Peace picks next week

Too much this week, and too many things at the same time on the same days, but here are my best bets:

1. The Arab Spring, a Year On: How’s America Faring? WWC, 9:30-11 am April 23

Nathan Brown
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University and Former Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Center

Ellen Laipson
President and CEO, Stimson Center

Michael Singh
Managing Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Moderator

Aaron David Miller
Distinguished Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center

Political changes in the Arab world have created a new landscape for the United States. Join us as four experts on the region and its politics examine the impact of these changes on hopes for democratization and Arab-Israeli peace, as well as the future of American influence and interests.

Location:
6th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center
2.  Pakistan-India Trade: What Needs to be Done? What Does it Matter? WWC, 9:45 am-4:15 pm April 23

Last fall, the Pakistan government announced its intention to grant Most Favored Nation (MFN) status to India, replicating a decision made earlier in New Delhi and potentially laying the groundwork for greatly expanded trade between the two South Asian neighbors. While fundamental disagreements in the relationship remain unresolved, Islamabad’s MFN decision suggests that it is prepared to deepen trade ties even while progress on core political and security issues continues to lag. Optimists assert that increased trade can build constituencies in both countries for more cooperative bilateral relations between the two long-time rivals.

Recognizing the potential significance of trade in the Pakistan-India relationship, the Woodrow Wilson Center will host a one-day conference on April 23, 2012, that focuses on MFN as an important step toward expanding Pakistan-India commercial linkages. What further steps on both sides need to be taken to establish a fully operational MFN regime?   What are the economic and businesses cases for and against expanding bilateral trade?  What are the primary domestic obstacles in each country to increased Pakistan-India trade?  What are the socio-economic arguments for enhanced bilateral trade ties, and who will most benefit?

RSVPs are required. Please RSVP by sending an email to asia@wilsoncenter.org

CONFERENCE AGENDA

9:45 Registration and coffee

10:00 Welcoming Remarks

Robert M. Hathaway, director, Asia Program, Woodrow Wilson Center

Munawar Z. Noorani, chairman, Fellowship Fund for Pakistan

10:15 Panel I: Moving forward on MFN

Ijaz Nabi, visiting professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences, and Pakistan country director, International Growth Center

A view from Pakistan

Arvind Virmani, executive director, International Monetary Fund, and affiliate professor and distinguished senior fellow, George Mason University

Perspectives from India

Ishrat Hussain, dean and director, Institute of Business Administration (Karachi)

Dissenting views

Chair: Robert M. Hathaway, director, Asia Program, Woodrow Wilson Center

12:30 Luncheon

1:00 Luncheon keynote address

Zafar Mahmood, commerce secretary, government of Pakistan

Chair: William B. Milam, senior scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center

2:00 Panel II: Broadening the debate

Amin Hashwani, founder, Pakistan-India CEOs Business Forum

Social issues, civil society, and security

Nisha Taneja, professor, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER)

Non-tariff barriers, infrastructure deficiencies, and high transaction costs

Kalpana Kochhar, chief economist for South Asia, World Bank

Regional implications

Chair: Michael Kugelman, South Asia associate, Woodrow Wilson Center

4:15 Adjournment

RSVPs are required. Please RSVP by sending an email to asia@wilsoncenter.org

This conference has been organized by the Wilson Center’s Asia Program and Program on America and the Global Economy, along with the Fellowship Fund for Pakistan.

This conference has been made possible through the generosity of the Fellowship Fund for Pakistan.

Location:
5th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center
3.  Afghanistan: Regional Economic Cooperation and Unleashing the Private Sector: Keys to Successful Transfer, Rome Auditorium Johns Hopkins/SAIS, 12:30-2 pm April 23

Summary: Sham Bathija, senior adviser minister for Economic Affairs to the Afghan president, and Noorullah Delawari, governor of the Central Bank of Afghanistan, will discuss this topic. Note: A reception will precede the forum at noon. For more information and to RSVP, contact the SAIS Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at caci2@jhu.edu or 202.663.7721.
4.  The Implications of Democracy and Dynasty: The Foreign Policy Futures of the Two Koreas, Kenney Auditorium SAIS, 2-4 pm April 24
The US-Korea Institute at SAIS and
the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution
Present:
The Implications of Democracy and Dynasty:
The Foreign Policy Futures of the Two Koreas

April 24, 2012
2pm – 3:30pm
Kenney Auditorium
1740 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036

Featuring:

Dr. Sang Yoon Ma
History and Public Policy Scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center
Associate Professor, School of International Studies at the Catholic University of Korea

Dr. Alexandre Mansourov
Visiting Scholar, US-Korea Institute at SAIS

With Introduction by:

Dr. Richard C. Bush
Director and Senior Fellow
Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies, The Brookings Institution

Moderated by:

Dr. Jae H. Ku
Director, US-Korea Institute at SAIS

On April 11, 2012, South Korea’s ruling conservative party scored an  unexpected victory in the 2012 National Assembly elections while a series of political events in North Korea worked to solidify the succession of Kim Jong Un. Please join Dr. Sang Yoon Ma and Dr. Alexandre Mansourov in discussing the results of these events and their policy implications for US-ROK relations, and North Korea’s foreign policy strategies.

5.  A Conversation with Turkey’s Kurdish Leadership, Brookings, 3-4:30 pm April 24

Turkey’s approach to lingering problems in dealing with the Kurdish minority at home and in the region is once again at a critical juncture. From the prospects for a new constitution to Ankara’s Syria dilemma, virtually all the pressing issues facing Turkey have a Kurdish dimension. Most recently, Prime Minister Erdogan declared that his government is ready to engage in a political dialogue with the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in the Turkish Parliament. Given past failures at dialogue and at finding a mutually-acceptable, peaceful, and democratic solution to the problem, will this time prove different? What do the Kurds of Turkey and those of neighboring nations want and is the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) ready to meet Kurdish demands?

When

Tuesday, April 24, 2012
3:00 PM to 4:30 PM

Where

Saul/Zilkha Rooms
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
Map

Contact: Brookings Office of Communications

Email: events@brookings.edu

Phone: 202.797.6105

Register Now
On April 24, the Center on the United State and Europe at Brookings (CUSE) will host a discussion exploring these and other important questions related to Turkey’s Kurdish minority, featuring Selahattin Demirtaş, the co-chair of BDP, and Ahmet Turk, an experienced politician currently an independent member of the Turkish Parliament. Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Ömer Taşpınar will provide introductory remarks and moderate the discussion.After the program, panelists will take audience questions.

Participants

Introduction and Moderator

Ömer Taşpınar

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe

Featured Speakers

Selahattin Demirtaş

Co-Chairman
Peace and Democracy Party (BDP)

Ahmet Türk

Member of Turkish Parliament
Co-chair of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK)

6. (Re)Building an Effective Central Government in Afghanistan and Iraq, RTI International, 12 noon April 25

 When: Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Where: RTI International, 701 13th Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, D.C.

Please join the SID-Washington Governance, Corruption & Rule of Law Workgroup for a panel discussion examining state-building in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The sustainability of governance reforms in Afghanistan and Iraq is a key concern for both the US and its partners, and for citizens of those countries. What has been learned about what works to build, or rebuild, effective government? What challenges remain to be addressed? SID-Washington’s Governance, Corruption, and Rule of Law Workgroup will host a discussion with Larry Cooley, President, Management Systems International, to explore answers to these questions.

Speakers:

Larry Cooley, President, Management Systems International (MSI)

Workgroup Co-Chairs

Derick Brinkerhoff,  Distinguished Fellow, International Public Management, RTI International

Tomas Bridle, Technical Area Manager, Responsive Government Institutions, Economic and Democratic Governance, DAI

Please bring your lunch to enjoy during the event.

 

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