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2017 Halifax International Security Forum

2017 Halifax International Security Forum

Date
November 17-19, 2017
Location
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Participants
300

Agenda & Speakers

Friday, November 17
Saturday, November 18
Sunday, November 19

7:00

5K Run with Canadian Minister of National Defence Harjit Singh Sajjan

LOCATION: Westin Lobby

9:00-10:30

Breakfast Sessions

India – Pakistan China Relations
LOCATION: Tradewinds

SPEAKERS:

  • Dr. Alyssa Ayres, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations
  • Ambassador Husain Haqqani, Director and Senior Fellow, South and Central Asia, Hudson Institute
  • Dr. Lobsang Sangay, President, Central Tibetan Administration
  • Dr. Daniel Twining, President, International Republican Institute
  • MODERATOR: Dr. Carla Robbins, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations

 

ISIS: Did We Win?
LOCATION: Atlantic Ballroom

SPEAKERS:

  • Ms. Sasha Havlicek, Chief Executive Officer, ISD
  • Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Secretary of National Defense, Department of National Defense, Philippines
  • General David Perkins, Commanding General, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
  • Mr. Ahmed Rashid, Author and Journalist
  • MODERATOR: Mr. Tom Clark, Chair, Public Affairs and Communications, Global Public Affairs, Canada

 

Living and Dying in Europe’s Russia’s Neighborhood
LOCATION: Harbour B

SPEAKERS:

  • Minister Raimundas Karoblis, Minister of Defence, Ministry of National Defence, Lithuania
  • Mr. Mikhail Kasyanov, Former Prime Minister of Russia and Leader, People’s Freedom Party, Russia
  • Minister Pavlo Klimkin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukraine
  • General Petr Pavel, Chairman of the Military Committee, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • MODERATOR: Mr. David Kramer, Senior Fellow, Florida International University and Treasurer of the Board, Halifax International Security Forum

10:30-11:30

Plenary 7: Rebuilding the Middle East: From Civil War to Civil Society On the record

Speakers

Washington, DC Bureau Chief, Al Jazeera
Moderator
Mr. Abderrahim Foukara

Mr. Abderrahim Foukara

Abderrahim Foukara is Al Jazeera Satellite Channel’s Washington, DC Bureau Chief and host of Min Washington (From Washington), one of the most successful and influential programs in the Arab world, offering the Arab viewer an in-depth and well-informed analysis of US Affairs and their impact on North Africa and the Middle East. Mr. Foukara was born and raised in Morocco where he received a B.A. in English. Later, in the UK, he completed a Ph.D. on Apartheid Literature. In 1990 he joined the BBC World Service working in many departments including Arabic, African, French, and English. In 1998 he joined BBC World Service Training as a Senior Instructor, designing and teaching journalism courses. In 1999 he moved to Boston to work as a producer and reporter for The World, a co-production of the BBC, Public Radio International and WGBH Boston. In 2001 he continued to report for the BBC while also serving as visiting senior editor on All Africa, the largest provider of African news, from Washington, DC. He joined Al Jazeera TV as a correspondent in 2002.

Head of Foreign Relations Department, Kurdistan Regional Government
H.E. Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir

H.E. Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir

Minister Bakir was appointed as the first Head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations (DFR) in September 2006. He administers the KRG’s foreign policy and bolsters the Region’s relations with the international community. He has traveled across the globe, promoting bilateral ties between the Kurdistan Region with regions, nations and countries around the world, as well as representing Kurdistan at multinational fora. Minister Bakir has led the Department for four successive cabinets and has been part of the rapidly expanding relations between the KRG and foreign governments. He previously served as the KRG’s liaison officer to the Multi-National Forces’ Korean Contingent stationed in 2004 and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in 2003 in Erbil. He was also a senior adviser to the Prime Minister of the KRG from 2002 until 2004 when he was appointed Minister of state. Earlier in his career, Minister Bakir was Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation from 1999-2002 and Deputy Head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) Public Relations Office from 1996-1999. He started his career as Public Relations Officer of KDP from 1992-1996

Former Minister of Justice, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member, Head of Hatnua Party, Co-leader Zionist Union Party, 20th Knesset, Israel
Minister Tzipi Livni

Minister Tzipi Livni

MK Tzipi Livni is the Head of Hatnua Party, Co-leader, Zionist Union Party, and Member, 20th Knesset, and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Justice, State of Israel. MK Livni has the posts of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Acting Prime Minister, Minister of Justice, and was Chief Negotiator in the peace process negotiations with the Palestinians in 2008 and 2013. Livni served as a member of the National Security Cabinet and the Senior Security Cabinet during the Second Lebanon War, Operation Cast Lead and Operation Protective Edge. Livni previously served in the Mossad and as Director General of the Government Companies Authority. She is currently the head of the Hatnua Party and co-leader of the Zionist Union. She is a member of the Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee, and head of the Subcommittee for International Legal Warfare.

In 2012, protests rocked the Arab world. Starting in Tunisia, strongmen leaders who seemed invincible saw their power erode or vanish altogether. But the Arab Spring gave way to the Arab Winter. Political reforms stalled or reversed and instability ensued. How can the Middle East reach the long Arab Summer of peace, democracy and stability? Panelists discussed instability in the Middle East that is due in part to the arbitrary borders carved up by the major powers a century ago. This intervention by major powers continues today. It was noted that political parties that engage in terrorist activities undermine the democratic process and create instability. Western powers need to be more consistent in both their actions and in the values they hope to instill in the Middle East. There was consensus that a democratic election does not simply make a state free and democratic. Whether it’s Egypt, Libya, Iraq, or Syria — it’s about values, education, investment and planning for the day after.

“We are at risk of another civil war if the international community does not get Iraq engaged.”

— H.E. Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir

“I am not optimistic, I am pessimistic because Iran is getting stronger now. We need to address it…this should be in the interest of the entire international community.”

— Minister Tzipi Livni

“The problem is that they want to destroy Kurdistan but we have encouraged participation of women, civil society, and the media. Kurdistan has remained secure and stable despite the instability in the region. Where there is a will there is a way.”

— H.E. Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir

“All over the world we see the erosion of democracy. We need to be united to address this.”

— Minister Tzipi Livni

11:30-12:00

Coffee Break

12:00-13:00

Plenary 8: Climate Change: Houston, We Have a Solution On the record

Speakers

Chair, Public Affairs and Communications, Global Public Affairs, Canada
Moderator
Mr. Tom Clark

Mr. Tom Clark

Tom Clark is the Chair of Public Affairs and Communications at Global Public Affairs. Mr. Clark joined Global after almost 45 years at the most senior levels of Canadian journalism. Tom left Global News on January 1, 2017, after serving as the network’s chief political correspondent and host of The West Block. He has interviewed every Canadian Prime Minister since Lester B. Pearson and has covered every federal election campaign since 1974. He has reported in eight active war zones and from over 33 countries. Tom was CTV’s China Bureau Chief and was also its Chief Washington Correspondent for five years.  He has a deep understanding of Canada’s position in an increasingly complicated international dynamic. Tom is the recipient of Radio Television Digital News Association lifetime achievement award and has been named one of the most influential journalists in Ottawa.

Former Prime Minister of Sweden, Swedish Government
Mr. Carl Bildt

Mr. Carl Bildt

Mr. Carl Bildt has served as both Prime Minister of Sweden in 1991-1994, and Foreign Minister of Sweden in 2006-2014. During the first period, his government initiated major liberal economic reforms, as well as negotiated and signed membership agreement with the European Union. Subsequently, he served in international functions with the EU and UN, primarily related to the conflicts in the Balkans. He was Co-Chairman of the Dayton peace talks on Bosnia and become the first High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995-1997. Later, he was the Special Envoy of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to the region. After stepping down as leader of the Moderate Party of Sweden in 1999 and leaving Parliament in 2000, he was also engaged in corporate boards in Sweden and the US, as well as different international think-tanks. Returning as Foreign Minister of Sweden, he came to be seen as one of the most prominent and vocal of European foreign ministers during his year in office. He was one of the initiators of EU’s Eastern Partnership and pushed the EU forward on issues of the Middle East. Carl Bildt has continued to push the use of social media in international diplomacy.

President, Research Institute for Peace and Security
Dr. Masashi Nishihara

Dr. Masashi Nishihara

Dr. Masashi Nishihara is President of the Research Institute for Peace and Security. He assumed this position in 2006. Prior, from 2000-2006, he was President of the National Defense Academy, Yokosuka, and from 1977-1999, he was Professor of International Relations at the Academy. Dr. Nishihara holds a B.A. from Kyoto University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University in 1979 and at the Rockefeller Foundation, New York, in 1981-1982. He specializes in international and Asian security. He is the author of many works on Japanese foreign and security policy issues. He is a regular contributor to The Sankei Shimbun’s column with his recent article “Why the US should not depend upon China to sanction North Korea,” Japan Forward (August 21, 2017). In 1986-1995 he served on the Council of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), London. In 2001-2004 he was a member of Prime Minister Jun’ichiro Koizumi’s Task Force on External Relations. He also served on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s panels on the establishment of a National Security Council in 2013 and on his Statement commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in 2015.

Mayor, City of Georgetown, Texas
Mayor Dale Ross

Mayor Dale Ross

Mayor Dale Ross is the Mayor of the City of Georgetown, Texas, a certified public accountant and President and Founder of Ross and Champion CPAs, P.C. a certified public accounting firm. Re-elected with 72% of the vote in May of 2017, Ross is a conservative Republican in a politically bright red city, county and state. He has demonstrated his fierce independence from partisan politics by leading his city to being the first city in Texas powered by 100% renewable energy and has been a strong supporter and voice in promoting renewable energy around the world. In June of 2017, Mayor Ross appeared in the National Geographic documentary “From the Ashes” and with Vice President Al Gore in the August 2017 release of “An Inconvenient Sequel”. He is slated to appear in Jaime Redford’s “Happening” which is scheduled to be released in December of 2017 on HBO.

Editor and Director, LeBanquet and Founding President, Center for the Study and Reflection of Political Action
Mr. Nicolas Tenzer

Mr. Nicolas Tenzer

Mr. Nicolas Tenzer is the Editor and Director of LeBanquet and the Founding President of the Center for the Study and Reflection of Political Action. Mr. Tenzer graduated from École normale supérieure, Sciences-Po Paris and École nationale d’administration (ENA), Mr. Nicolas Tenzer has a Master degree in History. A senior civil servant, he is a former adviser to the French Minister of Economy and Finance. He was head of Department in Strategic Planning Commissariat (Prime Minister’s Office). He served as head of a special mission on international issues for the French government. He had several missions for international organizations. Nicolas wrote three official reports for the French government on international issues and the reform of the civil service. Chairman of the Center for Studies and Research on Political Decision (CERAP) and the editor of the review Le Banquet, he is guest professor at Sciences-Po Paris, ENA Paris, College of Europe and has been visiting professor at foreign universities and guest speaker at many leading international conferences on international issues. He is the author of 21 books, including The World in 2030. The Rule and the Disorder; and of hundreds of papers.

The world’s weather is changing. Destructive storms, including Katrina and Harvey have resulted in the loss of infrastructure, economic productivity and human lives. However, there is considerable debate, in the U.S. especially, as to whether climate change is to blame – or whether climate change exists at all. With the American withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord will the world be able to effectively address this issue? According to the panelists, yes. While some states are ambivalent, others have recognized this global challenge and are stepping up. Panelists acknowledged that as a result of technological advances, renewable energy is increasingly accessible and affordable. But they also noted that the fight to address climate change points to a bigger issue: the fight for fact-based, science-based decision making and multilateralism. If a town in oil-rich Texas led by a conservative Republican mayor can switch to 100% renewable energy, the climate change fight isn’t over yet.

“In my world, there is no room for coal cleaning. Coal is the dinosaur of the future.”

— Mayor Dale Ross

“States undermining this climate change fight could undermine various security interests as well.”

— Mr. Nicolas Tenzer

“Al Gore has made the world a better place in one day, than his critics have in their entire life.”

— Mayor Dale Ross

“If we don’t help the development energy infrastructure in India and China, then the renewable energy of Sweden and Georgetown will be insignificant.”

— Mr. Carl Bildt

“Natural disasters, especially those experienced in Asia, create difficulties for changes to be implemented and affect the development and implementation of new technology.”

— Dr. Masashi Nishihara

13:00-14:00

Closing Lunch

Clippings

US nuclear chief would resist 'illegal' presidential strike order
Reuters

“The top US nuclear commander said on Saturday that he would resist President Donald Trump if he ordered an “illegal” launch of nuclear weapons. Air Force General John Hyten, commander of the US Strategic Command (Stratcom), told an audience at the Halifax international security forum in Nova Scotia, Canada that he had given a lot of thought to what he would say if he received such an order.”

Trump Era Sparks New Debate About Nuclear War Authority
Robert Burns

“The current head of Strategic Command, Gen. John Hyten, said Saturday at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada that he would refuse a launch order from a president if he believed that order to be illegal. Hyten also predicted that the president would then ask him for options that Hyten judged to be legal.”

No one can prevent Trump from using nuclear weapons, experts say
Kim Hjelmgaard

“While the key aspects of the precise sequence of events that would allow a U.S. president to launch a nuclear strike remain a mystery, Gen. John Hyten, the current head of Strategic Command, said Saturday at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada that he would refuse a launch order from a president if he believed that order to be illegal. He added that the president would then likely ask him for legal options.”

Top Afghan government official says Taliban should have a place at peace talks
Steven Chase

“A top official in Afghanistan’s government says the Taliban – Islamic extremists who have waged a deadly war in that country – should take part in peace talks when the opportunity arises. Abdullah Abdullah, the chief executive of Afghanistan who is governing in tandem with President Ashraf Ghani, visited Halifax this weekend for the annual Halifax International Security Forum.”

Canada's top general pushes back against critics of peacekeeping plan

“The plan unveiled on Wednesday called for up to 200 ground troops, transport and armed helicopters, cargo planes and military trainers for future United Nations peacekeeping operations. “There was a tendency to grasp at the number 200: ‘Well, they said 600, now it’s really 200.’ That’s not true, that’s one smart pledge,” Vance told CBC Radio’s The House from the Halifax International Security Forum.”

U.S. nuclear commander tells Halifax security forum he would resist ‘illegal’ strike order from Trump
The Canadian Press

“Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten told the Halifax International Security Forum on Saturday that he and Trump have discussed what would happen if the president ordered a nuclear strike he believed to be unlawful under international law.”

More News & Press

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