Below, please find a list of events, hosted by CSIS. Click on an event title to view more information. Video or audio files of on-site conferences or events are usually posted within two days.
CSIS Press Briefing: President’s Trip to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt
AUDIO (mp3, 01:09:40) | VIDEO (wmv, 01:11:20) | TRANSCRIPT The Center for Strategic & International Studies hosted a briefing for members of the media on the President’s upcoming trip to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. The briefing was spearheaded by: Anthony Cordesman, CSIS Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy. Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program.
March 26
Gulf Roundtable: Recentering the Global Economy: Gulf capital and the future of wealth
“U.S. companies have no choice but to depend on sovereign wealth funds for assets,” stated Daniel Gross, Newsweek’s chief economic columnist. A growing supply of dollar-based capital piling up on the balance sheets of foreign governments has intersected with a sudden demand for capital in the United States. These conditions have created opportunities for U.S. businesses, but it has also created concerns about foreign influence in the United States. Gross examined the role of sovereign wealth funds (SWF) and the challenges and opportunities posed by sovereign wealth fund investment in the United States at a CSIS Gulf Roundtable on March 26, 2008.Daniel Gross is one of the most widely read economics and business writers working today. Since last summer, he has been a senior editor at Newsweek, where he writes the "Contrary Indicator" column. He also writes the “Moneybox” column for Slate, and previously wrote the “Economic View” column for the New York Times. Over the years, he has contributed hundreds of articles to more than 60 publications. He has written four books, most recently Pop! Why Bubbles Are Great for the Economy (HarperCollins, 2007). His 1996 book, Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time was a New York Times business best seller and has been translated into nine languages. Mr. Gross holds degrees from Cornell University and Harvard University.
March 18
Redefining Home: Muslim Communities in the West
The CSIS Europe and Middle East Programs hosted a discussion with Jocelyne Cesari, author of Encyclopedia of Islam in America (Greenwood Press, 2007), a collection of scholarly articles and primary documents on Muslim life in the United States. Dr. Cesari discussed the findings and research process behind the two-volume encyclopedia series and addressed some of the most pressing issues facing U.S. and European Muslim communities. Dr. Cesari has been an associate at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University since spring 2001, and also teaches at Harvard Divinity School, where she directs the Islam in the West Program.
March 3
Congressional Forum on Islam: Orthodoxy and Radicalism in Saudi Arabia
The Saudi government faces threats both from jihadists returning from Iraq and local extremists, and to fight both it has rallied the Saudi religious establishment to its side. The government-led effort to use official religion to stamp out terrorism creates challenges not only for the government, but also for clerics who find themselves under increased scrutiny, and sometimes pressure. Thomas Hegghammer is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton University and a Research Fellow at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) in Oslo. Dr. Hegghammer is the author of Jihad in Arabia (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming) and co-author of Al-Qaida dans le Texte (Paris: PUF, 2005). His articles have appeared in the International Journal of Middle East Studies, the Middle East Journal, Middle East Policy, and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. He has also written about Saudi Arabia for the International Crisis Group and for Oxford Analytica. A fluent Arabic speaker, Dr Hegghammer has conducted extensive fieldwork in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East. He earned his Ph.D. from Sciences-Po in Paris.
February 22
Gulf Roundtable: Iraq after the Surge: Implications for the Gulf States
AUDIO (mp3, 01:10:35) Joost Hiltermann is Deputy Program Director for Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group (ICG). Based in Istanbul, he manages a team of analysts conducting research throughout the region on the drivers and risks of armed conflict. The program’s latest report is entitled Iraq’s Civil War, the Sadrists and the Surge. Prior to joining ICG Hiltermann served for a decade with Human Rights Watch as executive director of the Arms Division and director of the Iraq Documents Project. He also spent five years at the Ramallah-based Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq, where he was research director. Hiltermann earned a Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California at Santa Cruz. He is the author of dozens of reports and academic articles and is a frequent commentator in the media. His book, A Poisonous Affair: America, Iraq, and the Gassing of Halabja, was recently published by Cambridge University Press.
January 31
Gulf Roundtable with Ahmed Saeed
While the Arab Gulf is enjoying a huge windfall as oil revenues have skyrocketed, the region continues to face serious economic challenges, according to Ahmed Saeed of Cerberus Capital. Saeed, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa and the Middle East at the U.S Department of the Treasury, analyzed the changing role of the Gulf in the global economy at a CSIS Gulf Roundtable held on January 31, 2008.
January 18
Congressional Forum on Islam with Carrie Wickham
Carrie Rosefsky Wickham is associate professor of political science at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she teaches courses on Islamist groups, parties and movements and Middle East politics. Wickham has published widely in a range of academic journals and is the author of Mobilizing Islam: Religion, Activism and Political Change in Egypt (Columbia University Press, 2002). She is currently writing a book entitled Islamist Auto-Reform and the Future of Opposition Politics in the Arab World, for which she recently conducted fieldwork in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Kuwait. Wickham has also served as a consultant for the Department of Homeland Security and served as a core team member of a project on "Islamist Activism and Radicalization," supported by the Science and Technology Expert Partnership (STEP) of the National Intelligence Council. She received her B.A. Magna cum laude from Harvard University and her Ph.D. from Princeton University.
January 17
Building Stability in North Africa: Prospects and Challenges
North Africa is emerging as a pivotal region in global affairs. As a major energy supplier and key front on the global war on terror, developments in North Africa have a significant impact on regional as well as global trends. Opportunities for constructive engagement abound, yet legitimate concerns about long term stability remain unanswered. To explore these challenges and opportunities, as well as examine key questions influencing long term stability, CSIS will host a one day conference entitled “Building Stability in North Africa: Prospects and Challenges.” We will use the event to explore a number of issues facing the states of the region individually and collectively and draw on a diverse range of experts from a broad scope of disciplines. AGENDA 9:00 a.m. Introduction Jon Alterman, CSIS Middle East Program Panel One: Political Trends and StrategiesAudio for Introduction and Panel One (mp3, 1:19.31) Speakers: John Entelis, Fordham University Malika Zeghal, University of Chicago Moderator: Jon Alterman, CSIS Middle East Program 10:30 a.m. Panel Two: TheWar on Terror: Local Threat or Global Menace?Audio for Panel Two (mp3, 1:20:10)Speakers:Hugh Roberts, independent consultantLianne Kennedy-Boudali, Rand CorporationModerator: Haim Malka, CSIS Middle East Program12:00 p.m. Lunch and Panel Three: Economic Opportunities and ChallengesAudio for Panel Three (mp3, 1:17:07)Speakers:Elizabeth Dibble, U.S. Department of StateJohn Drowley, Eli Lilly and Co.Moderator: Mona Yacoubian, United States Institue of Peace2:00 p.m. Panel Four: Scenarios for the FutureAudio for Panel Four (mp3, 1:08:31)Speakers:Claire Spencer, Chatham HouseHaizam Amirah-Fernandez, Real Instituto ElcanoModerator: Daniel Brumberg, Georgetown University3:30 p.m. Adjourn
January 3
CSIS Press Briefing: President’s Middle East Trip
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) held a briefing for members of the media regarding the President’s upcoming trip to the Middle East. The briefing was delivered by: CSIS Middle East Program Director, Jon Alterman. CSIS Arleigh Burke Chair in Strategy, Anthony Cordesman. AUDIO (01:06:39 mp3) | VIDEO (01:06:39 wmv) | TRANSCRIPT (pdf)
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