The World Affairs Council of Washington, DC hosted Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist and a best-selling author of Taliban and Jihad – the Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia at National Press Club to discuss his most recent book, Descent into Chaos : US Policy and the Failure of Nation Building, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia, published on June 3. Mr. Rashid opened his talk with a call on U.S. foreign policy officials to start viewing Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the greater Central Asian region more as one entity and to “take the region as one.” He said that this lack of cohesion in American regional strategic policy and the attitude of foreign policy formulators to view these places independently of the others.
Archive for the ‘Foreign Policy Series’ Category
Foreign Policy Series: Ahmed Rashid – June 5, 2008
Monday, June 9th, 2008Foreign Policy Series: American Education Abroad – April 1, 2008
Monday, June 9th, 2008As the world becomes more globalized, new students are finding job markets more competitive with education playing a larger role. In this foreign policy series our panelists discuss the importance of American education and the need for these institutions and government to support the further development of international education. By encouraging and making international study abroad available for US students the US can strengthen its educational institutions while developing significant relationship and societal bonds with international communities. At the same time, American institutions should be doing as much to attract international students to ensure that US institutions produce only the best minds in the world. (more…)
Foreign Policy Series: Africom – March 26, 2008
Monday, June 9th, 2008In February 2007 President Bush with the Department of Defense established the new AFRICOM command that would specifically deal with military operations on the African continent. Though this command would mean more focus on the continent, the biggest criticism made by many both at home and abroad is that the mix of diplomatic and military operations combined with the lack of an unclear goal on the African continent casts doubts on the effectiveness on the new command. This panel discusses the challenges facing the new command the changes needed to make this an effective force in Africa.
Foreign Policy Series: Kosovo: An East-West Crisis? – January 31, 2007
Tuesday, February 5th, 2008The Foreign Policy Series Event, “Kosovo: A New East- West Crisis?” featured four distinguished speakers in a discussion on the inevitable possibility that Kosovo will declare independence from Serbia and what that will mean for the rest of the world. Michael Haltzel, Senior Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations of John Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, began the discussion with a brief history of the autonomous province within Serbia. Dr. Haltzel has been deeply involved (more…)
Foreign Policy Series: Burma: The Next Steps – January 10, 2008
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008The Foreign Policy Series Event, “Burma: The Next Steps,” featured a discussion of the ongoing situation in Burma as well as the possible solutions to alleviate this situation to ensure a better future in Burma. The commencement of this discussion by Priscilla Clapp, a former United States Diplomat to Burma, described the history of Burmese struggle for independence and the adoption of democratic conditions in a post-colonial world as well as the deteriorating economic conditions and disregard of world criticism of Burmese domestic repression by the existing military government. (more…)
Foreign Policy Series: Talking with Tehran – Nov 15 2007
Wednesday, November 28th, 2007“Talking with Tehran,” an event hosted by the World Affairs Council-DC was extremely helpful in understanding the situation that is occurring right now between Iran and the United States. The event had three speakers and one moderator. They were Dr. Trita Parsi, Dr. Robert Litwak, and Ms. Barbara Slavin and the moderator was Ambassador John Limbert. (more…)
Foreign Policy Series: Trade and Free Trade Agreements – November 13, 2007
Friday, November 16th, 2007The Foreign Policy Series event on Tuesday, 13 November featured The Honorable David Lemor, Senior Advisor to the Free Trade Agreement with the United States for the government of Peru and Executive Director of Peruvian government’s investment agency, and The Honorable Alexander Watson, Director of Hills & Company and a former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Unfortunately, His Excellency Camilo Alfonso Ospina Bernal, Ambassador of Colombia, had complications with his schedule and could not be present. The event was part of a four part series about the Organization of American States (OAS), which will focus on trade, immigration, energy, and democracy. This event highlighted the series’ concentration on trade and free trade agreements. (more…)