Conference

USIP: Is Nigeria a Hotbed of Islamic Extremism?

The Islamic extremist and terrorist Uman Farouk Abdulmutallab is from Nigeria. As a consequence Nigeria has come under increased scrutiny as a possible hotbed of international terrorists. Is this a credible conclusion or is Abdulmutallab an aberration? What are the religious and political orientations of Nigeria’s 75 million Muslims? Should the U.S. scrutinize visa applications and airline passengers from Nigeria more carefully or is that not warranted?

To address these questions the U.S. Institute of Peace is hosting a public workshop on March 15. The presenter is John Paden, Clarence Robinson Professor of International Studies at George Mason University. Paden, author of "Faith and Politics in Nigeria" and many other books, has been studying Muslims in Nigeria for more than 30 years.

Space is limited.

US Army War College: XXI Annual Strategy Conference

What is WAR and why does it matter?

The U.S. Army and the other Armed Services exist to fight and win America's wars. In the current operational environment, the definition of "fighting and winning America's wars" is the subject of intense debate. In its ongoing effort to stimulate intellectual discourse, to foster informed policymaking processes, and to develop effective U.S. strategy in the post-September 11 world, the U.S. Army War College will host its 21st Annual Strategy Conference from April 6-8, 2010. Many of the world's foremost experts on the changing nature of war will attend and participate in this year's conference titled, "Defining War for the 21st Century," with the goal of clarifying the issues, outlining the debates, and generating strategic options.

The tentative agenda includes five panels that will debate the essence of the following questions for the purpose of "Defining War for the 21st Century:"

• Why does it matter how we define war?
• How does a nation know it is at war?
• Will all "wars" have discernable start and end points, or will some "wars" have no definable end?
• What are the political and social implications when the political elite and general polity differ in their interpretations?
• What are the dangers of misusing or overusing the "war" label?
• Must a new "theory of war" be developed?
• What are the dimensions of war -- unrestricted war, lawfare, hybrid war, cold war, asymmetric war, cyber war?
• What are the challenges in defining victory?

Lessons Learned, Lessons Lost: Counterinsurgency from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan

Sponsored by:

The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University

The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University

The Center for a New American Security

Registration Form

Agenda

"You have to learn from history," President Obama recently observed. "On the other hand, each historical moment is different. You never step into the same river twice. And so Afghanistan is not Vietnam." [New York Times, September 13, 2009] Perhaps not. But Vietnam is certainly a reference point for many Americans as the war in Afghanistan approaches its ninth year. Comparing Vietnam and Afghanistan is a popular and sometimes lucrative undertaking for scores of historians, journalists and politicians. Google "Vietnam-Afghanistan" and you get about 36 million returns. Analogies abound; analysts debate. What are the lessons of Vietnam? What can we learn about counterinsurgency from our experience in Vietnam? Does Vietnam offer important insights to guide counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan? Have we already applied our Vietnam experience in these conflicts? Or are Iraq and Afghanistan so unique as to defy comparison with past insurgencies? This conference asks what we should have learned about counterinsurgency from Vietnam and whether, or how, these lessons are being exploited in today’s conflicts. Military experts and civilian analysts will debate these questions and more over two days at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies on March 4 and 5. You are most cordially invited to join the discussion.

A Special Briefing with Mark Ward, Special Advisor on Development to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

When: Thursday, February 18th, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Where: 4th Floor Conference Room, CSIS

Please RSVP to Katherine Hubbard at: KHubbard@csis.org.

Mark Ward is the Special Advisor on Development to the Special Representative of the Secretary General for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), based in Kabul. He is responsible for implementation of UNAMA's mandate to improve donor coordination and aid effectiveness in Afghanistan. Before joining UNAMA, Ward was Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Asia at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and a Career Minister in the U.S. Senior Foreign Service. He had principal responsibility for USAID programs in South and East Asia. He was also chair of the Agency's tsunami task force, the South Asia earthquake task force and the Lebanon Reconstruction task force. Ward was the 2006 winner of the Service to America Medal for international affairs. Ward's last overseas post with USAID was in Pakistan as the Mission Director, serving from July 2002 through December 2003. Prior to that, he was the Director of USAID's Office of Procurement in Washington, D.C. Ward joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1986 and served in Pakistan (twice), Egypt, the Philippines, and Russia. He is a native of San Francisco, and received his Bachelor of Arts in political science and Juris Doctor from the University of California at Berkeley. Ward was headmaster of a girl's high school in rural Kenya before law school, and practiced law in Washington for four years

SSI: 2010 Western Hemisphere Security Colloquium: A New Chapter in Latin American Engagement

May 25-26, 2010
InterContinental Hotel - West Miami
Miami, Florida, United States
Open to the General Public
Registration Fee: $TBD

The 2010 Western Hemisphere Security Colloquium will host esteemed scholars and subject-matter experts in the fields of defense, security, politics, and economics. The Colloquium is comprised of participants representing a host of countries from South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada and the United States. Past colloquia have addressed topics such as regional security cooperation, inter-agency, military and civilian cooperation, the impact of globalization, and the rise of non-traditional security issues and concerns. This year’s colloquium theme “A new chapter in Trans-American Engagement” will address the complex regional environment, combating illicit trafficking, building bridges toward better collaboration, civilian-military relations in the 21st century, North American Security and Defense, and managing US adaptation to change. The objective of this conference is to identify, discuss, debate, and generate comprehensive ideas and suggestions related to effectively addressing security issues which threaten the stability of the Western Hemisphere.
Contact SSI Events for more information.

Partners: Strategic Studies Institute US Army War College, Florida International University

Links and Contacts

• Host's Website

Please note that all colloquia require RSVP.