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February 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
Room 505 |
Film Screening: City of GodPaulo Sotero, Director, The Brazil Institute, Wilson Center City of God is about friends in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro that grow up to lead two very different lives. After the screening, please join us for a discussion on the role social mobility plays in perpetuating poverty in Brazil. This screening is part of the Latin American & Hemispheric Studies Program Film Festival. Light refreshments and popcorn will be served! RSVP: lasp@gwu.edu Sponsored by the Latin American and Hemispheric Studies Program (LAHSP) |
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Kendrick Seminar Room |
Specialization and the Cost of Trade BarriersScott French, University of New South Wales Gravity estimations using aggregate bilateral trade data implicitly assume that the effect of trade barriers on trade flows is independent of the composition of those flows. However, Mr. French will show that, in a simple framework, which is consistent with generalizations of the wide class of trade models that imply an aggregate gravity equation, aggregate trade flows, in general, depend on the composition of countries' output and expenditure across products, which varies across countries in meaningful ways in the data. This implies that trade cost estimates based on aggregate data are biased and that the predictions of models based on such estimates may be misleading. RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/iieppolicyforums1213 Sponsored by the Institute for International Economic Policy and the GWU Department of Economics |
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Room 311 |
Politics, Science and the Media: Advancing the public interest or special interests?Linda Billings, Ph.D. - SMPA Fellow, School of Media and Public Affairs; Director, Science Communication, National Institute of Aerospace's Center for Integrated STEM Education Ms. Billings' lecture will discuss the politics of the U.S. space program and the key issues that form the basis of how we understand space exploration. She will also address the role of largely unknown but powerful organizations like American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Sciences and the media's tendency to rely on their expertise. Doors will open at 5:15 p.m. Guests will be seated on a first-to-arrive basis. RSVP: http://sciencemedia-spi.eventbrite.com/ Sponsored by GWs School of Media and Public Affairs and the Space Policy Institute |
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Room 505 |
Clio meets Alexander the Great: Reassessing the Historiography of the Macedonian QuestionBasil C. Gounaris, Professor, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Ever since politics in Athens and Skopje were haunted by Alexander the Great, the traditional Macedonian Question was cast aside. It was not forgotten; it was the terminology and the level of discussion that changed. The rich ancient Macedonian heritage became the hot issue; a heritage which also involves the name copy-right. However, the debate which was triggered after the independence of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was not a novelty. The negotiation of terms and identities has been the main topic of Macedonian discussions since the 19th century. In different periods all interested countries, parties, and other groups produced a vast literature to back up with convenient ethnographic, historical and linguistic arguments their national and political claims in Macedonia. Such arguments were deemed essential to support diplomacy but were never the essence of the Macedonian Question. The whole identity debate was a powerful tool used to manipulate a region left for too long without a competent central government. Therefore, both the relevant literature and historiography produced during a time span of 150 years are an integral part of the question rather than a pool of sources to seek the truth. The study of Macedonian history stands as a prefect paradigm for the multifaceted study of the interaction between politics and ideology. RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/gounaris Sponsored by IERES; co-sponsored by the University Seminars Program of the Onassis Foundation (USA) |
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602 |
Nuclear Policy Talks: What to do about Nuclear Outliers Iran and North Korea?Robert Litwak, Vice President for Scholars and Academic Relations and Director of International Security Studies, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars In the Bush era, Iran and North Korea were branded rogue states for their flouting of international norms, and changing their regimes was the administrations goal. The Obama administration has chosen instead to call these countries nuclear outliers and has proposed means other than regime change to bring them back into the community of nations. Can the outliers be integrated into the international community? And how should the United States respond if outlier regimes eschew integration and continue to augment their nuclear capabilities? Mr. Litwak will discuss these questions, drawing on his latest book Outlier States: American Strategies to Change, Contain, or Engage Regimes. RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/litwak Sponsored by the Nuclear Policy Talks Series and the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies |
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Voesar Conference Room, Suite 412 |
Immigration Reform in RussiaOlga Gulina, Law Institute, Samara
Russia receives the second most immigrants in the world after the United States. Due to this fact, immigration reform and the national migration concept have been the primary focus of federal migration policy debates in recent years. The speakers will offer their views on Russian immigration law and enforcement and the national migration concept adopted in June 2012. They will discuss the expansion of illegal migration from former Soviet republics, the employment of foreign citizens (including highly-skilled migrants), and issues related to the removal of foreign nationals. This event is part of IERES Behind the Headlines Series RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/immigration Sponsored by the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Affairs |
Friday, February 8, 2013
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602 |
China's Century? Beijing's Rocky Road to Great Power StatusMartin Jacques, Author, When China Rules the World: the End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order The common view in Washington holds that China does not seriously challenge U.S. global hegemony. In fact, events since the Western financial crisis have only served to accelerate Chinas rise and American decline. However, while China is in the process of becoming a major power can it become a truly great global power? If a Sino-centric world is to mean more than huge Chinese economic power, China will have to change profoundly. But can it? RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/jacques Sponsored by The Sigur Center for Asian Studies |
Monday, February 11, 2013
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602 |
Elections and Politics in North Africa - A Panel DiscussionEllen Lust, Associate Professor, Political Science, Yale University Three leading political scientists will discuss elections in Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt. A light lunch will be served.
Sponsored by the Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS) |
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Kendrick Seminar Room |
The Surprisingly Swift Decline of U.S. Manufacturing EmploymentJustin Pierce, Federal Reserve RSVP: http://tiny.cc/tradedevelopment2012-13 Sponsored by the Institute for International Economic Policy and the GWU Department of Economics |
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602 |
Documentary Film Screening: The Light In Her EyesJulia Meltzer, Director; Producer Houda al-Habash, a conservative Muslim preacher, founded a Quran school for girls in Damascus 30 years ago. Every summer, her female students immerse themselves in a rigorous study of Islam. A surprising cultural shift is under way women are claiming space within the mosque. Please join the filmmakers for a question and answer session upon conclusion of the film. RSVP: http://tinyurl.com/ah3386s Sponsored by the Institute for Middle East Studies |
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Voesar Conference Room, Suite 412 |
Turkish-Russian Spheres of Cooperation and Conflict: Syria, the Caucasus, Iran, and NATOAmbassador Ross Wilson, Director, Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Lecturer, Elliott School of International Affairs, GW This will be a brown bag talk with Ambassador Ross Wilson, hosted by Professionals in European, Eurasian, and Russian Studies (PEERS). RSVP: peers@gwu.edu Sponsored by the Professionals in European, Eurasian, and Russian Studies program (PEERS) |
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Voesar Conference Room, Suite 412 |
Northeast Asia: Russia's Gateway for " Greatness" ?Hong Sub Lee, Associate Professor, Korea National Defense University This presentation will examine Russias strategic aims in seeking greater influence in Northeast Asia. It will describe the tools that Russia can use to gain leverage in the area. Additionally, the speaker will examine the evolution of Russia-Korean relations in the wider context of the region. This event is part of IERES' Visiting Scholars Roundtable Series RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/lee Sponsored by the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Affairs and the Sigur Center for Asian Studies |
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Voesar Conference Room, Suite 412 |
Enemies of the State: Pussy Riot and the New Russian Protest RockArtem Troitsky, Moscow State University After a decade of President Vladimir Putins authoritarian rule in which civil society seemed to be comatose, a new protest movement is growing in Russia. Infuriated by electoral fraud and galloping corruption, the so-called creative class is fighting back by means of music, poetry, multi-media, and daring art performances. In this presentation, Artem Troitsky will give a firsthand account of the situation. RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/Troitsky Sponsored by IERES Media and Democratization in Russia and Eurasia series and the National Endowment for Democracys International Forum for Democratic Studies |
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Jack Morton Auditorium |
Spies, Cyber Attacks, and Social MediaMichael V. Hayden, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency (2006-09); Former Director, National Security Agency (1999-2005) Before becoming director of the CIA, General Hayden served as the countrys first principal deputy director of National Intelligence and was the highest-ranking intelligence officer in the armed forces. Earlier, he served as commander of the Air Intelligence Agency, director of the Joint Command and Control Warfare Center, director of the National Security Agency, and chief of the Central Security Service. This event is now full and will be webcasted here. Sponsored by the Elliott School of International Affairs and the School of Media and Public Affairs |
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602 |
The OAS, Democracy & The Inter-American Democratic CharterAmbassador Hugo de Zela, Chief of Staff, the Organization of American States As former Ambassador of Peru to Brazil and the OAS, Mr. Hugo de Zela is an expert in the Inter-American System and its role in the promotion of democracy. Join us to hear more about the challenges and successes international bodies have had in democracy building. RSVP: lasp@gwu.edu Sponsored by the Latin American and Hemispheric Studies Program (LAHSP) and the Organization of American States (OAS) |
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Room 113 |
IMES Lecture Series: Arabs and Muslims in the Media after 9/11: Patriotic Arab Americans, Oppressed Muslim Women and Sympathetic FeelingsEvelyn Alsultany, Associate Professor, Program in American Culture, University of Michigan After 9/11, there was an increase in sympathetic portrayals of Arabs and Muslims on U.S. television. If a TV drama represented an Arab or Muslim as a terrorist, then the storyline usually included a "positive" representation of an Arab or Muslim to offset the negative depiction. Given that the U.S. government passed domestic and foreign policies that compromised the civil and human rights of Arabs and Muslims, and given that demonizing the enemy during times of war has been commonplace, why would such sympathetic portrayals appear at all? Copies of Ms. Alsultany's book, Arabs and Muslims in the Media: Race and Representation after 9/11, will be available for purchase. RSVP: http://tinyurl.com/a5b8hm2 Sponsored by the Institute for Middle East Studies, the Department of American Studies, and the U.S. Department of Education's Title VI National Resource Center Grant for the Middle East |
Friday, February 22, 2013
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602 |
Network with PEERSPlease join Professionals in European, Eurasian, and Russian Studies (PEERS) as we host a networking event focused on career possibilities in Europe, Eurasia, and Russia. Brief introductions will be followed by an opportunity for students and professionals to interact over drinks and light refreshments. RSVP: http://bit.ly/Xox4yw Sponsored by the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Affairs and the GW Student Association |
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Room 151 |
Shadow Pursuit: A Simulation of the Global War on Terrorism"Shadow Pursuit" will focus on the operation of the U.S. intelligence and covert action community, the conduct of global operations confronting violent extremism and terrorism and the policy debates that are involved in these efforts. For the over the last decade the United States has been heavily engaged in efforts to prevent and preempt acts of global terrorism and pursue those responsible. Participants will grapple with serious questions of U.S. national interest, develop policies to pursue the decided upon objectives and attempt to determine optimal responses to a variety of crisis situations. Participants in this simulation will represent mix of senior level Executive Branch decision makers in form of key members of the National Security Council and an inter-agency team of intelligence and special operations community operators, analysts, action officers and specialists. RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/shadow Sponsored by GW Strategic Crisis Simulation |
Monday, February 25, 2013
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602 |
Abe's Foreign Policy: Pragmatic Realism or Emotional Nationalism? A Presentation by Kazuhiko TogoAmbassador Kazuhiko Togo, Professor and Director, Institute for World Affairs, Kyoto Sangyo University, Japan After becoming Japan's prime minister again in December 2012, Shinzo Abe has been criticized in the Western media for his revisionist views on history and his nationalistic agenda. Back in 2006, however, Prime Minister Abe pragmatically exercised restraint on pilgrimages to the Yasukuni Shrine and pursued an ice-breaking diplomacy with China. Will Abe again act as a pragmatic realist or will he pursue a foreign policy fueled by emotional nationalism? RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/togo Sponsored by the Rising Power Initiative and the Sigur Center for Asian Studies |
Monday, February 25, 2013
Voesar Conference Room, Suite 412 |
Contemporary Literary Voices from Germany and Switzerland (in German)Tim Krohn, Author, Switzerland Two award-winning German-speaking authors, Tim Krohn and Leif Randt, read and discuss their latest works. Readings will be primarily in German with discussion in both German and English. The event concludes with a chance for informal conversation with the authors at a reception. Readings will be primarily in German with discussion in both German and English. RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/KrohnRandt Sponsored by part of IERESs Cultural Initiative; Co-sponsored by the GW German Club and the Department of Romance, German & Slavic Languages & Literatures |
Monday, February 25, 2013
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602 |
Tragic Moderns: Towards a Non-Teleological Reading of Feminist Politics in Contemporary MoroccoNadia Guessous, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Research on Women and the Department of Womens and Gender Studies, Rutgers University When Moroccan leftist feminists narrate their life stories and talk about formative influences in their lives, many recall the influence of a traditional and pious father figure who was just and egalitarian, and who inspired their commitment to and struggle for gender equality. If this positive invocation of an enabling tradition is noteworthy for how consistently it recurs in the life stories of a cross-section of Moroccan leftist feminists, it is equally notable for how dramatically it disappears and is displaced by a notion of tradition as obstacle to womens emancipation and progress. In her new paper, Ms.Guessous juxtaposes invocations of the traditional, pious but egalitarian father figure with that of the failed and disappointing leftist husband who claims to be modern but is in fact traditional in order to complicate our understanding of the relationship between feminism and tradition and to think about the imperatives of modern progressive politics. She argues that the tragedy of Moroccan leftist feminist subjectivity lies in the fact that it is predicated on locating the possibility of womens progress and feminist politics in the repudiation of the very tradition that makes it possible in the first place; and that this constitutive disavowal comes in the way of a more generous ethos of inter-generational and inter-subjective engagement. RSVP: http://tinyurl.com/ap632kp Sponsored by the Institute for Middle East Studies, the Department of Religion, and the Women's Studies Program |
Monday, February 25, 2013
City View Room, 7th Floor |
Engaging Africa: The Next Four YearsTodd Moss, Vice President of Programs and Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development Program: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Sponsored by the David H. Miller Foundation and the Elliott School of International Affairs |
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602 |
3/11: Disaster and Change in Japan: A Presentation by Richard SamuelsRichard J. Samuels, Ford International Professor of Political Science, MIT Japanese political entrepreneurs have used the March 2011 catastrophe in Tohoku (3/11) to nudge national policy in the direction of their own choosing. For some, 3/11 was a warning for Japan to put it in gear and head in a new direction. For others, the catastrophe was a once in a millennium black swan, so Japan should stay the course. Still others declared that 3.11 taught that Japan must return to an idealized past and rebuild what was lost to modernity and globalization. The battle among these perspectives on change, and the use of three uncontested tropes: leadership, community, and risk shaped post3.11 politics and public policy in Japan. RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/311japan Sponsored by the Rising Power Initiative and the Sigur Center for Asian Studies |
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602 |
Transatlantic Relations in the 21st Century: Europe, America and the Rise of the RestErwan Lagadec, Adjunct Professor of International Affairs, GW
This book offers an overview of the interface between European integration, transatlantic relations, and the rise of the rest in the early 21st century. In spite of the oft-heralded pivot to Asia, the U.S. simultaneously remains an indispensable and intolerable nation in Europe, inextricably tied to the continent through economic, military and cultural links. Erwan Lagadecs new book reframes commonplace characterizations of the transatlantic alliance and the emergence of new powers through a multidisciplinary approach that in turns assesses grand strategy, normative culture, threat definition, high & low politics, hard & soft power, and the balance of power among international organizations. Further details can be found at: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415683210/. Part of IERESs Book Launch Series RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/lagadec Sponsored by the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Affairs |
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Voesar Conference Room, Suite 412 |
Religious Freedom in RussiaCatherine Cosman, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Catherine Cosman will discuss major findings from USCIRF's recent report, "Russia: Unruly State of Law." That report, based on a USCIRF visit to Moscow in September 2012, highlights current legal and other issues relating to freedom of religion or belief in Russia. Alexander Verkhovsky will comment on misuse of anti-extremism measures and on recent repressive laws. Both speakers will also discuss the possible future of freedom of religion and belief in Russia. RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/ReligionRussia Sponsored by part of IERESs Behind the Headlines Series |
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Jack Morton Auditorium |
A Conversation with the Korean Ambassador: The R.O.K.-U.S. Alliance in the Pacific Era in Light of North Korea's Recent Nuclear TestAmbassador Choi Young-jin, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States In light of the recent events regarding North Korea and its nuclear program, the GW International Affairs Society will be hosting the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea on campus. Ambassador Choi Young-jin will be speaking on a broad range of issues, ranging from the current leadership transitions in not only Korea but also the impact of the transitions in Japan and China, to the rise of East Asia in economic, financial, political, and security affairs. He will also speak on the importance of the U.S.-Korea alliance in light of current issues such as the U.S. Pivot to Asia and the security challenges that lie ahead in the Asia-Pacific. Please email Rosa Kim at academic@gwias.com with any questions. RSVP: http://gwuiaskorean.eventbrite.com/ Sponsored by the International Affairs Society |
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602 |
Getting More Women into Political Office: What Works?Mona Lena Krook, Associate Director of Political Science, Rutgers University
A light lunch will be served following the program. RSVP: http://bit.ly/WyKbzI Sponsored by the Global Gender Program, the Institute for Global and International Studies, and the National Democratic Institute |
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Voesar Conference Room, Suite 412 |
My Teacher is a Policeman: Postcolonial Nation-Building through Thai Border Patrol Police Civic ActionsSinae Hyun, University of Wisconsin - Madison How does the history of a small band of police forces in the border areas of Thailand elucidate the characteristics of the postcolonial nation-building process in Southeast Asia? This talk will introduce a history of the Thai Border Patrol Police and its civic actions to examine the interconnectedness between postcolonial nation-building processes and the indigenization of American Cold War politics by the local elites from the early 1950's to 1980. To facilitate a sharper analysis, this presentation will focus on the following three questions: First, in what context did the police force become the key cold warrior in Thailand? The first part of the discussion will introduce the historical and political context that created this special paramilitary force by the U.S. and Thai governments in the early 1950's. Second, in what context did the Border Patrol Police transform into an agent of civic action? This section will discuss the history and characteristics of Border Patrol Polices development for security programs in the remote areas of northern Thailand to identify the role this project played in expanding state surveillance and instilling national loyalty among the border populations. Third, how does the history of the Border Patrol Police illuminate the indigenization of Cold War politics against the historical backdrop of postcolonial nation-building processes in Southeast Asia? This final section will investigate the ways in which the Border Patrol Polices transformation and its civic actions can broaden our understanding of the gradually indigenizing nature of the American-led Cold War politics in conjunction with the process of building modern nation-states in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia. RSVP: http://go.gwu.edu/Hyun Sponsored by IERESs Visiting Scholar Roundtable and the Sigur Center for Asian Studies |
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Room 505 |
Book Event: Globalization and Austerity Politics in Latin AmericaStephen B. Kaplan, Assistant Professor, Political Science and International Affairs, GW A book launch followed by a discussion with author Stephen B. Kaplan, Ph.D, GWU professor. RSVP: lasp@gwu.edu Sponsored by the Latin American and Hemispheric Studies Program (LAHSP) |
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602 |
From Donor-Centrism to Data Paloozas: The New World of Development CooperationDonald Steinberg, Deputy Administrator, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) RSVP: Subject=USAID>lasp@gwu.edu Sponsored by the Latin and Hemispheric Studies Program, USAID, and the IGIS Western Hemisphere Working Group |
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Harry Harding Auditorium, Room 213 |
The 2013 Annual Kuwait Chair Lecture: U.S. Military Intervention in Iraq: Cost and ConsequencesAmbassador Edward W. Skip Gnehm, Jr., Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, GW The final convoy of U.S. combat forces withdrew from Iraq in December 2011, but the U.S. military intervention produced transformative effects that continue to reverberate in Iraq and throughout the region. On the 10 year anniversary of the U.S. intervention, Ambassador Gnehm will reflect on the costs and consequences of that action on the U.S., Iraq, specifically, and the Middle East, more broadly. RSVP: http://tinyurl.com/2013kcl Sponsored by the Middle East Policy Forum, which is presented with the generous support of ExxonMobil, and the Institute for Middle East Studies |