Events at USIP U.S. Institute of Peace

On July 16, USIP hosted a conversation that explores why peace has been elusive on the Korean Peninsula for over seven decades and why the recent shifts in North Korea’s foreign policy indicate that tensions will continue absent a dramatic change in U.S. approach.


Speakers
Frank Aum, welcoming remarksSenior Expert, Northeast Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace
Mark Tokola, panelistVice President, Korea Economic Institute of America
Lieutenant General (retired) Dan LeafFormer Deputy Commander, U.S. Pacific Command
 
For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/why-peace-remains-elusive-korean-peninsula
 

On July 10, USIP hosted a conversation on the motivations driving China’s competition with Taiwan in the Pacific and its implications for peace and stability in the region. The discussion explored how Beijing’s desire for international recognition, extraterritorial control over its diasporas and domestic legitimacy all play a factor. 


Speakers
Gordon Peake, moderatorSenior Advisor, Pacific Islands, U.S. Institute of Peace
Graeme SmithSenior Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University
 
For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/china-taiwan-competition-why-it-matters-peace-and-stability-pacific
 

On July 9, USIP and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance hosted a virtual NATO Summit side event that brought together experts in the fields of transatlantic relations and democratic resilience to discuss the increasingly important nexus between democracy and security. The conversation also explored the evolving plans of the Centre for Democratic Resilience at NATO.


Speakers
Ambassador William B. Taylor, welcoming remarksVice President, Russia and Europe Center, U.S. Institute of Peace
Annika Silva-Leander, Ph.D., introductory remarksHead of North America and Permanent Observer to the U.N., International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), keynote remarksU.S. Representative for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District.
Panelists
Léonie AllardVisiting Fellow, Europe Center, Atlantic Council
Joseph BrinkerPolicy Fellow, Democratic Resilience, NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Patrick Quirk, Ph.D.Vice President for Strategy, Innovation, and Impact, International Republican Institute; Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center
David SalvoManaging Director, Alliance for Securing Democracy, German Marshall Fund
Calin Trenkov-Wermuth, Ph.D., moderatorSecurity Governance Advisor, U.S. Institute of Peace
Johan Frisell, closing remarksDeputy Director-General and Head of Department for Security Policy, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
 
For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/nato-summit-side-event-strengthening-security-through-democratic-resilience
 

On July 9, USIP and the Washington Office on Latin America hosted a discussion with Guatemalan first lady Lucrecia Peinado about initiatives that provide Guatemalan youths at risk of gang recruitment or irregular migration with vocational and life skills while fostering confidence and a sense of belonging by channeling their energy into projects that benefit their own communities.


Speaker
Megan Beyer, welcoming remarksDirector, Art in Embassies Program, U.S. Department of State
Maureen Meyer, introductory remarks Vice President for Programs, Washington Office on Latin America 
Lucrecia PeinadoFirst Lady of Guatemala, Secretary of Social Welfare
Mileydi Guilarte, moderatorDeputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, USAID
 
For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/empowering-guatemalan-youth-conversation-first-lady-lucrecia-peinado
 

USIP formed a study group to explore the dimensions and nature of Southeast Asia’s China-originating criminal networks and the scourge of online scamming they are now spreading globally. On July 1, USIP hosted a conversation that built on the study group’s final report on transnational crime in Southeast Asia by looking at on-the-ground conditions in Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as the experiences of diaspora civil society. The discussion delved into the alarming rise of criminal cyber scam centers that exploit forced labor, human trafficking and online "pig butchering" techniques to defraud victims of billions of dollars. 


Speakers
Ryan McKean, opening remarks Director, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, U.S. Embassy in HanoiJason Tower Burma Country Director, U.S. Institute of Peace
Diep VuongPresident and Co-Founder, Pacific Links Foundation  
Mu SochuaPresident, Khmer Movement for Democracy
Hai LuongLecturer, Griffith University
Jacob SimsVisiting Expert, U.S. Institute of Peace 
Andrew Wells-Dang, moderatorSenior Expert, Southeast Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace
 
For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/cyber-scams-and-human-trafficking-cambodia-and-vietnam
 

On June 25, USIP held a conversation that explored alternative pathways for facilitating reconciliation between Washington and Pyongyang at a time of deadlocked U.S.-North Korea relations. This event highlighted current initiatives that aim to support Korean American divided families, including the proposed Divided Families National Registry Act, which would establish a U.S. government registry for divided families, and Letters to My Hometown, a storytelling project to archive video messages from elderly Korean Americans to their relatives in North Korea. 


Speakers
Frank Aum, welcoming remarksSenior Expert, Northeast Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), introductory remarksU.S. Representative from California 
Former Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), recorded video message Former U.S. Senator 
Ambassador Julie TurnerU.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues, Department of State
Paul Kyumin LeePresident, Divided Families USAHJ LeeCo-Founder and Executive Director, KoreanAmericanStory.org
Chahee Lee StanfieldKorean-American Divided Family Member; Executive Director, National Coalition for the Divided Families
 
For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/korean-war-legacies-healing-trauma-korean-american-family-separation