Africa Up Close

Continue reading for events this week in D.C. concerning Africa.

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013
International HIV Research: Past, Present and Future Global Health Research Opportunities
Hosted by: National Institutes of Health
Location: 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892
Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm
Summary: Ever wonder what global health research opportunities are available for biomedical scientists?  Interested in how international field clinical and research sites are set up?  HIV and STD expert Dr. Thomas Quinn will discuss these topics in an upcoming seminar at NIH on May 28, hosted by the NIH Global Health Interest Group.  Dr. Quinn is an excellent speaker, has a wealth of international HIV research experience, and has been involved in global health activities at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and at NIH.
For more information or to RSVP, please visit: 
http://globalhealthinterestforum.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/seminar-international-hiv-research-past-present-and-future-global-health-research-opportunities/
 
Institutional Reform in Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia
Hosted by: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Location: 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Summary: As Arab political transitions stumble and parties clash over the pace and direction of reforms, analysts are largely focused on the differences between political actors-Islamists, Salafis, liberals, and others-and the implications for political development. But critics argue that this distracts attention from trying to understand the critical institutional changes underway in these countries.

Frederic Wehrey, Ellen Lust, and Jakob Mathias Wichman will discuss political change and institutional dynamics in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia. Marwan Muasher will moderate
For more information or to RSVP, please visit:
http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/05/28/institutional-reform-in-libya-egypt-and-tunisia/g5xy

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2013
Great Lakes Policy Forum: Intervention Force and Stabilisation Plan in DRC: Compatible or Counter-Productive?
Hosted by: Johns Hopkins SAIS
Location: Johns Hopkins SAIS – Nitze Building
1740 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 Kenney Auditorium
Time: 9:30am – 11:30am
Summary: Since the signature of the Addis Ababa Peace Agreement, the Great Lakes Region has received a lot of attention from the International Community. At the same time, the new UN Stabilization Plan for Eastern DRC will focus more on the root causes of conflict, and will advocate for a multi-level, long term peace building approach. Both processes constitute opportunities and threats to the stability of the Region. This month’s GLPF will explore the possibilities of in-depth, long-term conflict transformation, while exposing possible dangers of the renewed attention.
For more information or to RSVP, please visit: http://www.sfcg.org/events/forums_great.html

The Coptic Issue in Egypt
Hosted by: Al-Hewar Center
Location: Vienna Community Center
120 Cherry Street, S.E., Vienna, VA
Time: 7:00pm
Summary: A conversation with Egyptian lawyer Ms. Dina Guirguis, Executive Director of the Tahrir Institute. The cost is $5 for entrance.
For more information or to RSVP, please visit:
http://www.alhewar.com/newevents.html

THURSDAY, MAY 30th, 2013
The Future of Conflict in Africa
Hosted by: Center for Strategic and International Studies
Location: Center for Strategic and International Studies
1800 K Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20006, Fourth Floor Conference Room
Time: 9:30am – 10:30am
Summary: Please join the CSIS Africa Program for a launch of the Institute for Security Studies’ latest paper, The Future of Intrastate Conflict in Africa: More Violence or Greater Peace? The paper reviews patterns of post-Cold War conflicts in Africa to analyze anticipated trends in intrastate conflict through 2050. Jakkie Cilliers, executive director of the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, South Africa, will discuss major findings, including a the evolution of the nature of African conflicts, why conflict has persisted amid rapid economic growth, and how multipolarity may affect these trends in the coming decades. CSIS Africa Program director Jennifer Cooke will moderate. To RSVP, contact Farha Tahir at africa@csis.org.
For more information, please visit: http://csis.org/event/future-conflict-africa

Using Technology to Promote Good Governance and Economic Transparency in West Africa
Hosted by: National Endowment for Democracy
Location: National Endowment for Democracy
1025 F Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20004
Time: 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Summary: In recent years, a majority of the 15 ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) member countries have enjoyed expanded political freedoms and have passed a variety of reform measures to combat corruption, including the establishment of a regional anti-corruption institution. Despite this progress, the region still confronts instability, limited transparency, and weak democratic governance.

In response to these ongoing challenges, countries across West Africa have begun to harness the power of information communication technologies (ICT), primarily as a tool to monitor elections. Beyond their application in electoral environments, however, the full potential of new technologies to enable transparency, fight corruption, and monitor public service delivery has yet to be fully realized.

In his presentation, Kwami Ahiabenu will provide an overview of how new digital technologies, including online platforms, mobile apps, SMS, and social media, are being used to promote democratic governance and economic transparency in ECOWAS member states. He will assess relevant projects, identify gaps in project deployment, and offer recommendations for the effective use of technology to strengthen democratic governance in West Africa.

His presentation will be followed by comments by Larry Diamond.
For more information or to RSVP, please visit: http://ned.org/events/using-technology-to-promote-good-governance-and-economic-transparency-in-west-africa

Ambassador Series: His Excellency Michael Moussa-Adamo Ambassador of Gabon to the United States of America
Hosted by: World Affairs Council
Location: 1801 K Street NW, Mezzanine Level, Washington, DC 20006
Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Summary: His Excellency Michael Moussa-Adamo will speak about Gabon foreign policy issues.  Since its independence in 1960, Gabon has advocated dialogues in international affairs through a non-aligned strategy.  Abundant natural resources and investor-friendly policies have made Gabon one of the most prosperous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Ambassador Moussa-Adamo will discuss the economic development of his country as well as the opportunities for investment by American companies. Entrance will be $5 for members, and $10 for non-members.
For more information or to RSVP, please visit:
https://www.worldaffairsdc.org/wac/events/upcomingmore/325

FRIDAY, MAY 31st, 2013
Tunisia’s Democratic Future: An Address by Rached Ghannouchi
Hosted by: Brookings Institution
Location: Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
Falk Auditorium
Time: 10:00am – 11:30am
Summary: In Tunisia, where the Arab awakening began, the move toward a more open society is experiencing growing pains. Economic pressures exacerbated by the revolution and the war next door in Libya, extremist violence, and the country’s deep divisions over drafting its new constitution all present pressing challenges to Tunisia’s democratic transition. Will the country that kicked off the Arab revolutions continue to inspire the region’s drive toward democracy? What can Tunisian approaches to resolving political conflicts and reconciling Islamism and democracy teach us about the prospects for successful transitions elsewhere in the Arab world?

On May 31, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings will host Rached Ghannouchi, co-founder and president of Tunisia’s Nahda Party, for a special address on the future of Tunisian democracy. Vice President Martin Indyk, director of Foreign Policy, will provide introductory remarks. Following Ghannouchi’s remarks, Saban Center Director and Senior Fellow Tamara Cofman Wittes will moderate the discussion and include audience questions. Join the conversation on Twitter using #FPTunisia.
For more information or to RSVP, please visit:
http://bit.ly/10pga7p

Current Scholarship on International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution
Hosted by: American Society of International Law
Location: American Society of International Law
2223 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008
Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm
Summary: The American Society of International Law’s (ASIL) Howard M. Holtzmann Research Center for the Study of International Arbitration and Conciliation in co-sponsorship with the ASIL Dispute Resolution Interest Group and the Washington Foreign Law Society is pleased to announce a continuing legal education (CLE) webinar featuring Susan Karamanian (ASIL Academic Partner George Washington University Law School), who will discuss her recent scholarship on the relationship between human rights and international arbitration. Daniel Barstow Magraw (Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies) will serve as the discussant. To receive instructions on joining this live webinar, please register no later than Thursday, May 30, 2013, and instructions will be sent to you via email.
For more information and to RSVP, please visit: http://www.asil.org/activities_calendar.cfm?action=detail&rec=287

SATURDAY, JUNE 1st, 2013
Food Security in Senegal and Crisis in the Sahel
Hosted by: Institute of Current World Affairs
Location: Cosmos Club
2121 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Time: 9:00am – 1:15pm
Summary: (Note – this is the 2^nd day of the ICWA’s Semi-Annual Meeting and Symposium)

Senegal: Farming and Food Security— Jori Lewis will report on her two-year Fellowship in Senegal, where she’s been writing about food, farms and a host of other issues.

Panel Discussion: Crisis in the Sahel— Peter Gwin is Staff Writer and Expeditions Editor at National Geographic Magazine. He’s written extensively about Mali and the Sahara region. Hanna Armstrong is an ICWA Fellow in the Sahel region of Africa. She witnessed the coup that toppled the Mali government, and has been travelling in Niger, Mali and Mauritania while writing reports for the Institute of Current World Affairs. Bruce Whitehouse is a professor of anthropology at Lehigh University. He’s a cultural anthropologist interested in migration, development, marriage, demography, Islam and sub-Saharan Africa.

Entrance on Saturday will cost $50. Friday evening beginning at 6PM there will be a discussion titled “Israel and its Society” following a cocktail reception and dinner. Entrance that evening will be $100.
For more information or to RSVP, please visit:
http://www.icwa.org/index.asp