Conference Agenda

WIIS and the Strategic Studies Institute at the US Army War College will jointly sponsor a conference on

"AFRICOM and the US Strategy for Peace
and Security in Africa."

April 21, 2008
Doubletree Hotel Crystal City
300 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, Virginia

The WIIS/USAWC Conference will bring together the varying perspectives among leading experts from academic, military, governmental and non-governmental organizations for a day-long conference in the DC area to discuss the current progress and future of AFRICOM.

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REGISTRATION CHECK-IN
8:45 am - 9:15 am

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WELCOMING REMARKS: LISTEN TO AUDIO
9:15 am - 9:30 am

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SESSION 1: LISTEN TO AUDIO (1) / LISTEN TO AUDIO (2)
9:30 am - 11:00 am

An Overview of AFRICOM: A Unified Combatant Command

The first panel will discuss the development of the AFRICOM concept and how it differs from other U.S. military commands in approach, and will address how the command structure will be equipped to achieve objectives that are not necessarily in the traditional domain of the military or DoD.

Moderator: Dr. W. Andrew Terrill, General Douglas MacArthur Research Professor of National Security Affairs at the the Strategic Studies Institute of the Army War College

Panelists:

• Lisa Schirch, Program Director for the 3D Security Initiative
• Claudia Anyaso, Director, Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Africa Bureau, Department of State, July 2006 to present
• Lauren Ploch, Congressional Research Service

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SESSION 2: LISTEN TO AUDIO (1) / LISTEN TO AUDIO (2)
11:15 am - 12:45 pm

Security Policy in Africa

The second panel will address recent military strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa – from the national security strategy agenda in Africa during the 1990s to the strategic viewpoint of Africa after 9/11. Panelists will examine the effectiveness of military strategy during these two time frames, and also discuss the new approaches to meeting security challenges in Africa with the new AFRICOM mandate.

Panelists:

• Robert G. Berschinski, Yale University
  
• Daniel Volman, Expert in U.S. military affairs in Africa
• Raymond Copson, Independent Scholar Specializing in African Affairs and U.S. relations with Africa; Author of The United States and Africa: Bush Policy and Beyond

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LUNCH PRESENTATION: LISTEN TO AUDIO
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm

Sub-Saharan African Security Contexts – Defining Security in African Terms

The lunch session will be a presentation on various viewpoints of the major security concerns in Sub-Saharan Africa.  What are the main priorities and perspectives in how Africans define “security”?

Speaker:

• Betty Bigombe, Africa Program Distinguished Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
• Howard Wolpe, Director, Africa Program and Leadership Project, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

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SESSION 3: LISTEN TO AUDIO (1) / LISTEN TO AUDIO (2)
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm

Prospects for Partnerships with Civil Society

The final session will look outward to the partnerships that AFRICOM seeks to build with external entities among civil society that are playing a role in African security at the local level. This discussion will highlight some of the potential obstacles to collaboration as well as recommendations for facilitating these relationships going forward.

Moderator: Dr. Linda Bishai, Senior Program Officer in the Education and Training Center/International, United States Institute of Peace

Panelists:

• Margaret Vogt, Deputy Director of the UN Department for Political Affairs, Africa Division I 
• Emira Woods, Co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies