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Events

Policy Discussion Series

YPFP typically meets once or twice a week for small, private discussions with experienced foreign policy professionals to discuss policy issues, current events, and career paths in foreign policy. We limit the size of our meetings and adhere to a strict not-for-attribution policy, enabling us to have an especially frank conversation with our speakers and one another. YPFP hosts a diverse array of speakers including Nobel-prize winning scholars, senior administration officials and White House staffers, foreign ambassadors, think tank experts and academics, journalists, and military officers. Our discussions address a diverse array of topics and regions.

Policy Discussions are open to YPFP Members. RSVP is required.

Discussion Groups

To give YPFP members the opportunity to exchange ideas in a small group setting, YPFP holds six different monthly Discussion Group meetings. These groups aim to bring together YPFP members within various fields of foreign policy, providing them with a forum to exchange views, discuss current events, share resources and opportunities, present and receive feedback on their writing and current work, and expand their conversations beyond YPFP's regular events. In addition to providing another venue for discussion, we also hope these groups will strengthen the YPFP community by fostering personal as well as professional relationships.

YPFP is always interested in launching new Discussion Groups, as demand dictates. If you have suggestions, questions, or would like to start your own Discussion Group, please Derek Grossman derek.grossman@ypfp.org.

For more information on Discussion Groups please click here.

Africa Discussion Group

Defense Discussion Group

East Asia Discussion Group

Energy and the Environment Discussion Group

Gender in Foreign Policy Discussion Group

Global Development Discussion Group

Latin America Discussion Group

Middle East Discussion Group

Russia and Eurasia Discussion Group

Western Europe Discussion Group

Tools of the Trade Series

To help our members excel in their careers, YPFP holds seminars to impart tangible knowledge and practical skills. These meetings often feature panels of speakers discussing a career path or technical subject. Some past sessions include a panel on the federal budget process featuring a Senate Budget Committee staffer, an official from the Office of Management and Budget, and a lobbyist; a meeting on strategic communications featuring the White House Associate Director of Communications and the Communications Director of a high profile senator; and information sessions at graduate schools such as the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies.

Tools of the Trade sessions are open to YPFP Members. RSVP is required.

Global Development Series

YPFP's Global Development Series focuses on topics in U.S. foreign policy related to global development such as food security, HIV/AIDS, poverty, sustainable energy, trade reform, corruption and governance, debt relief, and sustainability. To ensure a balanced discourse, we invite expert speakers from a variety of institutions including UN agencies, U.S. government agencies, developing countries, independent research institutions, the media, and NGOs. We also host film screenings, round tables, and a variety of events to engage thoughtful discussion.

The Global Development series is open to YPFP members from various sectors and backgrounds, not just members who are interested primarily in development issues. RSVP is required.

Tours & Field Trips

YPFP organizes tours and field trips, often in conjunction with another event, such as a Policy Discussion. Past events have included a private tour of the West Wing of the White House and the National Security Council. In 2006, YPFP took a small group to a pistol range in Virginia for instruction with the some of the most senior instructors in the United States Marines Corps.

Space on trips and tours is usually very limited so it is open only to YPFP members. Slots are usually assigned by lottery or similar process and YPFP keeps a waiting list.

Building a Community

Every YPFP meeting is followed by a happy hour at a nearby bar, usually from 9:00 - 11:00 PM. In addition, YPFP also plans additional parties, happy hours, lunches, and other social events to give our members a chance to meet other young people in the field.

Except when indicated, all Community events are open to anyone.

Dinner Series

YPFP occasionally hosts special meetings with distinguished guests and very small groups over dinner to discuss foreign policy matters in an even more discrete environment. These events are invitation only.

Recent YPFP events include:

  • DC Event: U.S.-Singaporean Relations: ASEAN and the role of the United States in the Asia-Pacific Region (Ambassador Series) (full description)
  • DC Event: Preliminary Speed Debates (full description)
  • Apply for Positions with YPFP Communications and Technology - Deadline July 24 (full description)
  • LONDON EVENT - Lord Malloch Brown, Foreign Office Minister and former United Nations Deputy Secretary General - 9 July (full description)
  • DC Event: The Mind of the Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to Al-Qaeda (full description)
  • DC EVENT - 6/11: "From DoD to Katrina: Inside Government Consulting" with Matt Travis (full description)
  • Brussels Event: "European Security and Defence Policy during the French EU presidency" with Mr. Brooks Tigner (full description)
  • DC EVENT - 5/28: “Trading the World: Global Trends in International Commerce” with Daniel Christman (full description)
  • A Conversation with John Gannon (full description)
  • "Historical Intelligence: The Context of Post-9/11 Intelligence Reform" with John Gannon (full description)
  • "Bear Hugs and Bare Knuckles" with Mark Albrecht (full description)
  • A Conversation with Michael Dobbs (full description)
  • DC EVENT: Youth in Turkey: A Conversation with Emerging Turkish Leaders (full description)
  • DC EVENT: "The Marshall Plan: Lessons from an Extraordinary Policy" with Greg Behrman (full description)
  • YPFP London event with Mark Urban, Diplomatic Editor, Newsnight - 7 May (full description)
  • New York Event: Notes from the Occupation: A Reporter in Iraq (full description)
  • DC EVENT: Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think (full description)
  • DC EVENT: An Evening at the Egyptian Embassy - FULL (full description)
  • DC EVENT: Kenya in Crisis: Causes, Context and Consequences (full description)
  • NEW YORK FUNDRAISER: An Evening with Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (full description)
  • DC EVENT: International Justice: The United States and the International Criminal Court (full description)
  • TONIGHT: One Night in Russia YPFP Party (full description)
  • DC EVENT: Empowering the People: The Evolution of Democratization (full description)
  • DC EVENT: What If We're Wrong? Policy and Politics at Four Stars (full description)
  • NEW YORK: A Life in American Politics and Diplomacy: Moving Between the Private and Public Spheres (full description)
  • How do we know what works? The Promise and Progress of the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3IE) (full description)
  • Chinese Military Modernization and U.S. Policy toward Taiwan (full description)
  • The End of Hegemony? American Power in a Multipolar World (full description)
  • REVISED DATE: WEDNESDAY, 3/12: “Kosovo: What Next?” with Daniel Serwer (full description)
  • YPFP London - Former British Foreign Secretary, Lord Douglas Hurd (full description)
  • What's Aid Got to Do With It? Modernizing US Foreign Assistance (full description)
  • Children of Jihad: Youth Culture in the Modern Middle East (full description)
  • DC EVENT: The American Brand: Rebuilding the U.S. Image through Diplomacy (full description)
  • DC EVENT: The United States and Europe After Bush and Beyond Iraq: Estrangement, Disparagement or Engagement (full description)
  • Rogue Donor? Chinese Aid and African Development (full description)
  • Al Qaeda Today and Five Years from Now (full description)
  • (New York) Examining the Middle East and Korean Peninsula with Dr. Marcus Noland (full description)
  • RESCHEDULED - "Campaign Series, Session 2" with Derek Chollet, Foreign Policy Coordinator for John Edwards for President (full description)
  • YPFP Fundraiser on Thursday Night! (full description)
  • "Moving the Needle: Blogging and American Foreign Policy" with Steven Clemons (full description)
  • "Private Security Contractors: Looking Back and Moving Foward" with Doug Brooks (full description)
  • Special Screening of "The Kingdom" and "Investigating Terrorism: Khobar, the Cole, and The Kingdom" with Michael Rolince (full description)
  • "Lessons Learned in Iraq" with Christopher Preble (full description)
  • Moving Forward: U.S. Venezuelan Relations after the Referendum? with Amb. Bernardo Alvarez Herrera (full description)
  • Climate Change and Development: How Will Climate Change Affect Developing Countries? (full description)
  • Campaign Series, Session 1: Denis McDonough, Advisor to Obama for America (full description)
  • The YPFP London Annual Lecture: "Threats to International Security" (full description)
  • The U.S. and Iran at the End of the Bush Presidency (full description)
  • The Civil-Military Dialogue presents "The Army and the Long War" with Thomas McNaugher (full description)
  • The Chinese People's Liberation Army: Whither Modernization? (full description)
  • Emergency Rule in Pakistan (full description)
  • "A New Era for Foreign Aid? The Millennium Challenge Corporation," Matthew McLean (full description)
  • The Future of Burma: Moving Past the Saffron Revolution (full description)
  • YPFP Event: The Impact of 9/11 and the War in Iraq on Refugee Protection with Joel Charny (full description)
  • The Impact of 9/11 and the War in Iraq on Refugee Protection (full description)
  • YPFP LONDON - Afghanistan: A Way Forward (full description)
  • Discussion with Richard Bush (full description)
  • Europe In the World: Jim Murphy MP, UK Minister of State (Europe) (full description)
  • Discussion on the Refugee Assistance Program (full description)
  • YPFP LONDON - 'Does Neoconservatism Have a Future?' with Douglas Murray (full description)
  • A Conversation with Iraqi Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie (full description)
  • NEW YORK: Lessons from the Past: A Historian's Perspective of American Hegemony with Paul Kennedy (full description)
  • Global Development Series: The Future of US Democracy Promotion (full description)
  • The Military and U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa: A Roundtable Discussion with Colin Thomas-Jensen (full description)
  • Turkey at a Crossroads (full description)
  • Counterintelligence and You: Security Concerns for Foreign Policy Practitioners with David Major (full description)
  • Top Down, Bottom Up: Searching for New Ways of Financing Development (full description)
  • Assessing HIV/AIDS in the Developing World: Film and Discussion (full description)
  • Assessing The U.S.-Israeli Relationship with Martin Indyk (full description)
  • The United States and the United Nations (full description)
  • YPFP LONDON - NATO - Cyber-Crime and Cyber-Security (full description)
  • Should America Fear Trade (full description)
  • YPFP LONDON - Lord William Wallace of Saltaire - Could NATO survive the development of effective European cooperation in... (full description)
  • Fourth Generation Warfare with COL Thomas Hammes, USMC (ret.) (full description)
  • Making Democracy Work in Africa (full description)
  • The Future of Multilateralism (full description)
  • The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) (full description)
  • Inside PEPFAR: A Look at the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (full description)
  • National Security and the Interagency Process with Michele Flournoy (full description)
  • YPFP LONDON - Iraq: An Assessment of the Situation and Prospects for the Next 18 Months with Col. H.R. McMaster (full description)
  • Breaking the Cold War Mindset with The Honorable Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr. (full description)
  • Q&A with YPFP Leaders (full description)
  • National Mall Cleanup (Service) (full description)
  • Non-State Armies and the Future of US Defense Policy, with Jeffrey White (full description)
  • US-Syrian Relations: A New Chapter in a Difficult Relationship?, with HE Ambassador Imad Moustapha, Syrian Arab Republic (full description)
  • "Not on Our Watch" - Ending Genocide in Darfur and Beyond (full description)
  • Law in War with Eugene Fidell (full description)
  • The Strategy of Jihad with Walid Phares (full description)
  • A Conversation with Frances Townsend, Homeland Security Advisor (full description)
  • All Elements of National Power: Military, Civilian and NGO Perspectives on Collaboration in Post-Conflict Reconstruction Ops (full description)
  • Launch of the Civil-Military Dialogue, featuring Dr. John Hillen (full description)
  • The Coming Nuclear Energy Market and its Implications for Nonproliferation (full description)
  • The Coming Nuclear Energy Market (full description)
  • YPFP LONDON - The EU's Role in a Multipolar World with Charles Grant (full description)
  • Arms and Influence in the 21st Century with Thomas Schelling (full description)
  • Turkey, Cyprus, and European Integration Donald Bandler, former Amb to Cyprus and NSC Senior Director for European Affairs (full description)
  • Getting the US-Japan Relationship Right with Randall Schriver (full description)
  • Pro-Poor Food Policy with Joachim von Braun (full description)
  • A Conversation with Michael Doran, NSC Senior Director for the Middle East & North Africa (full description)
  • From Interfaith Dialogue to Interfaith Action with Reverend Canon John L. Peterson, Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation (full description)
  • Deja Vu in North Korea? with Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt, AEI (full description)
  • Energy Security and the Long War with former CIA Director James Woolsey (full description)
  • How to Keep America Running with Norman Mineta, fmr. Secretary of Transportation (full description)
  • Is There a Political Solution in Iraq, with Dr. Laith Kubba, National Endowment for Democracy (full description)
  • Post-Conflict State Building & Development with Ashraf Ghani, Chancellor of Kabul University (full description)
  • The American Way of Strategy (full description)
  • Do No Harm: The Social and Economic Effects of African Health Professional Emmigration (full description)
  • Rogue States and Chinese Foreign Policy (full description)
  • Think Tanks, Neocons, and Foreign Policy (full description)
  • 2nd Anniversary Party at Cafe St. Ex (full description)
  • Counternarcotics (full description)
  • Afghanistan: Past, Present & Future, with HE Ambassador Said T. Jawad, Republic of Afghanistan (full description)
  • A Practical Approach to Africa (full description)
  • The Politics of Transition: Former Soviet States and Current US Policy (full description)
  • Rise of the Vulcans: Six Years Later (full description)
  • Economic Policy and National Security with Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert M. Kimmit (full description)
  • Does Hugo Chavez Matter? (full description)
  • Private Roundtable Discussion & Reception at the British Embassy with Visiting Delegation of British Muslims (full description)
  • Confronting Bioterrorism (full description)
  • Happy Hour: "Working & Specializing in Northeast Asia" (full description)
  • Judging the Iranian Threat (full description)
  • The UN: What Would It Take to Do Peacebuilding Right? (full description)
  • Seven Revolutions: Global Trends and Grand Strategy (full description)
  • US-Pakistan Relations: Looking Beyond the Horizon, with HE Ambassador Mahmud Durrani, Islamic Republic of Pakistan (full description)
  • Understanding the Federal Budget Process (full description)
  • The Rule of Law and Reconstruction in Iraq (full description)
  • A Perspective from Jordan: Challenges & Opportunities, with HE Ambassador Karim Kawar, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (full description)
  • The Future of Economic Development (full description)
  • Deterring America: Rogue States and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (full description)
  • Meeting at the National Security Council with Michael Singh, Director for Iran (full description)
  • Trip to Lockheed Martin Fighter Demonstration Center (full description)
  • YPFP End of Summer Party at Cilantro (full description)
  • Roundtable Discussion of Mideast Crisis Continues Online (full description)
  • Pistol Safety and Marksmanship (full description)
  • Conversation with John Hamre, President of CSIS (full description)
  • WHITE HOUSE WEST WING TOUR (full description)
  • Managing Global Economic Imbalances (full description)
  • Leadership Lessons from the United States Marine Corps (full description)
  • Nuclear Terrorism: Reassessing the Threat (full description)
  • Defending Human Rights (full description)
  • CHINA: The Balance Sheet (full description)
  • Terrorists Online:How Terrorists Use the Internet to Recruit, Train, and Plan Operations (full description)
  • After Iraq: U.S. Strategic Planning & Defense Doctrine in the Middle East (full description)
  • Transforming U.S. Intelligence, with Burton Gerber (full description)
  • Life in the Foreign Service: State Department Career Information Session (full description)
  • Now what? After the Elections in Iraq (full description)
  • Holiday Happy Hour at Porter's (full description)
  • Graduate School Information Session at the School for Advanced International Studies (full description)
  • The United States, the United Nations, and the Problem of Genocide (full description)
  • At the Border: Examining Immigration, Homeland Security, and Trade between the United States and Mexico (full description)
  • From Rhetoric to Reality: Securing Peace in the Middle East (full description)

Contact us if you have an idea for an event or speaker.

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The opinions expressed on this site are those of the individual authors only and do not represent the views of any other YPFP member or those of YPFP as an organization, nor those of any other organization with which the author may be affiliated.