February 4, 2013 Events

February 4-10, 2013

Continue reading for events occurring throughout D.C. this week.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013
Complexity Theory and Development Policy
Hosted by: Center for Global Development
Location: 1800 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20036
Time: 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Summary: Traditional economic models have tried and failed to understand why some countries have managed to improve living standards while other countries have not. Using ideas from complexity theory, Owen Barder will argue that development is a property of an economic and social system, not the sum of what happens to the people within it. Drawing on the understanding of complex adaptive systems in physics and biology, Barder will address important policy implications for policymakers who want to bring about faster development in their own country, or to help other countries to make faster progress.

Based in London, Owen Barder is the director of CGD in Europe, which he established in 2011. Barder was a British civil servant from 1988 to 2010, during which time he worked in the UK Treasury, No.10 Downing Street and the Department for International Development. He was Private Secretary (Economic Affairs) to the Prime Minister and previously Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In the Department for International Development he was variously Director of International Finance and Development Effectiveness, Director of Communications and Information, and head of Africa Policy Department. Barder is a director of Publish What You Fund and a member of the advisory board of Twaweza.
 For more information, please visit:http://www.cgdev.org/content/calendar/detail/1426888

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2013
Crisis in Mali and North Africa: Regional Dynamics and International Priorities
Hosted by: Brookings Institution
Location: 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
Saul/Zilkha Rooms
Time: 10:00am - 11:30am
Summary: This event has reached capacity and registration is now closed. Media may contact Mao-Lin Shen, mshen@brookings.edu, for more information.

France's recent military intervention in Mali and the hostage crisis in Algeria have brought international attention to continuing instability in West and North Africa. The crisis has renewed focus not just on the region, but also on Europe's approach toward Africa, American policies to combat extremism and the complex history and relationships that shape modern dynamics in the Sahel.

On February 6th, the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings will host a discussion on the crisis in Mali and explore how current affairs and priorities in France, the U.S., and West and North Africa have influenced recent events and the trajectory of the conflict going forward. Panelists will include: Brookings Senior Fellow and Daniel L. Byman, research director of the Saban Center; Brookings Senior Fellow Mwangi S. Kimenyi, director of the Africa Growth Initiative; Todd Moss, vice president for programs and senior fellow at the Center for Global Development; and Brookings Senior Fellow Justin Vaisse, director of research for the Center on the United States and Europe. Margaret Brennan, State Department correspondent for CBS News, will moderate the discussion.

After the program, the panelists will take audience questions.
 For more information, please visit:http://www.brookings.edu/events/2013/02/06-mali-crisis?rssid=UpcomingEvents&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BrookingsRSS%2Ftopfeeds%2FUpcomingEvents+%28Brookings+Upcoming+Events%29

S.O.S: A U.S. Strategy of State-Building, A product of The Fragile State Strategy Group Report
Hosted by: Society for International Development
Location: 1101 15th Street, NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC
Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Summary: The SID-Washington Security and Development Workgroup will host a session to discuss the report, "S.O.S: A U.S. Strategy of State-Building," a product of The Fragile State Strategy Group Report. This initiative brought together some of the best experts working on fragile and failed states for a series of six in-depth policy sessions, with the aim of developing a basic framework for addressing the issues wrought by weak states. The focus was primarily, though not exclusively, on developments of the Arab Spring as a regional case study. A country case study on Nigeriawas also included to illustrate how the framework may be applied as a conflict prevention strategy.

The U.S. has a unique opportunity to apply the framework in a timely fashion to critical areas where rapid change is occurring now. The purpose of the session will be to present the findings in the report and to solicit audience feedback on future related activities.
 For more information or to RSVP, please visit:http://wdcsid.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_mc&view=mc&mcid=72&eventId=378164

DRC Update: Overview on Security and Development by Prime Minister Matata Ponyo Mapon
Hosted by: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Location: 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20004
6th Floor Flom Auditorium
Time: 10:00am - 11:30am
Summary: In partnership with the U.S. Department of State and the Embassy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Wilson Center's Africa Program presents, "DRC Update: Overview on Security and Development by Prime Minister Matata Ponyo Mapon" on Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 from 10:00 – 11:30pm in the 6th Floor Flom Auditorium.  This event will feature remarks from the DRC's Prime Minister, H.E. Matata Ponyo Mapon, on matters regarding the country's security and path to development.  Since 2005, the Wilson Center has been deeply involved in the DRC working with government, community and military leaders in building trust, reconciliation, and cohesion to allow for a sustained, peaceful move to democracy and development.  The Wilson Center continues to monitor developments closely and welcomes this opportunity to hear from a high-level leader.  This discussion will also feature Cynthia Akuetteh, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs as a panelist. Steve McDonald, Director of the Africa Program and the Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity at the Wilson Center, will moderate the discussion.
 For more information or to RSVP, please visit:http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/drc-update-overview-security-and-development-prime-minister-matata-ponyo-mapon

'Security Challenges in the Niger Delta: A Governor's Approach'
Hosted by: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Location: 1717 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C.
736
Time: 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Summary: Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, governor of Delta State in Nigeria, will discuss this topic.
 For more information, please visit:http://sais-jhu.edu/events/2013-02-06-123000-2013-02-06-140000/security-challenges-niger-delta-governor%E2%80%99s-approach

A 21st Century Concept of Peace – As Defined by a Lifetime Warrior
Hosted by: NextGen Foreign Policy Network
Location: Embassy of France
4101 Reservoir Road Northwest, Washington, DC 20007
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Summary: After a lifetime at war as an elite soldier and years of advising military commanders as wells as policy makers, Robert DuBois believes that there remains an unrealized potential for peacemaking.

In Powerful Peace, Robert DuBois makes a strong case for a new approach to conflict-solving, based on his own first-hand experience of how individuals can change situations they are faced with.
For more information, please visit:http://www.anaj-ihedn.org/conference-a-21st-century-concept-of-peace-as-defined-by-a-lifetime-warrior/

Film Screening: Washington, D.C. Premiere of One Day After Peace
Hosted by: New America Foundation
Location: 1899 L St., N.W., Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20036
Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Summary: Please note that this event will be held at the Carnegie Institute of Science.

The New America Foundation's Middle East Task Force, Georgetown's Master of Arts Program in Conflict Resolution, the Georgetown Initiative on Human Security, and the Foundation for Middle East Peace are pleased to invite you to the Washington, D.C. premiere of One Day After Peace.

The documentary, produced and directed by Miri and Erez Laufer, follows Robi Damelin's journey through South Africa, Israel, and Palestine. In South Africa, Robi engages with actors from both sides of the conflict in hopes to apply the lessons learned from South Africa's post-apartheid era toward a resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The film also highlights the coming together of both Palestinians and Israelis who have suffered family losses due to the conflict

The program will conclude with a short question and answer session after the film with Robi Damelin, the film's protagonist and an Israeli citizen, and Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian citizen. Both are members of the Parents Circle - Families Forum, a group of bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families supporting conflict resolution and peace.
For more information, please visit:http://www.newamerica.net/events/2013/film_screening_one_day_after_peace

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2013
Beneath the Blindfold
Hosted by: AU Washington College of Law
Location: 4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20016
Room 602
Time: 7:00pm
Summary: Beneath the Blindfold interweaves the personal stories of four torture survivors who now reside in the U.S., but originally hail from different parts of the globe: South and Central America, Africa, and the U.S. Filmmakers Ines Sommer and Kathy Berger set out to counter the 'blind spot' in our national conversation about torture by focusing on survivors' personal stories, insights and struggles.

The event, sponsored by the Torture Abolition and Survivor Support Coalition will feature a panel discussion following the film and feature:

Juan Mendez, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture

Dr. Lin Piwowarczyk, National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs

Dr. Mary Fabri, Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center

Ines Sommer and Kathy Berger, Co-Directors
For more information or to RSVP, please visit:http://tassc.org/blog/2013/01/join-us-for-a-screening-of-beneath-the-blindfold/