Politics and Governance

EWI’s Vice President and Director for Public Policy Andrew Nagorski will speak at the second annual American Polish Conference, on September 28th.

The conference—hosted by the American Polish Advisory Council, in partnership with the Atlantic Council of the United States—will focus on the Transatlantic impact of immigration reform and the U.S.-Poland strategic relationship

In 2013 and 2014, the EastWest Institute is organizing a series of high-level consultations to address regional economic security issues in Afghanistan post-2014, also known as the Abu Dhabi Process. By convening high level representatives of governments, parliaments and the private sector from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, China, U.A.E., United States and Europe, as well as from regional and international organizations, EWI intends to identify and promote opportunities for economic growth for both Afghanistan and the region. The first meeting, held in April 2013 in Istanbul, was centered on infrastructure issues.

The focus of the Islamabad meeting was be on Afghanistan’s potential to act as a transit route for energy supplies from Central Asia to energy markets in South Asia—a scenario with win-win potentials for many stakeholders. High-level representatives included Pakistan’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi; Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif; Advisor to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. Representatives from Afghanistan, Central Asia, India, U.A.E., Turkey, United States and EU drew from their experience.

The meeting was conducted under the Chatham House Rule with the participation of selected media.

Read the event's Summary and Recommendations report. 

On Tuesday, July 23, 2012, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs will host a subcommittee hearing on "Asia: The Cyber Security Battleground."

Witnesses include Karl Frederick Rauscher, distinguished fellow and chief technology officer at the EastWest Institute; James Lewis, director and senior fellow technology for the Public Policy Program at the Center for Strategic International Studies; and Phyllis Schneck, vice president and chief technology officer for the Global Public Sector at McAfee.

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs considers legislation that impacts the diplomatic community, which includes the Department of State, the Agency for International Development (USAID), the Peace Corps, the United Nations and the enforcement of the Arms Export Control Act.

For more information on the event, click here.

Can Afghanistan’s unique location provide much needed economic stability after the 2014 withdrawal of the international forces? Could Afghanistan's role as the transit route between South West Asia and the Far East, combined with the potential of Central Asia's resources and South Asia's growth, increase economic prospects for the whole region? The EastWest Institute organized a series of high-level discussions to address these and other questions in a forum on Economic Security in post-2014 Afghanistan.

By bringing together high-level political representatives and business leaders from Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Central Asia, United Arab Emirates and Turkey, EWI is aiming to identify and promote opportunities for economic growth both in Afghanistan and the region—the “win-win” solutions for the economic security and stability in this part of the world. Over the next 18 months, the process focued on four major areas: infrastructure, energy, investment and water.

The inaugural talks in Istanbul, centered on the issue of infrastructure, included top level representatives of the Afghan government, parliament and private sector; Pakistan’s foreign secretary and business leaders; representatives from the Indian government and commerce; and deputy foreign ministers of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The U.S. and UN representatives for Afghanistan drew from their experiences, together with the representatives from Turkey, U.A.E., Germany, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, ECO and others. For more information, please see the meeting agenda here.

Read our event report.

Please join the EastWest Institute for a luncheon discussion with the Honorable Fehmida Mirza, Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan and the Honorable Shinkai Karokhail, Member of the Afghan National Assembly and founder of the Afghan Women’s Educational Center (AWEC).

The guests are members of the EastWest Institute’s Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention and its Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). This group was formed in 2010 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the passage of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325, which declared that women’s active participation in conflict resolution is essential for building peace and stability. WPS works with parliamentarians worldwide to strengthen the role of women in political life, conflict resolution and peace building, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This event is part of a week-long U.S. advocacy trip, organized by the EastWest Institute, to highlight the work of the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention. The trip concludes with an Awards Dinner on September 27 where the two honorees will be given the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Award for Values-based Leadership. Click here for information about the dinner.