In December 2020, the Central African Republic’s (CAR) fragile peace agreement came under threat from a new configuration of armed groups that emerged shortly before President Touadera's contested re-election. On May 19, USIP and the National Endowment for Democracy held a conversation with civil society leaders on the prospects for peace and democracy in CAR.

Elizabeth Murray, introductory remarks
Senior Program Officer, Africa, U.S. Institute of Peace

Kessy Martine Ekomo-Soignet 
Youth Activist and Founder, URU

Rhosyns Ngatondang Zalang 
President, Association Jeunesse en Marche pour le Developpement en RCA

Abdel Nour 
Vice President, Islamic Youth of CAR 

Hans de Marie Heungoup 
Senior Analyst, Central Africa, International Crisis Group 

Valéry Nadjibe, moderator 
Program Officer, Central Africa, National Endowment for Democracy 

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/peace-and-democracy-central-african-republic-civil-society-perspectives

Three nuclear-armed neighbors — China, India and Pakistan — are increasingly locked in tense relations across contested land borders. Last June, USIP convened a bipartisan Senior Study Group on Strategic Stability in Southern Asia. And on May 17, study group members discussed their findings and offered priority recommendations for U.S. policymakers working to de-escalate tensions in Southern Asia and establish safeguards against future conflicts.

Ambassador George Moose, introduction and moderator
Chair, Board of Directors, U.S. Institute of Peace

Daniel Markey 
Senior Advisor, South Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace; Co-Chair, Senior Study Group on Strategic Stability in Southern Asia 

Lynn Rusten
Vice President, Global Nuclear Policy Program, Nuclear Threat Initiative; Member, Senior Study Group on Strategic Stability in Southern Asia 

Andrew Scobell 
Distinguished Fellow, China, U.S. Institute of Peace; Co-Chair, Senior Study Group on Strategic Stability in Southern Asia 

Vikram Singh
Senior Advisor, Asia Program, U.S. Institute of Peace; Co-Chair, Senior Study Group on Strategic Stability in Southern Asia 

Yun Sun
Senior Fellow and Co-Director, East Asia Program, Stimson Center; Member, Senior Study Group on Strategic Stability in Southern Asia 

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/china-india-and-pakistan-standing-brink-crisis

As a close U.S. ally in the region, Colombia’s competitive May 29 presidential elections will undoubtedly have important implications for the longstanding bilateral relationship. At a May 13 townhall event at USIP, Colombia’s principal vice-presidential candidates discussed their respective policy plans and visions for the country’s future.

Marelen Castillo 
Vice-Presidential Candidate, Liga de Gobernantes Anticorrupción (Candidate: Rodolfo Hernández)

Francia Márquez
Vice-Presidential Candidate, Pacto Histórico (Candidate: Gustavo Petro)

Luis Gilberto Murillo
Vice-Presidential Candidate, Centro Esperanza (Candidate: Sergio Fajardo)

Steve Hege, moderator
Deputy Director, Latin America Program, U.S. Institute of Peace

Cynthia Arnson, moderator
Distinguished Fellow, Latin American Program, Woodrow Wilson Center

Jason Marczak, moderator
Senior Director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, Atlantic Council

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/townhall-colombian-vice-presidential-candidates

From May 12-13, President Biden will host leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the White House for a U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit. The summit follows the release by the White House of its Indo-Pacific Strategy, which highlighted U.S. support for a strong and independent ASEAN that is central to regional affairs. On May 11, USIP held a conversation with U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell on the goals of the special summit and opportunities for closer cooperation with ASEAN.

Lise Grande 
President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace 

Dr. Kurt Campbell 
Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs, U.S. National Security Council 

Evan Medeiros, moderator 
Special Advisor, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/previewing-us-asean-summit-0

As one of Europe’s leading voices on defense, security assistance and the future of multilateral cooperation, former President of Estonia H.E. Kersti Kaljulaid has well understood the forces at play since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as their impact on the transatlantic community. On May 10, USIP hosted an exclusive conversation with H.E. Kersti Kaljulaid on the current state of European security and the future of multilateral cooperation since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

H.E. Kersti Kaljulaid, keynote remarks
Former President of Estonia

Lise Grande, moderator
President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/conversation-former-president-estonia-he-kersti-kaljulaid

When Rufus Phillips III passed away in December 2021, America lost one of its most creative foreign policy thinkers. His final book, “Stabilizing Fragile States: Why It Matters and What to Do About It,” was published posthumously in April. Join USIP for a discussion of Phillips’ legacy, how insights from his final book can help inform the implementation of the Global Fragility Act, and the future of U.S. efforts to address state fragility.

H.R. McMaster
Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Former U.S. National Security Advisor

Max Boot
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations 

Roger Myerson
David L. Pearson Distinguished Service Professor of Global Conflict Studies, University of Chicago

Keith Mines, moderator
Director, Latin America Program, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/stabilizing-fragile-states-legacy-rufus-phillips-iii

As one of Africa’s leading investors and philanthropists, Tony Elumelu understands the importance of an entrepreneurial-driven private sector in building sustainable peace in Africa. On April 28, USIP and The Heritage Foundation held a discussion with Tony Elumelu on the links between entrepreneurship and peacebuilding in Africa — as well as how African leaders and the international community can harness the potential of the continent’s private sector to move Africa toward a better future. Also joining this important conversation was Dana Banks, special assistant to the president and senior director for Africa at the National Security Council.

Lise Grande, welcoming remarks
President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace

Tony Elumelu
Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation

Dana Banks
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Africa, National Security Council, The White House

Makila James, co-moderator
Senior Advisor, Africa, U.S. Institute of Peace

Joshua Meservey, co-moderator
Senior Policy Analyst, Africa and Middle East, The Heritage Foundation

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/building-entrepreneurship-economic-opportunity-and-peace-africa

Atrocity crimes — war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression — threaten national and global security by violating our most fundamental international norms and the rights of civilian populations. Responding to such crimes is therefore a global responsibility, one frequently led by the International Criminal Court (ICC). On April 26, USIP hosted a conversation with ICC Prosecutor Khan and Ambassador David J. Scheffer to discuss the ICC’s efforts to secure justice for victims of mass atrocities, the challenges faced by the ICC in responding to ongoing atrocities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and Prosecutor Khan’s priorities for his tenure in the office.

Lise Grande, moderator 
President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace 

Karim A. A. Khan, QC 
Prosecutor, International Criminal Court

Ambassador David Scheffer
Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/pursuing-justice-mass-atrocities-conversation-icc-prosecutor-karim-khan

On April 18, the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights UK, and the United States Institute of Peace convened a conversation on holding Russian President Vladimir Putin accountable for war crimes and massive human rights violations in Ukraine. 

Speakers:

* Lise Grande, President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace, opening remarks

* Kerry Kennedy, moderator and President of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights

* Recorded remarks from: Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

* Lanny Breuer, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General, Vice Chair, Covington & Burling LLP

* Mark Ellis, Executive Director, International Bar Association

* Harold Hongju Koh, former Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State

* Ambassador William Taylor, Vice President, Russia and Europe, U.S. Institute of Peace

* Eka Tkeshelashvili, Head of Program (COP), Support to Anti-Corruption Champion Institutions in Ukraine; member of Board of Trustees of Nizami Ganjavi Center

* Beth Van Schaack, U.S. State Department’s Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice

* Iryna Venediktova, Prosecutor General of Ukraine

* Kateryna Yushchenko, former First Lady of Ukraine 

February marks 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Republic of Tajikistan. On April 14, USIP hosted a conversation that brought together current officials and leading experts to examine new opportunities and challenges during this highly fluid period in the region.

Andrew Wilder, welcoming remarks 
Vice President, Asia Center, U.S. Institute of Peace 

Farhod Salim, keynote remarks
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan

Donald Lu, keynote remarks
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asia Affairs, U.S. State Department; Former U.S Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan

John M. Pommersheim
U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Tajikistan 

Hamralizoda Farrukh Mahmud
Tajikistan Ambassador to the United States 

Parviz Muhammadzoda 
Deputy Director, Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan

Zuhra Halimova 
Independent consultant, strategic advisor, Women in Digital Transformation (WINDT) 

Gavin Helf, moderator
Senior Expert, Central Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/thirty-years-us-tajikistan-partnership-whats-next