THE MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH ASIA:
BALANCING CURRENT CHALLENGES AND FUTURE CONTINGENCIES

April 14-16, 2009

Capitol Hill Club
Washington, DC

For centuries, terror has been a tactic used by radical political movements and oppressive regimes.  Promising to redirect the “war on terrorism,” the Obama Administration is turning its attention from Iraq to Afghanistan, where al-Qaeda and the resurgent Taliban are becoming increasing threats.

Since the 2007 troop surge in Iraq, al-Qaeda has been on the defensive and is steadily losing ground in many parts of the country. Yet the political and strategic landscape of the Middle East in 2009 remains marked by conflict not only in Iraq, but continuing challenges from an assertive and aggressive Iran, and hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza

Operating from bases in Pakistan’s tribal territory, Al-Qaeda has dispersed from South Asia to the Horn of Africa.  By ramping up attacks in India and as far away as Somalia and Yemen, al-Qaeda and its various off-shoot groups have become a menace on two continents and a major test for Washington.

Defeating terrorism and rooting out criminal activities requires unprecedented international cooperation.  This terrorism seminar will address issues of recruitment, illicit funding and the spread and interdiction of terrorist activity in the Middle East and South Asia.  How the Obama Administration responds may redefine the war on terrorism, the role and mission of the Department of Defense, and set the agenda for freedom in the years ahead.

SEMINAR TOPICS

• Afghanistan and Tribal Pakistan:  Obama’s New Strategy
• The Politics of Closing Guantanamo:  Detaining and Prosecuting Terrorists
• The Great Game: Afghanistan and the West
• The U.S. and International Media:  Covering the War on Terror?
• Russia and Iran:  An Unholy Alliance Against U.S. Interests
• The Taliban: Its Origins and Continuing Threat
• Pakistan:  Nuclear Power and Divided State
• Supplying the NATO Alliance:  The Increasing Logistical Problems in Pakistan
• Indian Cooperation in Afghanistan and the Pakistani Response
• Lessons from the Attacks in Mumbai:  Assessing India’s Counterterrorism Capability
• Pakistan:  Will Continued Instability Lead to a Failed State?
• Has Time Run Out on the Two State Solution?
• The Opium Trade:  Money-Laundering and Transnational Crime
• Somalia and Piracy on the High Seas
• The Drive for Middle-East Democracy: The End of the Road?
• Iran: Internal Divisions and External Power
• Iran:  Driving a Nuclear Arms Race?
• Hamas and Hezbollah:  The Politics of Intransigence and U.S. Options
• Turkey and the Kurds:  Trouble on Europe’s Doorstep
• America’s Arabian Friends:  How Strong the Bond?
• How Al-Qaeda is Mutating in the Muslim World and the West
• Europe in Afghanistan:  Reluctant Allies
• The Rise of Political Islam:  Consequences to U.S. Security and National Interests
• Successes and Failures of Counter-Terrorism
• Clash of Civilizations:  New Challenges for American Foreign Policy

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

After participating in the Middle East and South Asia Seminar, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the key stakeholders and dominant issues in the area reaching from North Africa through South Asia;

2. Comprehend the dynamic of societies undergoing massive socio-economic change and displacement and its impact on historic sectarian divisions;

3. Describe differing socio-economic classes, political leaders, and sectarian communities within the area and their clashing agendas;

4. Delineate both the distinct and interlinked character of the conflicts that are wracking the area;

5. Comprehend the cultural currents across the Middle East and South Asia, as well as the political and economic forces that shape conflict and cooperation;

6. Evaluate the political structures, processes, political and religious movements, terrorist groups and leaders that dominate events in the area;

7. Compare and contrast the policy approaches and operational activities in the Middle East and South Asia of the U.S. administrations since World War II;

8. Appreciate the link between the internal developments and mutual relations of India and Pakistan and the broader geopolitics of Eurasia;

9. Assess the impact of the Indian and Pakistani nuclear capability on regional stability and the global nuclear balance;

10. Evaluate the relationship between the U.S. and NATO engagement in Afghanistan and broader relations with India and Pakistan;

11. Develop skills in establishing analytical models and policy approaches to better integrate the diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military assets of the United States and its partners in the area.

MODERATOR

HISHAM MELHEM is the Washington bureau chief of Al-Arabiya, the Dubai-based satellite channel, as well as the correspondent for Annahar, the leading Lebanese daily. For four years he hosted Across the Ocean, a weekly current affairs program on US-Arab relations for Al-Arabiya. The author of Dual Containment: The Demise of a Fallacy, his writings appear in publications ranging from the literary journal Al-Mawaqef to the Los Angeles Times, and in magazines such as Foreign Policy; Middle East Report; Middle East Insight; and Middle East Policy. Mr. Melhem appears regularly on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, Nightline, Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, The Charlie Rose Show, and National Public Radio. He speaks regularly at college campuses, think-tanks and interest groups on US-Arab relations, political Islam, intra-Arab relations, Arab-Israeli issues, media in the Arab World, Arab images in American media, U.S. public policies and the Arab World, and other related topics. Mr. Melhem had the first formal interview (one-on-one) with President Barack Obama on January 26, 2009, a week after the Inauguration. He has also interviewed many American and international public figures, including President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, among others. He received his BA in Philosophy from Villanova University in 1976 and was awarded the 1998 Alumni Medallion, an honor bestowed upon alumni of the University for exceptional professional and personal achievements. From 1976 to 1979, Mr. Melhem enrolled in the Philosophy Department at Georgetown University for a doctorate degree.

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 7:30 a.m. The seminar will begin at 8:00 a.m. and conclude at approximately 4:00 p.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."