CAPITOL HILL WORKSHOP
CONFLICT, COOPERATION AND U.S. NATIONAL INTERESTS

September 14-16, 2010
November 16-18, 2010
May 17-19, 2011
September 13-15, 2011

At a time when global recession has prompted demands for new regulatory regimes both at home and abroad, the 111th Congress is taking on the most ambitious social and economic agenda in recent history. From health care and energy, to education and the environment, the Legislative Branch has embarked on a course of change that could dramatically alter the role of government.

Meanwhile, our ongoing involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the ambitious and often violent aspirations of an array of states from the Middle East to Latin America continue to complicate U.S. domestic and foreign policy. How will Congress respond and finance this assortment of challenges? Additionally, how will that response reshape America's definition of itself?

The Capitol Hill Workshop offers attendees the unique opportunity to discuss current issues of interest – in an off-the-record setting – with over a dozen speakers experienced in all aspects of the national policy-making process and the impact of that policy on U.S. national interests.

SPEAKERS & TOPICS*

• Leadership and the Evolution of Power in Congress
  Walter Oleszek, Senior Specialist in American Government, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress; Author of Congress and Its Members

• The Role of the Senate Armed Services Committee
  Lucian Niemeyer, Professional Staff Member, Senate Armed Services Committee; Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee

• The Middle East:  An Update from the Region
  Ambassador Edward “Skip” Gnehm, Former U.S. Ambassador to Jordan, Kuwait, and Australia
• Economic Growth and Prosperity:  Congressional Politics and U.S. National Interests
  Richard Rahn, Chairman, Institute for Global Economic Growth; Former Vice-President and Chief Economist, Chamber of Commerce of the United States
• Contemporary Iran: Politics, Culture, and the Nuclear Dilemma
  Afshin Molavi, Fellow, New America Foundation; Author, Persian Pilgrimages:  Journeys Across Iran
• Perspectives on North Korea:  The New National Security Challenges
  Victor Cha, Former Director for Asian Affairs, National Security Council; Korea Foundation Chair, Asian Studies and Government, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
• U.S. Defense and Foreign Policy:  An Overview of Current National Intel Issues
  Mark Lowenthal, President and CEO, Intelligence and Security Academy; Former Assistant Director of Central Intelligence for Analysis and Production  
• Border Security and Insecurity
  Michael Cutler, Fellow, Center for Immigration Studies; Consultant on Immigration and Terrorism Issues; Commentator, Fox News and CNN
• Pakistan and Afghanistan:  A Difficult Front on the War on Terror
  Ashley Tellis, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Former Senior Advisor to the Ambassador, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi
• The Constitution and Representative Government:  The American Experience
  Mark Talisman, Senior Lecturer, JFK School of Government and Harvard University
• Reflections on the Role of Government in America
  Ralph Nader, Consumer Advocate and 2008 Presidential Candidate
• Leadership in Congress – Past, Present, and Future:  A Personal Perspective
  Larry LaRocco, Former Democratic Representative from Idaho; 2008 Candidate for the U.S. Senate; Former President, U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress
• The 111th Congress:  Conflict or Cooperation
  Charles W. Stenholm, Former Congressman from Texas; Energy and Agricultural Lobbyist
• Congress and the Defense Budget in an Era of Constrained Resources
  Lawrence J. Korb, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; Former Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Reagan
• The Rise of Political Islam:  New Challenges for American Foreign Policy
  Paul Goble, Senior Research Associates, Euro College, University of Tartu, Estonia; Former Senior Advisor to the Director, Voice of America

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

$1,485 per person

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The seminars will be held in private meeting rooms at the Capitol Hill Club, located at 300 First Street, SE, in Washington, DC. The Club is directly across the street from the Capitol South Metro Station (Blue and Orange Lines).  Reporting information concerning registration time and workshop start and end times will be sent to all participants approximately 2 weeks prior to the start of each program.

Generally, registration will begin around 7:45a am and seminars will be conducted from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on the first two days and from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm on the last day (subject to agenda and scheduling).  Business attire for participants is required. Military uniform is optional.

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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