Johns Hopkins SAIS to host "The Future of Afghanistan and the South-Central Asian Region in the New U.S. Administration," on Monday, Jan. 9, 2017
MEDIA ADVISORY
“The Future of Afghanistan and the South-Central Asian Region in the New U.S. Administration,” a panel discussion, will be hosted at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
As the new U.S. administration prepares to take office in a few weeks, it is important to discuss what Afghanistan and the South-Central Asia region mean for a Trump administration. The panelists will analyze what major developments have informed U.S. strategy since the National Unity Government took power in Afghanistan more than two years ago.
The speakers will also discuss a realistic vision for the country’s future and how U.S. diplomatic, security, and aid policies could support that vision. Furthermore, how might or would the new administration modify its approach to Afghanistan and neighboring countries to encourage greater economic integration and prosperity in the region?
Time and Date
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Monday, January 9, 2017
Panelists
Ambassador James B. Cunningham
Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Israel, and the United Nations, and Consul General for Hong Kong and Macau
Ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, and former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Argentina, and Afghanistan
Scott Worden
Director of Afghanistan and Center Asia at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), and former Director of the Lessons Learned Program at the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)
Moderator
Dr. Kent Calder
Director of the Reischauer Center for East Asia Studies and Director of Asia Programs at Johns Hopkins SAIS
Introduction
Rohullah Osmani
Visiting Scholar at the Reischauer Center for East Asia Studies and former Director General of the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission in Afghanistan
Location
Johns Hopkins SAIS
Rome Auditorium
1619 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Register
The event is open to the public and media, with registration. Members of the working press can send RSVPs to [email protected].
Media Contacts
Alexander Evans (for agenda inquiries)
Research and Japan Studies Program Coordinator
Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies
[email protected]
Stacy A. Anderson (for logistic inquiries)
Communications Manager
Johns Hopkins SAIS
202.663.5620 office
202.853.7983 mobile
[email protected]
About the Speakers
Ambassador James B. Cunningham joined the Atlantic Council in 2015 as a senior fellow in the South Asia Center and the Zalmay Khalilzad chair on Afghanistan. He served as ambassador to Afghanistan (2012–2014), and as deputy ambassador (2011–2012). He was ambassador to Israel (2008–2011), consul general for Hong Kong and Macau (2005–2008), ambassador and deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in New York (1999–2004), and acting permanent representative to the United Nations in 2001, including during the 9/11 attacks.
As the chief of staff for NATO Secretary General Manfred Woerner from 1988 to 1990, Ambassador Cunningham advised on issues related to nuclear disarmament in Europe, the collapse of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany, and the impending dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union. Ambassador Cunningham became deputy political counselor at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations just after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. In 1992, he became the deputy director of the State Department Office of European Security and Political Affairs (1992–1993) and then director (1993–1995). He served as deputy chief of mission at the Embassy in Rome (1996–1999).
Ambassador Cunningham graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University with degrees in political science and psychology. He is the recipient of the National Performance Review's Hammer Award for Innovation in Management, the U.S. President's Meritorious Service Award (twice), and honors from the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, the Secretary of Defense, and the Afghan government. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and The Asia Society. Ambassador Cunningham retired from government service in December 2014 with the rank of career minister.
Ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne is a Non-resident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Global Business and Economics Program, The Woodrow Wilson Center, and Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). From 2011 through July 2015, Ambassador Wayne served as the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, one of the largest U.S. missions in the world, comprised of the Embassy in Mexico City, 9 consulates, and 9 consular agencies. From 2009 to 2011, he served in Kabul, Afghanistan, as Deputy U.S. Ambassador. From 2006 to 2009, as the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, and from 2000 until 2006, Ambassador Wayne served as Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, serving three Secretaries of State, and making him the longest serving Assistant Secretary of Economic and Business since its inception.
From 1996 to 2000, Ambassador Wayne served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs. During that time, Ambassador Wayne played a key role in building G8 consensus on the situation surrounding Kosovo and in organizing the 1999 Stability Pact Summit in Sarajevo, for which he received a Presidential Distinguished Service Award. Wayne received a Presidential Meritorious Service Award, a Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, and the State Department’s Cordell Hull Award for Economic Achievement. He has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, Master’s Degrees in Political Science from Princeton University, and Stanford University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Scott Worden is Director of Afghanistan and Central Asia Programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP). He comes into this role with an extensive background in reconstruction, development, democracy and governance, policy, among others; as well as extensive regional expertise on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Worden has directed Rule of Law development programs for the USIP and served as a United Nations-appointed Electoral Complaints Commissioner for the 2009 Afghanistan elections, as well as advising the U.N. on elections in 2005 – 2006. Worden has a decade of experience working on Afghanistan issues and working in the field.
Prior to joining USIP, he was Director of the Lessons Learned Program at the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), and served as acting director of policy as well as a senior policy advisor for the Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In the latter position, he was responsible for advising senior officials on strategies for sustainable development in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
About Johns Hopkins SAIS
A division of Johns Hopkins University, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a global institution that offers students an international perspective on today's critical issues. For more than 70 years, Johns Hopkins SAIS has produced great leaders, thinkers, and practitioners of international relations. Public leaders and private sector executives alike seek the counsel of the faculty, whose ideas and research inform and shape policy. Johns Hopkins SAIS offers a global perspective across three campus locations: Bologna, Italy; Nanjing, China; and Washington, D.C. The school's interdisciplinary curriculum is strongly rooted in the study of international economics, international relations, and regional studies, preparing students to address multifaceted challenges in the world today.
For more information, visit sais-jhu.edu or @SAISHopkins
###