CUSE will host its Fifth Annual Conference at Brookings on Tuesday, May 20, 2008. As in previous years, the Conference will bring together scholars, officials, and policymakers from both sides of the Atlantic to examine the evolving roles of the United States and Europe in the global arena.

This year’s panel discussions will examine trans-Atlantic relations beyond the Bush presidency; Sarkozy’s plans for France’s EU presidency; and the future of Russia under Medvedev. We are pleased to announce that this year’s confirmed speakers include: Jan Petersen, former Norwegian Foreign Minister; Pierre Levy of the French Foreign Ministry’s Planning Staff; Sir Lawrence Freedman of King’s College, London; Gary Schmitt of the American Enterprise Institute; Gideon Rachman of the Financial Times; and Strobe Talbott, President of Brookings.

Addressing the failures that led to the 9/11 attacks spurred change in the U.S. intelligence community, most notably the founding of the DNI and DHS.  Yet early opposition to creating these organizations reminds us that these changes were not inevitable.  The United States has suffered other intelligence failures in recent decades, like the failure to predict the collapse of the USSR, but none has resulted in such sweeping changes.  What forces led the country to create DHS and the DNI?  How did the Bush Administration choose the shape these organizations would take?  Did the historical experience of the intelligence community influence this process?  To discuss these questions and more, please join Dr. John Gannon, Senior Vice President for Global Analysis at BAE Systems and former chairman of National Intelligence Council.

To attend, please register by emailing events@ypfp.org with your name and affiliation .  

The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)and the Heinrich Böll Foundation present:

Perceptions of U.S. Democracy Promotion:American and Middle Eastern Views

Most Americans and Middle Easterners agree, according to public opinion polls, that democracy can develop in the Middle East and that only peaceful means of supporting democracy are acceptable. Nevertheless, deep disagreements remain on whether the U.S. should be involved in promoting democracy in the region, and if so, how.

What types of policies and programs do Middle Easterners perceive as permissible and legitimate ways for the U.S. to impact political reform? What actions can the U.S. take to regain credibility on promoting reform in the region? How do Americans view the promotion of democracy abroad compared to other policy priorities, especially when groups likely to come to power through democratic means are opposed to most U.S. policies?

On May 27, Brookings’s 21st Century Defense Initiative will host Vice Admiral Robert T. Moeller, deputy to the commander for military operations, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), for a discussion on the aims, status and future mission for AFRICOM as it approaches its first anniversary this fall.

Vice Admiral Moeller has been directly involved with AFRICOM since its conceptualization as a new regional military command. Beginning in late 2005, Admiral Moeller was the executive director of the AFRICOM Transition Team, and has served as deputy for military operations since August 2007. A surface warfare officer commissioned in 1974, Vice Admiral Moeller has served in a wide variety of sea, shore and joint duty assignments. He commanded the USS Belknap, participating in NATO and Partnership for Peace operations and in Operations Provide Promise and Deny Flight across the former Republic of Yugoslavia. He also commanded the USS Port Royal and the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group. Most recently, he was the director for strategy, plans and policy at U.S. Central Command from 2004-05. He is also served as a Navy Federal Executive Fellow at the Brookings Institution from 1989-90.

Globalization is one of the most commonly discussed traits of the world today, and it forces leaders to work in different cultures with both public and private organizations.  Within the United States, we understand how the government and private sectors work together, but how are public-private partnerships, and globalization in general, viewed in other countries?  What opportunities and challenges does this create for U.S. and world business?  How can the United States continue build and benefit from such partnerships?  To discuss these issues and more, please join LTG (Ret.) Daniel W. Christman, Senior Vice President for International Affairs at the United States Chamber of Commerce.

Cyclone Nargis recently hit Burma and left as many as 128,000 people dead and 2.5 million people impacted due to horrible resource mismanagement and negligence by the military dictatorship.

How can you help? Come to a happy hour benefit! The money will be donated to a relief organization working inside Burma that has been by-passing the military junta to make sure that food, medicine and supplies actually reach people in need.We hope that you will be able to join us in solidarity with the people of Burma.

The benefit will be on Wednesday, May 28, from 6:30-9 PM, at Meze in Adams Morgan (2437 18th Street NW).

Please register for this event online at www.aei.org/event1730.

Thursday, May 29, 2008, 9:00-10:45 a.m.
Wohlstetter Conference Center, Twelfth Floor, AEI
1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036

In light of Latin America's historic vulnerability to even minor tremors in external markets, all eyes in the region are on the current U.S. subprime credit crisis and any possible fallout in the hemisphere. Most indicators point to relatively minor repercussions in Latin American economies: regional money and bond markets remain steady, and economists predict that growth will slow-but only by a bit. While exports will likely decline and inflationary pressures remain a concern, this relatively benign impact raises the questions: What is different this time around? Will some countries fare better than others in riding out the crisis? In looking forward, how can policymakers in the region further reduce vulnerability to external crises?

East-West Center Special Asian Security Luncheon Seminar

Where: East-West Center in Washington, 1819 L St. NW, 2nd Floor Conference Room
When: May 30, 2008, 12:30-2:30PM
Who: Yoshihisa Komori, Editor-at-Large, The Sankei Shimbun; Robert Sutter, Professor, Georgetown University; Ming Wan, Professor, George Mason University

This event is free and open to the public.
A light lunch will be served at 12:30pm.

The China-Japan-U.S. trilateral relationship remains one of the most complex and significant in the post-Cold War era. While U.S.-Japan political and military cooperation remains strong, Japan's slowed economy, alongside China's continued growth, has brought China and Japan closer economically. The recent meeting between PRC President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda hinted at the possibility of warming relations between China and Japan that have been evolving since the departure of Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi, even if the summit failed to address more substantive issues such as historical territorial disputes over the East China Sea.

Brooks Tigner is both the Chief Editor for Security Europe and the Europe Defence Technology Editor with Jane’s Defence Weekly and Jane’s International Defence Review. In this capacity he reports on European security and defence issues at both NATO and the EU. Mr. Tigner has been following the development of European security and defence policy for the past 16 years, and will make a presentation and lead a discussion on the impact of France’s upcoming EU Presidency on ESDP. 

To attend, please RSVP by writing to events.brussels@ypfp.org

Takeaways from Shangri-La: Developing Effective U.S. Defense and Security Policies in the Asia Pacific, with Admiral Mike McDevitt

East-West Center Asian Security Seminar

Where: The East-West Center in Washington, 2nd Floor Conference Room
When: June 9, 2008, 9:30-11:00 A.M.
What:

The Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual meeting of Defense Ministers from the Asia-Pacific region, was held in Singapore from May 30-June 1, 2008. Participants discussed ways to channel and develop more effective strategies for a region undergoing significant shifts in its security architecture.How can the U.S. create meaningful security and defense policies in Asia in these uncertain times? How should U.S. policymakers engage with Asian countries on issues such as climate change, counterterrorism, and nuclear proliferation? Rear Admiral Mike McDevitt, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Center for Naval Analyses, will offer insights from his attendance at the Shangri-La Dialogue on how the U.S. should cope with a changing Asia-Pacific security landscape.

Please Join Americans for Informed Democracy on June 10th for a special evening discussion with former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Gillian Sorenson in Washington, DC.

Ms. Sorenson will engage the audience in a candid discussion about the Future of the United Nations, addressing some of these pressing issues:

The United States and the UN
The US Approach to the UN under the next Presidential Administration
UN Security Council Enlargement
UN Peace Keeping Operations
Women?s Empowerment
Millennium Development Goals and Poverty Eradication

In an era of rapid technological development and organizational change, good governance increasingly requires specialized analysis and knowledge.  To understand change and meet the demands of a fast-moving world, agencies have increasingly turned to the skills and knowledge of specialized consultants.  What role do consultants play in government? How do they influence the structure and operations of government organizations? What role have they played in creating new government organizations, like the Department of Homeland Security; influencing old ones, like the Department of Defense; and shaping the federal response to crises such as Hurricane Katrina?  To discuss these questions and more, please join Matthew Travis, President of Detica, Inc.

Featuring the author, Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), with an introduction by Edward H. Crane, President, Cato Institute.

In America: Our Next Chapter: Tough Questions, Straight Answers, Senator Hagel sets forth his vision for a humbler U.S. foreign policy guided by international diplomacy and free trade.

To register for this event, please fill out the form below and click submit or email events@cato.org, fax (202) 371-0841, or call (202) 789-5229 by noon, Wednesday, June 11, 2008. Please arrive early. Seating is limited and not guaranteed.

Please join the Women's Foreign Policy to listen to Dr. Laura K. Donohue, Fellow at CISAC and at the Center for Constitutional Law, Stanford Law School, speak on her new book, The Cost of Counterterrorism: Power, Politics, and Liberty

Dr. Donohue focuses her research on national security and counterterrorist law in the US, UK, Ireland, Israel, and Turkey. She has written numerous articles on counterterrorism in liberal, democratic states.

Details:

June 13, 2008, Washington, DC
1:00 pm, The Academy for Educational Development
Brownbag Lunch and Program

The Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at the Smith School of Business shall be holding their 2nd Global Security Conference in Washington, D.C. on June 16-17.

DHS Under Secretary Jay Cohen is the opening keynote speaker. The conference will bring together thought leaders, policymakers, scholars, corporate and government executives, and venture capitalists for an examination of security issues at both corporate and national levels.

Registration fee has been kept very low through the generous support of our sponsors (12 universities and other organizations), and a few scholarships are available.

For more information and to register, please visit:
http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/ciber/globalsecurity2008/

The Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at the Smith School of Business shall be holding their 2nd Global Security Conference in Washington, D.C. on June 16-17.

DHS Under Secretary Jay Cohen is the opening keynote speaker. The conference will bring together thought leaders, policymakers, scholars, corporate and government executives, and venture capitalists for an examination of security issues at both corporate and national levels.

Registration fee has been kept very low through the generous support of our sponsors (12 universities and other organizations), and a few scholarships are available.

For more information and to register, please visit:
http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/ciber/globalsecurity2008/

Featuring the author Ted Galen Carpenter, Cato Institute with comments by Steven Clemons, New America Foundation and Doug Bandow, American Conservative Defense Alliance.

Ted Galen Carpenter examines America's foreign policy challenges and diagnoses what is wrong with Washington's current approach. Throughout these essays, Carpenter outlines an alternative strategy, Smart Power, that would protect America's security while avoiding unnecessary and unrewarding military adventures.

To register for this event, please fill out the form below and click submit or email events@cato.org, fax (202) 371-0841, or call (202) 789-5229 by noon, Monday, June 16, 2008.

Fair Details:

• 5pm-8pm
• Grand Ballroom
• Marvin Center, 3rd Floor
• The George Washington University
  

The Fair will consist of:

The fair itself, where prospective students can meet and speak with representatives from graduate schools about their programs and the application process

A free information session for prospective students offering advice about degree options, financial aid, the application process, and returning to school after spending time in the working world.

For more info and to register, click here

Featuring Lapologang Caesar Lekoa, Ambassador of the Republic of Botswana and Kailash Ruhee, Ambassador of the Republic of Mauritius. Moderated by Marian Tupy, Cato Institute.

On a continent scarred by political repression and economic underdevelopment, Botswana and Mauritius stand out. In 2007, Freedom House certified both countries as free, and the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World report found that Botswana and Mauritius had the two freest economies in Africa. According to the World Bank, the two also have—along with Seychelles—Africa’s highest per capita incomes. What explains that success? Why did the institutions of freedom take root in Botswana and Mauritius, while failing to do so in most other African countries? How do the two countries intend to maintain high growth in an increasingly globalized world? Please join us to hear our speakers elaborate on the past successes and future challenges facing Botswana and Mauritius.

U.S.-India Relations: What's Next?
East-West Center Asian Security Luncheon Seminar
with Deputy Assistant Secretary Evan Feigenbaum

Where: The East-West Center in Washington Conference room
When: June 19, 2008, 12:30-2:00pm
What:

U.S.-India relations have expanded since the mid-1990s, accelerating rapidly in recent years. Evan Feigenbaum, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State with principal responsibility for India, will discuss the U.S. strategic interest in India, developments in U.S.-India relations, and prospects for the bilateral agenda.

This event is free and open to the public and will include a light luncheon at 12:30 PM. Please RSVP with Alison Hazell by email at hazella@eastwestcenter.org or by phone at 202-327-9752 to ensure your seat.