CAPITOL HILL WORKSHOP
PARTISAN POLITICS, DEFENSE SPENDING AND THE NEW LEGISLATIVE CHALLENGES

September 15-17, 2009

In the first months of the Obama Administration, the 111th Congress faces a number of complex global issues crucial to the Department of Defense.  The growing unemployment and credit crisis; the shift of U.S. troops from Iraq to Afghanistan; the continuing fight against terrorism; nation-building around the world; the economic rivalry with China; nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea; and Russia’s increasingly aggressive foreign policy—all talking place in the midst of an international economic meltdown—will have significant implications to the Department of Defense and U.S. national interests.

How will lawmakers respond?  What will be the likely impact on DOD?  These questions, along with other economic and social issues affecting the nation, will be discussed by a distinguished group of leading authorities on the national policy-making process.  The Capitol Hill Workshop offers attendees the opportunity to discuss current issues of interest – in an off-the-record setting – with political experts and leading authorities who have experience in all aspects of the national policy making process and the potential consequences to U.S. national interests in the coming years.

SPEAKERS & TOPICS*

• The Dynamics of Congressional Power:  An Update on the 111th Congress
  Walter Oleszek, Senior Specialist in American Government, Congressional Research Service
• U.S. Defense and Foreign Policy:  An Overview of Current National Security Issues
  Mark Lowenthal, Former Staff Director, House Intelligence Committee
• The Role of Staff and the Committee on Appropriations
  M. Sidney Ashworth, Clerk, House Appropriations Committee
• Funding the Defense Budget in an Era of Constrained Resources
  Lawrence J. Korb, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
• Leadership in Congress: Personal Reflections
  Larry LaRocco, Former Democratic Representative from Idaho; 2008 Candidate for U.S. Senate
• The Psychology of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
  Ambassador Samuel Lewis, Ambassador to Israel under Presidents Carter and Reagan
• Reflections on Lawmaking in America
  Ralph Nader, Consumer Advocate and 2008 Presidential Candidate
• Russia and the Near Abroad: The New Geo-Political Realities
  Yuri Maltsev, Soviet Defector; Former Senior Director, Institute of Economics USSR
• Lobbying Congress: Money and Politics
  Cleta Mitchell, Director and General Counsel, Term Limits Legal Institute
• The Politics of Energy
  Llewellyn King, Publisher, Energy Daily, White House Weekly, and Defense Week
• Both Ends of the Avenue: What Does the Future Hold?
  Eleanor Clift, Contributing Editor, Newsweek; Panelist, The McLaughlin Group
• Congress and the Media:  The Changing Face of American News
  Sid Davis, Former Vice-President and Washington Bureau Chief, NBC News
• The Global Economic Meltdown and Washington’s Response
  Richard Rahn, Chairman, Institute for Global Economic Growth
• Separation of Powers:  Does the Constitution Still Matter?
  Mickey Edwards, Former Representative from Oklahoma and Republican Party Leader
• The Defense Appropriations Process
  Stephen Daggett, Specialist in National Defense, Congressional Research Service
• The Obama Administration, the New Congress, and the New Media
  Steven Roberts, Syndicated Columnist; Television and Radio Analyst

Subject to scheduling availability, the Capitol Hill Workshop will include informal tours of Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress.

*NOTE: The above roster, with abbreviated bios, highlights speakers who have participated in 2009 Capitol Hill Workshops and is meant to offer interested participants an illustration of the type of presentations and subject matter they will be experiencing in upcoming seminars. Approximately 15 presentations will be made in each Capitol Hill Workshop.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

After participating in the Capitol Hill Workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the key decision makers who are involved in the policy-making and policy implementation processes and the institutional perspectives from which they offer advice and make judgments;

2. Think strategically and tactically about how to affect policy-making and policy implementation, how to anticipate reactions to that policy in the United States and abroad, and how to avoid unintended consequences that flow from poor policy judgments;

3. Improve cultural and historic awareness of the political, legal, and institutional environment in which domestic and foreign policy-making and policy implementation occur;

4. Enhance critical synthetic and analytical skills necessary to advise senior officials in the making and evaluation of public policy;

5. Be sensitized to the changing situational conditions that affect past, current, and future policy judgments.

PROGRAM MODERATORS

A highly qualified Program Moderator will facilitate dialogue between the speakers and participants over the course of the three-day seminar. View moderator biographies.

FEE

$1,445 per person

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Seminar will be held at the Capitol Hill Club, 300 First Street, SE, Washington, DC. Continental breakfast and registration will start at 8:00 a.m. The seminar will begin at 8:30a.m. and conclude at approximately 4:00p.m. each day. A luncheon workshop with speaker is included each day. An on-site coordinator will be provided to attend to workshop logistics.

No video, power point or audio-visual aids are utilized in the presentations. These programs are informal and strictly "off-the-record."

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