Expert-led Discussions
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February 20, 2010
as noted | 4:00pm8:00pm
| Jack Blum | Keith Fitzgerald | Dipali Mukhopadhyay | Hossain Zillur Rahman | Edward Girardet | David Mansἀeld | Sanjoy Hazarika | Rajini Srikanth | Matan Chorev | Seeds of Peace | Rafia Zakaria |
Corruption and Proliferation
Jack Blum Attorney, specializing in illicit markets, money laundering and issues of offshore tax evasion.
An inquiry into the mechanisms, practices, and dilemmas of global corruption: off shore financing for illicit trade and market activity, arms trade, nuclear proliferation, clandestine drugs, and more. An insight into confronting the nefarious world of underworld financial manipulation and covert activity. What are the links between such finance and political intrigue and subterfuge? While this session will specifically relate to proliferation and corruption in Pakistan, it will encompass insights into the global mechanisms of corruption as well. Jack Blum is recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts on white collar crime, illicit markets, and offshore financing.
Cabot 205
Negotiating with Terrorists
Keith Fitzgerald Senior Conflict Advisor, Asian Development Bank, Sri Lanka; Author, Negotiating Hostage Crises with the New Terrorists
Whether in the wake of terror attacks, in the midst of a hostage crisis, or as part of a peace process or a counter-insurgency campaign; policy makers, security officials, and the public are increasingly confronted with the choice of whether or not to “negotiate with terrorists.” Few dilemmas are as acute or as emotionally-charged as the question of whether or not to engage in negotiations with some of the world’s ultimate “villains” – or have as much at stake. Governments often adopt policies that declare they “will not negotiate with terrorists,” and many people assume that terrorists only respond to the use of force. As a practical matter, even if we decided to negotiate with them, how would one engage in dialogue with extremists who are willing to kill and die to achieve their objectives? In this workshop, we shall explore both the question itself, and the theoretical and the practical challenges to negotiation in this high stakes, high-pressure context.
Olin 116
The Possibilities of Hybrid Governance in Afghanistan
Dipali Mukhopadhyay Author, “Warlords as Bureaucrats: The Afghan Experience”; Jennings Randolph Dissertation Scholar, U.S. Institute of Peace; PhD Candidate, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Is the current model of governance under which the Karzai administration operates inherently unstable, if not completely unsustainable? Can centralized power in the capital coexist with the power of warlords in the peripheries? Has the international community facilitated an unstable balance of power scenario that leaves the central government effectively powerless outside of Kabul and the Afghan people increasingly disenchanted with their government? How can one hope to implement a stable and effective government in Afghanistan that takes into account regional heterogeneity without undermining the central state? Mukhopadhyay will address this fundamental question through a lens of “hybrid governance.” How can the right balance of formal and informal power, centralized and decentralized authority, work to Afghanistan’s benefit?
Olin 112
Reframing the Debate: Poverty Alleviation vs. Poverty Elimination
Hossain Zillur Rahman Founder, Power and Participation Research Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Former Minister of Commerce and Education, Caretaker Government of Bangladesh
This eminent World Bank economist and political sociologist, a former Bangladeshi Minister of both Education and Commerce, will be thinking about the imperatives and conundrums of poverty mitigation in his country and elsewhere. He will explore issues of governance, corruption, and markets as well as the interplay of external aid and expertise with indigenous resources and human capital. He will discuss the tensions of centralized versus decentralized administration and planning as well as the complexities and potential of local governance, institution building, and community resilience.
Mugar 235
The Media and Afghanistan
Edward Girardet Journalist; Author, The Essential Field Guide to Afghanistan; he has been reporting on Afghanistan and the region for The Christian Science Monitor, PBS’ The NewsHour, National Geographic and other media since October 1979
Edward Girardet has written the Essential Field Guide on Afghanistan, based on over 80 trips to the country over the past three decades. This session will explore the role of independent media organizations in post-conflict and humanitarian environments. In particular, how can media spotlight areas of need in the rebuilding process? There are many NGOs in Afghanistan today, but how many of them actually respond to the needs of Afghans rather than the interest of donors? Finally, in the wake of a sustained counterinsurgency by NATO-ISAF and possible political reconciliation with insurgents, it is crucial to understand how all parties including the Taliban will leverage media as part of their strategy.
Olin 102
Drugs and Development in Afghanistan
David Mansfield Fellow, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard Kennedy School; Independent Consultant, for a range of organizations, including the UK Government and the World Bank, on illicit drugs in Afghanistan
With the American operation in Afghanistan entering its ninth year, a critical component of any exit strategy relies on curbing the narcotics trade which many contend is directly funding insurgent forces. Unfortunately the political urgency for withdrawal further polarizes the debate over policy positions for combating the drug trade and implementing successful development practices. In this session David Mansfield will discuss the motivations and structural factors that influence levels of opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and discuss how these factors differ by area and socio-economic group. Through in-depth interviews conducted with farmers, traders, and elders involved in the poppy trade, Mansfield has compiled a narrative on the Afghan opium industry that suggests a one-size-fits-all narcotics policy may do little to further development aims. Mansfield is a renowned expert who has studied these issues for over a decade.
Cabot 206
Water in South Asia
Sanjoy Hazarika Managing Trustee, Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research, India; Script Writer, “A River’s Story: The Quest for the Brahmaputra” documentary
South Asia is home to some of the greatest rivers of the world. In the opinion of many water has become the single greatest issue of concern and tension in the region. From disputes related to distribution of river water to wide spread pollution of water resources, water has been at the core of many problems that the region faces. The majority of the region’s water sources are polluted. A lack of access to safe water contributes to a fifth of communicable diseases. The scenario is grim given the projected impact of population pressures and global warming—which aggravates the flood and drought cycle of the monsoon, and the melting of Himalayan glaciers that serve as a natural water reservoir used by a billion people. How contestable is the data related to this issue? Meanwhile, a rash of environmentally questionable dam building along the two nuclear rivals, India and Pakistan‘s shared rivers is further stoking geopolitical tension. Similar tension exists between India-Bangladesh, India- China and within India in the Krishna-Godavari basin. How big a part does water play in South Asia’s conflicts? Can effective trans-boundary river management regimes help towards achieving peace? How can the uneven distribution of fresh water be addressed? Are dams the way to go? These are some of the questions that will be addressed in this workshop. As an eclectic scholar, filmmaker, and journalist, Hazarika has studied these issues from the perspective of national security and the environment.
Olin 103
South Asian Diaspora Literature
Rajini Srikanth Associate Professor of English, University of Massachusetts, Boston; Author, The World Next Door: South Asian American Literature and the Idea of America
Ever since Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight’s Children won the prestigious Man Booker Prize in 1981, there has been a whole series of very successful South Asian writers. The world has become a place of “shared destinies” and literature has had its “part to play in enabling connections across nations and cultures”. In this workshop we hope to address questions such as: Who is the audience of South Asian authors that write international bestsellers? What are the national traumas that pre-occupy South Asian countries, and how have they been portrayed in literature? How is South Asian literature, in its non-native tongue, viewed by the ordinary South Asian, especially the largely illiterate populace that does not have access to it? We hope to discuss other issues such as translation, migration, the view of the Diaspora as an outsider looking in and the experiences of “coming home” for the Diaspora. This interactive discussion will approach all these subjects and more through the lens of literature and language. An Associate Provost and faculty member at University of Massachusetts, Boston, Srikanth has formerly taught at the English Department at Tufts University.
Olin 113
Af-Pak: Taking Stock
Matan Chorev (EPIIC’04, A’05, F’07): Executive Director, The Future of National Security Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School, Harvard University
This will be a precis of the recommendations, findings, and proceedings of the two-day workshop, “The Prospects for Security and Political Reconciliation in Afghanistan: Local, National, and Regional Dimensions,” which was convened by the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, and the Center on International Cooperation at New York University, with collaboration from the United States Institute of Peace and partial sponsorship from the Compton Foundation. Please see the conference description in the symposium program.
Mugar 200
Seeds of Peace in South Asia: Led by Seeds of Peace participants from Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan
Founded in 1993 by journalist John Wallach, Seeds of Peace is dedicated to empowering young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence. Over the last 17 years, Seeds of Peace has intensified its impact, dramatically increasing the number of participants, represented nations and programs. From 46 Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian teenagers in 1993, the organization has expanded its programming to include young leaders from South Asia, Cyprus and the Balkans. Its leadership network now encompasses over 4,000 young people. Since the wrenching partition of Indian in 1947, Pakistan and India have been at war several times. Intent on opening new channels of diplomacy and cooperation in the region, the U.S. State Department approached Seeds of Peace to explore the feasibility of a program aimed at South Asian young people. In 2001, Seeds of Peace launched a program for Indians and Pakistanis from Mumbai and Lahore. The next year, the program more than doubled in size. Later, the program expanded to include a delegation from neighboring Afghanistan. This workshop will discuss the experiences and impact of this program, led by Seeds from Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan.
Olin 110
The Role of Women in South Asia
Rafia Zakaria Director, Amnesty International USA; Director, Muslim Women’s Legal Defense Fund for the Muslim Alliance of Indiana/The Julian Center Shelter
Gender issues in South Asia represent a complex challenge. There has been a greater recognition of the problem across the region. In most countries women have experienced improved access to services and credit markets. However, despite the recent economic growth and changing social norms, dramatic gender inequities persist in South Asia. Addressing the inequities will require greater voice of women in the political decision-making of communities and states. Unless women are integrated into the political sphere as critical actors, progress in South Asia will remain slow. This workshop will discuss these and other issues with Rafia Zakaria, the first Pakistani American woman to serve as a Director for Amnesty International USA. She is a lawyer and the Director of the Muslim Women’s Legal Defense Fund for the Muslim Alliance of Indiana/The Julian Center Shelter representing victims of domestic violence.
Olin 108
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