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership - Conference Panel One - Geopolitics and Security

This year marks the centennial of Georgia’s independence and the establishment of the First Republic in 1918 and the 10th year since the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008. Please join the U.S. Institute of Peace, Embassy of Georgia and the Heritage Foundation in welcoming The Honorable Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia, for the Second Annual U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Conference. Renowned experts will explore the current state of regional affairs, focusing on the geopolitical interests of the United States and Georgia.

Keynote Address:

The Honorable Giorgi Kvirikashvili
Prime Minister of Georgia

Panelists:

H.E. Mikheil Janelidze
Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia

Ms. Fiona Hill
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC)

Mr. James Carafano
Vice President of Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy and the E. W. Richardson Fellow, The Heritage Foundation

Mr. Robert Karem
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

Mr. Luke Coffey, Moderator
Director, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation

Data Democracy - People and Power in the Digital Age

Nandan Nilekani is the co-founder of Infosys and former chairman of Aadhaar, India’s massive biometric identification system. Join the U.S. Institute of Peace, PeaceTech Lab and emerge85 for a discussion with Nilekani on India’s emerging data economy, which seeks to restore individuals’ control over their personal data while fueling public and private sector innovation.

Exploring this new paradigm is important not just for India. Data is a key focus of international development and governance efforts. Organizations and governments worldwide are harnessing data to improve delivery of goods and services, increase communication, and bolster accountability, but there are challenges.

Speakers:
Nandan Nilekani, Featured Speaker
Co-Founder, Infosys

Sheldon Himelfarb, Moderator
Founder & CEO, PeaceTech Lab

North Korea and the Fine Print of a Deal - A Bipartisan Congressional Dialogue

The United States is engaged in high-stakes negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear program as the White House prepares for the summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. But nuclear capabilities and missiles are not the only items on the negotiating table. An eventual settlement could include some difficult concessions and require significant oversight and legislative action on the part of Congress.

Both Members of Congress and military veterans, Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Representative Steve Russell (R-OK), will examine the importance of this ongoing diplomatic effort, possible outcomes of negotiations, and the role they hope Congress plays in the coming months at USIP’s third Bipartisan Congressional Dialogue on May 22.

Speakers: 
Rep. Steve Russell (R-OK)
5th Congressional District of Oklahoma, U.S. House of Representatives

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA)
33rd Congressional District of California, U.S. House of Representatives

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

After ISIS, Will Iraq’s Elections be The Next Step to Stability?

Iraqis just went to the polls to elect a new national parliament. In a surprise turn, a coalition led by controversial cleric Moqtada al-Sadr—a staunch opponent of U.S. influcence in Iraq won the most seats. Listen in as Joshua Johnson, Host of NPR's 1A, leads a panel discussion on Iraq's new leaders and the many challenges they face.

Speakers:
Joshua Johnson, Moderator
Host, NPR's 1A

Sarhang Hamasaeed
Director, Middle East Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace

Denise Natali
Director, Center for Strategic Research, National Defense University

Kenneth Pollack
Resident Scholar, U.S.-Middle East Security and Foreign Policies, American Enterprise Institute

Can Inclusive Peace Processes Work?

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

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

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.