March 29, 2019
As Iraq’s new parliament and government come to power, fresh leadership presents Iraq with the opportunity to overcome these obstacles and make progress by developing its economy, increasing security, and strengthening governance and social services.
On March 29, we spoke with Iraq’s new speaker of the Council of Representatives, Mohammed al-Halbousi, about the newly formed parliament’s priorities, the ongoing battle against violent extremism, and his vision for peace and stability.
Speakers:
Nancy Lindborg
President, U.S. Institute of Peace
His Excellency Mr. Mohammed Al-Halbousi
Speaker, Council of Representatives, Republic of Iraq
March 27, 2019
The governments of the United States of America and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace, hosted an event examining the transformation from enemies to partners by the two countries since the end of the war in 1975.
Remarks for Luncheon
Ambassador Ha Kim Ngoc
Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States
Luncheon Conversation
Honorable Chuck Hagel
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense
Nancy Lindborg, moderator
President, U.S. Institute of Peace
March 27, 2019
The governments of the United States of America and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace, hosted an event examining the transformation from enemies to partners by the two countries since the end of the war in 1975.
Remarks
The Honorable John Sullivan
Deputy Secretary of State
Panel - The Road Ahead: Building an Enduring Partnership
Ambassador Ha Kim Ngoc
Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States
Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh
Deputy Defense Minister; Permanent Member of Standing Committee 701
W. Patrick Murphy
Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau East Asia and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Tim Rieser
Foreign Policy Aide, Senator Patrick Leahy
Elizabeth Becker
Former New York Times correspondent and author of “When the War Was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution”
Ambassador William Taylor (Ret.), moderator
Executive Vice President, U.S. Institute of Peace
March 27, 2019
The governments of the United States of America and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace, hosted an event examining the transformation from enemies to partners by the two countries since the end of the war in 1975.
Remarks
Honorable Bonnie Glick
Deputy Administrator, USAID
Panel - Healing from the Destruction of War
Minh Huu Doan
Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Vietnam
Thao Griffiths
Policy Advisor, Chairman of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Former Country Director Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation
Christopher Abrams
Director, Environment and Social Development Office, USAID/Vietnam
Colonel Than Thanh Cong
Director, Office 701
Jerry Guilbert
Chief of Programs, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, U.S. Department of State
Charles R. Bailey, moderator
Co-author, “From Enemies to Partners: Vietnam, the U.S. and Agent Orange”
Former Director of Agent Orange programs at Ford Foundation & Aspen Institute
![Overcoming War Legacies - Panel 1: Foundations of US-Vietnamese Post-War Partnership]()
March 27, 2019
The governments of the United States of America and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace, hosted an event examining the transformation from enemies to partners by the two countries since the end of the war in 1975.
Agenda:
Welcome Remarks:
Honorable Nancy Lindborg
President, U.S. Institute of Peace
Remarks on Behalf of the Government of Vietnam:
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh
Deputy Defense Minister; Permanent Member of Standing Committee 701
Remarks by Senior U.S. Department of Defense Official:
Dr. Joseph H. Felter
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia
Remarks:
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
U.S. Senator, Vermont
Panel: Foundations of US-Vietnamese Post-War Partnership:
Kelly McKeague
Director, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Nguyen Huu Luong
MIA Agency Director, Ministry of Defense
Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh
Former Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States
Robert Destatte
Vietnam Analyst, Defense Intelligence Agency
Fred Downs
Former National Director, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service
Ambassador, Charles Ray (Ret.), moderator
Former Consul General, Ho Chi Minh City
March 22, 2019
To celebrate National Women’s History Month, the U.S. Institute of Peace and the 2020 One Woman, One Vote Festival hosted an intergenerational discussion among women nonviolent activists.
Speakers:
Scovia Arinaitwe
Team Leader, Rhizing Women Uganda
Mariam Jalabi
Founding Member, Syrian Nonviolence Movement
Isabella Picón
Founding Member, LaboCiudadano - Venezuela
Judy Richardson
Producer of “Eyes on the Prize”
Marie Berry, moderator
University of Denver
Kathleen Kuehnast, moderator
Director, Gender Policy and Strategy, U.S. Institute of Peace
Maria Stephan, moderator
Director, Nonviolent Action, U.S. Institute of Peace
![Crimea After 5 Years of Russian Occupation]()
March 20, 2019
In the five years since its invasion and attempted annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, Russia has continued violating the norms and standards of the international order in Ukraine’s Donbas and the Sea of Azov. On March 19, 2019, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Ukrainian Embassy and the Atlantic Council hosted a discussion on the illegal Russian occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea. A distinguished set of panelists went beyond the current nonrecognition policies and delved into scenarios that could create the conditions necessary to reunify the Crimean Peninsula, deter further Russian aggression and move past the dangers of the status quo.
Speakers:
Ambassador Bill Taylor, opening remarks
Executive Vice President, USIP
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
Ambassador Valeriy Chaly, opening remarks
Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States
Heather Conley
Senior Vice President, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Akhtem Chiygoz
Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People
Emine Dzhaparova
First Deputy Minister of Information Policy, Ukraine
George Kent
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Victoria Nuland
Former Assistant Secretary of State, European and Eurasian Affairs
Andrew Weiss
Vice President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Ambassador John Herbst, moderator
Director, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
![How Pakistan Navigates the Saudi Arabia-Iran Rivalry]()
March 11, 2019
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman recently visited Pakistan to finalize agreements on new projects in the energy sector and other areas, which solidified a $20 billion Saudi investment in Pakistan’s economy to match the scale of China, Islamabad’s principal ally. Pakistani military cooperation with Saudi Arabia has also remained strong, with the former Pakistani chief of army staff Raheel Sharif now heading a Saudi-sponsored military coalition.
The deepening relationship between Pakistan and the Gulf states comes at a period of high tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran, whose border with Pakistan has also been the site of periodic clashes and whose past efforts to launch a gas pipeline project linking the two countries remains stalled.
Speakers:
Ankit Panda
Senior Editor, The Diplomat
Karen Young
Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute
Alex Vatanka
Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute
Ambassador Richard Olson, moderator
Former United States Ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates
March 8, 2019
Recent decades have seen huge gains in progress on empowering women and girls but we are still far from achieving gender equality. And nowhere is this more true than in fragile and conflict affected states, where often it is the women and girls who face the greatest challenges.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, USIP was pleased to host U.K. Secretary of State for International Development and Minister for Women and Equalities, the Right Honorable Penny Mordaunt, to discuss gender equality and women’s rights.
Speakers:
Right Honorable Penny Mordaunt
U.K. Secretary of State for International Development and Minister for Women and Equalities
The Honorable Nancy Lindborg
President, U.S. Institute of Peace
![Building Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies Amid a World on Fire]()
March 6, 2019
At a time of global peril, the Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy in Washington, New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, and the U.S. Institute of Peace convened a lively panel discussion on how to mobilize behind a roadmap that will put peace at the heart of the 2030 Agenda.
Speakers:
Laura E. Bailey
Global Lead, Stability Peace and Security, SURR Global Practice, World Bank Group
Ambassador Sarah Mendelson
Distinguished Service Professor of Public Policy, and Head of Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy in Washington
Daniel Nagin
The Teresa and H. John Heinz III University Professor of Public Policy and Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy
Maria Stephan
Director of the Program on Nonviolent Action, U.S. Institute of Peace
David Steven
Senior Fellow and Associate Director, New York University’s Center on International Cooperation
Nancy Lindborg, moderator
President, U.S. Institute of Peace
