Thursday, July 16, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Daily Update
Rival of ANC leader Zuma promises to reopen corruption case if elected
Waterboarding used 266 times on terror suspects by CIA
South Korea agrees to enter talks with North Korea
Mandela endorses Zuma and the ANC
Tamil Tigers breach no-fire zone, thousands flee
China targets consumers in balancing economy
Zimbabwe central bank raids private accounts to prop-up ministry
Somali pirates release cargo ship after ransom is paid
Citizens living in fear under military regime in Fiji
Monday, April 6, 2009
Daily Update
Calls for a cease-fire are ignored in Sri Lanka, where fighting continues
An devastating earthquake occurs in Italy
Big farms to save Africa?
No agreement on North Korea has been reached after an emergency UN Security Council meeting was called to discuss their recent rocket launch
With North Korea's recent rocket launch, people ask: is nuclear disarmament possible? Is it even desirable?
Japan announces new stimulus package
...and so does Russia, as described by Putin
One of the world's busiest shipping lanes continues to be threatened by Somali pirates as they seize even more ships
Zimbabwe's new coalition government aims to stabilize its relationship with the West
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Weekly Events Update
The 3/11 Madrid Bombings: An Assessment after 5 Years
Monday, April 06 2009, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
with Fernando Reinares, Professor of Political Science and Security Studies, King Juan Carlos University, Madrid and and Director of the Program on Global Terrorism, Elcano Royal Institute, Madrid
Read More |
North Korean Attitudes Toward China: A Historical View of Contemporary Difficulties
Monday, April 06 2009, 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Jin Linbo, The Brookings Institution, John S. Park, United States Institute of Peace, James F. Person, the Woodrow Wilson Center's North Korea International Documentation Project, Amb. J. Stapleton Roy, the Wilson Center's Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, Bernd Schaefer, the Wilson Center's Cold War International History Project, Amb. Richard Solomon, United States Institute of Peace
Read More |
Ukraine, Dealing with the Financial Crisis
Tuesday, April 07 2009, 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Edilberto Segura, Partner and Chief Economist, SigmaBleyzer/The Bleyzer Foundation
Read More |
Center for National Policy
One Massachusetts Avenue, NW
3rd Floor, Suite 333
Washington, DC 20001
THE INFORMATIONAL CHALLENGES OF A CHANGING CLIMATE
• Current national and international adaptation efforts and challenges
• The national and international security implications of climate change
• The informational needs to implement mitigation policy
• Risk management for climate change
Keynote Speaker:
The Honorable John W. Warner
Former U.S. Senator from
http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_events/task,view/id,1980/
10:00 - 11:30 AM, B1 Conference Room
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
News from G-20: Working Hard, or Hardly Working?
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Weekly Events Update
@ The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Water and Agriculture Implications for Development and Growth
March 30, 2009 The conference will convene international leaders—from government, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and academia—to share their expertise in realms of water, agriculture and global development. Discussions will focus on the impact of these global resource trends on smallholder farmers, assessing strategies to increase both financial incomes and health outcomes in an effort to reduce poverty and improve smallholder farmer livelihood. Ultimately, the event will build awareness about agricultural and water issues, suggest key research initiatives relevant to future policy, and contribute to the ongoing debate about the nature and structure of U.S. development policy and U.S. international water policy.
9:30 am - 4:00 pm (Conference)
Rajeev Venkayya: Global Health Delivery Systems
March 30, 2009 The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Global Health Policy Center cordially invites you to hear Dr. Rajeev Venkayya, Director for Global Health Delivery at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He will concentrate his presentation on strategies for improving the delivery of essential health technologies and services in developing countries.
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Tuesday, March 31st
@ The Wilson Center
Can the G-20 Save the World Economy from Deeper Crisis and Protectionism?
March 31, 2009 As President Obama and world leaders travel to the April 2nd London Summit on the global economic crisis, CSIS’s Scholl Chair in International Business Steven Schrage invites you to a roundtable discussion examining the potential impact of the G-20 on critical issues facing the global economy.
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm, B1
@ CSIS
Islam(s) in Post-Soviet Eurasia: One or Many?
John Schoeberlein, Lecturer on Central Asia, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University. Read More
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m., 6th floor conference room
a discussion with
His Excellency
José María Aznar
Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership, Georgetown University
President of the Government of Spain (1996-2004)
John R. Bolton
United States Ambassador to the United Nations (2005-2006)
and
Mr. Fred Kempe
President and Chief Executive Officer, The Atlantic Council
moderated by
Dr. Angela Stent
Professor of Government and Foreign Service and
Director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies
in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University
CCAS 2009 Annual Symposium:
Palestine and the Palestinians Today
Held at:
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Day 1, April 2, 2009:
· Changing Conceptions of Palestinian Nationalism
· Politics and Leadership: The Changing Trajectory of Governance and Resistance
· Economics and Development in
· Human Rights and the Rule of Law
A reception for all conference speakers and guests will immediately follow the conclusion of Day 1 of the conference.
RSVP for Day 1 here
Day 2, April 3, 2009
· Local Institutions and Issues: Health, Water and Culture
· Palestinians and Israeli Policies
·
· Political Solutions for Palestine/Israel
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thursday Highlights
Your correspondent was there for the entirety of the hearing and the statements and questions between the Secretary and the members of House Financial Services Committee indicated much more moderation, caution and consensus than the soundbites may indicate. Incidentally, the Dow closed 175 points higher. Lesson here: Don’t believe the news, believe in results.
Asia, but not as you know it (anymore) – China is engaging in military development that is upsetting the delicate balance of power in Asia and this will lead to regional instability, a more assertive PRC and cause general uncertainty for all involved, according to a recent Pentagon report to Congress.
China has accused the Pentagon of “Cold War thinking”. And the dance of diplomacy continues.
Hating the world, one summit at a time – Big global summits are notorious for attracting all manner of anti-globalization protesters and have a long tradition of turning violent. In anticipation of “unprecedented” protests London police are taking extra precautions to control the situation. Hard to pick who to bet on.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Daily Update
00-Punjab? U.S. intelligence suggests ties between Pakistani ISI spy service and Taliban - Taliban commanders planning major confrontation of international force in Afghanistan; roadside bomb kills 9
“Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade” - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking about the drug war in Mexico
Georgian politics bipolarize as videos allegedly depicting opposition leaders encouraging violent demonstrations to drive the current government out of party
IMF will deny Zimbabwe financial assistance until the country enacts policy reforms and repays its outstanding debt to the Fund; Zimbabwe's humanitarian situation has deteriorated significantly since hyperinflation due to shortages of daily necessities combined with a cholera outbreak last August
PM Morgan Tsvangirai, left, and President Robert Mugabe
India reports 25 dead from fighting in Kashmir
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
It's Still the Economy, Mostly
Also, mark your calendars. This coming Thursday, March 26, Secretary Geithner will be testifying again before the Financial Services Committee. This time he will be testifying on overhauling financial regulation. Particularly relevant in the lead up to the upcoming G-20 summit.
Here are the details for those of you who can make it:
Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2128
10:00am (but arrive at least half an hour early to get a seat in the public gallery of the hearing room).
Strange bedfellows in Israel: The leftist Labour party has voted to join the right-wing Likud party in a coalition that has split Labour but gives Likud much welcomed mainstream support from a major third party.
Outback steakhouse – Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is in town to meet with government officials and gave a variety of issues ranging from the financial crisis to strategy in Afghanistan. Since the Bush years the strategic importance of Australia has grown for the United States and both PM Rudd and President Obama will no doubt be keen to maintain the positive relationship.
Progressive Saudi Arabia? – In one of the most culturally conservative countries in the world a glimmer of hope for reform? Don’t hold your breathe but still an interesting story.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Daily Update
Trade barriers increase globally
Nearly 100 Tibetan monks are arrested by Chinese police after attack on police station
Despite the current economic state of the world, India's rural market is seeing great expansion
In El Salvador, leftists are on the rise with the greatest opportunity they've seen in more than a decade
Madagascar's leader is sworn in
According to NATO, a high ranking Taliban leader is dead
Ties strengthened between Cuba, El Salvador and Costa Rica
The state of Sudan worsens with the expulsion of aid groups
Spain expected to withdraw troops from Kosovo
Friday, March 20, 2009
Daily Update
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Daily Update
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Global Analyst - Issues 1 and 2
Friday, March 6, 2009
Daily Update
UN can't make up its mind about how to approach the Sudan crisis, but knows that further inaction will have "dire consequences"
Military coups rock Guinea-Bissau, threaten a return to "the bad old days" of African politics
"Illegal" Israeli actions in East Jerusalem: EU accuses Israel of "annexing East Jerusalem"
"Seoul, Canberra sign defense pact"
African Churches leading resistance against violence towards women in Africa
National Stats adviser: China has no need for second stimulus
Wife of Zimbabwe PM Tsvangirai dies in auto accident
Obama's gifts for British PM Gordon Brown: not up to snuff? Decide for yourself
Activist slimes UK Business Secretary with green custard - "The only thing green about Peter Mandelson is the slime coursing through his veins...that he is trying to make political capital out of climate change...is an insult to my generation"
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Daily Update
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Weekly Update - DC Events of Interest
The Bilden Asian Security Speaker Series
presents
An American Strategy for Asia:
Prosperous, Peaceful, and Free
featuring
Daniel Blumenthal
Resident Fellow in Asian Studies
The American Enterprise Institute
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
McGhee Library
301 Intercultural Center
Georgetown University
37th and O Streets, NW, Washington, DC
Please RSVP to http://www12.georgetown.edu/
@ The Center for Strategic and International Studies:
The Center for Strategic and International Studies
cordially invites you to attend
A conversation on U.S.-China relations
with
Dr. Wang Jisi
Dean of the School of International Studies, Peking University
and
Ambassador John D. Negroponte
Vice Chairman, McLarty Associates
Moderated by:
Bonnie Glaser
Senior Associate, CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies
Friday March 6 ~ 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
CSIS, B-1 Level
Please RSVP by emailing your name and affiliation to Savina Rupani at
srupani@csis.org or at (202) 457-8719.
More events at CSIS: http://www.csis.org/events/
Please register by providing your full contact information to Nick Malouta at nmalouta@csis.org.
Please RSVP to the CSIS Africa Program at africa@csis.org to attend.
Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1800 K Street, NW, Washington DC, 20006
@ The Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars:
RSVP and More Information - http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.welcome
China’s Green Revolution: Prioritizing Technologies to Achieve Energy and Environmental Sustainability
Monday, March 02 2009, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Jonathan Woetzel, McKinsey & Company’s Shanghai office; Martin Joerss, McKinsey & Company’s Beijing office; Rob Bradley, World Resources Institute
Winning the Peace in Burundi and DR Congo
Wednesday, March 04 2009, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Alain Pekar Lempereur, Professor, ESSEC Business School, Paris; Elizabeth McClintock, Managing Partner, CMPartners; Steve McDonald, Consulting Program Director, Africa Program (moderator)
Transnational Integration Regimes as Development Programs
Wednesday, March 04 2009, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Gerald A. McDermott, Associate Professor, Sonoco International Business Department, Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina
Global Health Spending: Why Maternal Health Is Not a Political Priority
Wednesday, March 04 2009, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Jeremy Shiffman, Associate Professor of Public Administration, The Campbell Public Affairs Institute Maxwell School, Syracuse University; Ann M. Starrs, President, Family Care International
Protection of the Mediterranean Ecosystem
Wednesday, March 04 2009, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Spyridon Kouvelis, Member of Parliament, Greece, and in charge of the Environment Sector, Policy Coordination Body, PanHellenic Socialist Movement
China's Carbon Cost Abatement Curve: What it Means for U.S. Climate Policy
Wednesday, March 04 2009, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
with Jonathan Woetzel, Director, McKinsey & Company Shanghai Office; and David Moulton, Director, Climate Policy and Conservation Funding, The Wilderness Society. Moderated by: Jennifer Turner, Director, China Environment Forum, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Daily Update
Japan's recession could be the most severe of all: unemployment skyrocketing, exports plummeting, factories shutting down
European leaders meet in summit to discuss economic crisis in Europe in an effort to determine which powerful nations will aid those struggling the most. Meanwhile, tensions continue to grow between Czech President Topolanek and French President Sarkozy
Contrary to US allegations of disrespect, China defends its actions regarding human rights
Israel still cannot reach coalition agreement as April 3rd deadline quickly approaches, worrying Netanyahu
Iran's quest for hegemony
Rwandan soldiers begin to move out of the DR Congo after entering to attack Hutu rebels
Zuma, the possible next president of South Africa, remains unaffected by opposition party, Cope, despite its mounting strength and his own corruption charges
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Daily Update
Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif is ousted from office, threatening to plunge nation into chaos again just as the government tries to muster a response to Islamic Extremism
Iran's nuclear program "gains speed" as Russo-Iranian collaboration on the Bushehr light water reactor intensifies - by itself, the reactor doesn't pose a significant nuclear proliferation risk, but it could be targeted by Israeli air strikes against Iran's nuclear infrastructure as a whole
According to South Korean intelligence, North Korea has relocated preparations for the launch of its Taepodong-2 intercontinental ballistic missile to an underground refueling station, making it more difficult for the U.S. and its allies to determine when the launch will occur
India files murder charges against one of the Mumbai gunmen, death sentence expected
U.S. Attorney General commends Guantanamo's facilities, "professionalism," and care for inmates, but maintains that the prison's days are numbered
Afghanistan is so far removed from global financial and trading markets that it's weathering the current financial crisis with little difficulty - the U.S.'s backing of the Afghan Central Bank to keep its currency stable helps, too
U.S. State Dept. criticizes China, Russia, North Korea, and others on 2008 human rights record; China deems accusations "groundless"
Japan's recession is predicted to deepen as exports fall by more than 45%
Investigation of deadly Turkish Airlines crash in Amsterdam begins
Monday, February 23, 2009
Daily Update
Tamil Tigers' offer to ceasefire is rejected by Sri Lanka, who says peace cannot be possible until rebels lay down arms
A reform-minded Saudi Arabia
Rivals meet in Madagascar to stop violence political and social unrest
North Korea recently finished deploying new medium-range missiles with expanded reach capabilities
Spain's People's Party falling apart from internal scandal and disunity?
Pakistan seeks support from China in order to achieve economic security
Human rights group Amnesty International urges an Israel-Hamas arms embargo
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Weekly Update - D.C. Events of Interest
Iraq: Recent Events and Challenges Ahead
Monday, February 23, 2009, 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
http://www.stimson.org/events.cfm?ID=662
@
The Henry L. Stimson Center
1111 19th Street, NW, 12th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
Facing the Global Economic Challenge
The Rt. Hon. Alex Salmond, MP, MSP (First Minister of Scotland)
Monday, February 23 , 11:15 a.m.
R.S.V.P. to PresidentsOffice@georgetown.edu
@
Riggs Library
Georgetown University, Washington D.C. 20057
Wednesday:
New Kids on the Block: Chinese Oil and Mining Companies Go Global
Wednesday, February 25 2009, 9:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.event_summary&event_id=503259
@
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Ronald Reagan Building and
International Trade Center
One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20004-3027
Craig from Craigslist!
Craig Newmark, Creator of Craigslist
Wednesday, February 25th, 7:00-9:00 pm (Doors open at 6:30)
@
Gaston Hall,
Georgetown University, Washington D.C. 20057
Friday:
US - Iran: Lessons from the Past for the Present and Future
Friday, February 27 2009, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.event_summary&event_id=508598
@The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars