Monday in Washington, November 4, 2013

THE FUTURE OF CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES. 11/4 - 11/7. Sponsor: Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum Ministerial.

CONSERVATIVE INTERNATIONALSIM: ARMED DIPLOMACY UNDER JEFFERSON, POLK, TRUMAN, AND REAGAN. 11/4, 11:00am-Noon. Sponsor: Heritage Foundation. Speaker: Author Henry Nau, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University.

MOSCOW'S 1993 AUTUMN CRISIS: TANK FIRE, ELECTORAL UPSET, AND THE AMERICAN POLICY RESPONSE. 11/4, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsor: Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies, Wilson Center. Speaker: E. Wayne Merry, Senior Fellow, for Europe and Eurasia, American Foreign Policy Council.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AS A GLOBAL PHENOMENON: JAPAN. 11/4, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsor: Public Diplomacy Council. Speaker: Masato Otaka, Minister for Public Affairs, Embassy of Japan.

FUTURE NUCLEAR RISKS AND DETERRENCE. 11/4, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsor: Federation of American Scientists (FAS). Speaker: Martin Hellman, Senior Fellow for Nuclear Risk Analysis, FAS.

PIRATE TRAILS: TRACKING THE ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS FROM PIRACY OFF THE HORN OF AFRICA. 11/4, 12:30-2:00pm. Sponsor: InfoShop, World Bank. Speakers: Co-Author Stuart Yikona, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank; Jean Kamau, Ambassador, Kenya Embassy; Gary Porter, Negotiator in Piracy Cases, Clipper Group; Maresca Guiseppe, Chair, Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.

CHINA AS A GLOBAL POWER. 11/4, 12:30-2:00pm. Sponsor: China Studies Program, SAIS, Johns Hopkins. Speaker: Anne-Marie Brady, Professor of Political Science, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

DOMESTIC BARRIERS TO DISMANTLING THE MILITANT INFRASTRUCTURE IN PAKISTAN. 11/4, 1:30-3:00pm. Sponsor: US Institute of Peace (USIP). Speakers: Thomas Lynch, Research Fellow, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University; Daniel Markey, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations; Stephen Tankel, Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Justice, and Society, American University; Andrew Wilder, Vice President for South and Central Asia, USIP.

WOMEN, TERRORISM AND COUNTERTERRORISM: DECONSTRUCTING MYTHS, DISCUSSING REALITIES. 11/4, 3:30-5:00pm. Sponsors: Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security; McCain Institute for International Leadership; Center for Security Study. Speakers: Mia Bloom, Professor of Security Studies, University of Massachusetts; Bruce Hoffman, Director, Center for Security Studies; Jayne Huckerby, Director, International Human Rights Clinic, Duke University; Jane Lute, President and CEO, Council on Cyber Security; Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security; Cindy McCain, McCain Institute for International Leadership.

CONSERVATIVE INTERNATIONALISM: ARMED DIPLOMACY UNDER JEFFERSON, POLK, TRUMAN, AND REAGAN. 11/4, 5:30-7:00pm. Sponsor: American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Speakers: Author Henry Nau, Professor of Political Science, George Washington University; Arthur Brooks, AEI.

THE ENERGY REVOLUTION: KEY GEOPOLITICAL IMPACTS. 11/4, 5:30-7:00pm. Sponsor: SAIS, Johns Hopkins. Speaker: Paolo Scaroni, CEO, Eni.

EVOLVING THINKING ON CONSERVATION POLICY. 11/4, 6:00-7:30pm. Sponsor: Georgetown University Science in the Public Interest; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); American Chemical Society (ACS). Speakers: John Fitzgerald, Attorney and former Policy Director, Society for Conservation Biology; Susan Haig, US Geological Survey; Christopher Meyer, Smithsonian Institution.

WELCOME THE NEW ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC. 11/4, 6:00-8:00pm. Sponsor: US-Indonesia Society (USINDO). Speaker: Daniel Russel, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

Russel: U.S. Policy in the East Asia and Pacific Region

Daniel R. Russel, the newly installed Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, gave an Overview of U.S. Policy in the East Asia and Pacific Region on July 22, 2013 at Washington's Foreign Press Center. A 28-year foreign service veteran, Russel had served as special assistant to the president and senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council since 2011.

A transcript of his remarks can be found here and the video appears here and below

"And I can say with great confidence that there is no let up, no backtracking, no diminution of that commitment," he said at a press briefing. "First and foremost, the East Asia and Pacific region is immensely important to the interests of the United States."

He said Washington based its rebalance strategy on three "areas of focus" -- modernizing and upgrading America's alliances in the region, participating in and investing in regional institutions, and building better and stronger relations with the emerging powers in the region.

Washington's "enduring" treaty alliances with Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, Japan and the Republic of Korea "form the foundation of peace and stability," while China has dominated the administration's engagement with emerging powers in the region, Russel said.

In regard to Japan he "warmly" congratulated the ruling coalition for their success in the election. "If this is a step that will help facilitate greater continuity of leadership in Japan, I think it will be welcomed by all of Japan's friends," he added.

“It’s true Japan faces a range of thorny problems with some of its neighbors,” he continued. “These are problems that sometimes seem to get worse and other times seem to get better. We hope that all leaders and the public will be guided by a sense of wisdom, of shared interest, and will take actions and decisions with a view to the future."

“With respect to specific problems, including the issue of the territorial dispute in the East China Sea, the U.S. is very consistent and very clear, both with Japan and with China. We don’t take a position on the substance of the territorial disputes. We continue to strongly encourage a process, a diplomatic process that can manage differences in a way that will reduce tensions,” Russel said.
Additional coverage of the event can be found through the following news organizations: Xinhua, The Philippine Star, Mainichi Shimbun (J), Yomiuri,  The BRICS Post, The Japan Times