As the new Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government settles into its second month in office, it has yet to publicly articulate a comprehensive vision for its foreign policy. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has promised that Pakistan’s foreign policy will “begin and end at Pakistan,” but many questions remain on how the government intends to implement this vision.

At an initial meeting in Islamabad earlier in September, Secretary Pompeo expressed a desire to find common ground between the two countries, but also reiterated the United States has “real expectations” for the new government.

In recent months, the U.S. government has also moved to prioritize a peace process in Afghanistan, historically a major source of contention between the United States and Pakistan. How can we expect Pakistan’s new government to respond?

Speakers:

The evolution of U.S.-China relations over the last 40 years presents challenges that, if not properly managed, threaten American leadership in key places of strategic interest, from Asia to Africa to the Western Hemisphere. Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) joined USIP for a Bipartisan Congressional Dialogue about the People’s Republic of China as it increases its malicious activity in cyberspace, expands its military capabilities and presence around the globe, and uses economic tools to gain strategic leverage and undermine democracy in fragile states. 

Violence and crime are the main drivers of mass immigration from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador into the United States. These countries form a region known as the Northern Triangle, which ranks in the top 10 worldwide for homicide, corruption, drug trafficking and gang violence.   Over the past several decades, a significant amount of U.S. funds have been allocated to the war on drugs, rather than for security, peace and development. As conflict continues to escalate in Central America, how can the U.S. mitigate the violence, support and strengthen rule of law, and curb immigration?

Speakers:

Lisa Haugaard

Steve Hege

Adam Isacson

Enrique Roig

For six months this year, USIP convened a group of 13 senior experts to examine China’s involvement in Myanmar’s internal conflicts—particularly those in Rakhine, Kachin, and Shan states—and peace process. On September 17, USIP hosted a discussion with the group’s co-chairs on the main findings of their report, which is the first in USIP’s China Senior Study Group series examining China’s influence on conflict dynamics around the world.

Speakers:

Ambassador Derek Mitchell

Daniel Twining

David Steinberg

Jennifer Staats, moderator