United States Events
Six Months in 1945: The Origins of the Cold War
February 04, 2013 // 4:00pm — 5:30pm
History and Public Policy Program
The Cold War effectively began in 1945, as soon as Americans and Russians encountered each other in the heart of Europe. But nobody, not least Stalin, wanted the Cold War.
From Challengers to Partners? Relations Between Human Rights NGOs and their Home Governments from the 1970s on
January 30, 2013 // 12:00pm — 12:45pm
History and Public Policy Program
The concept of human rights acquired global significance during the 1970s, spurred by the activities of a growing number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) responding to state repression in Chile, South Africa, the Warsaw Pact states, and elsewhere. Key interlocutors for NGOs like Amnesty International and Helsinki Watch were their home governments, whom they influenced through a combination of public campaigning and private lobbying. Crucially, it seems that during this period human rights NGOs experienced a trajectory from ‘outsider’ to ‘insider’ status. Does this mean that they paid a costly price for their newfound influence, namely abandoning their original ‘apolitical’ appeal and becoming less impartial and independent? Or should we understand this to be their success in transforming the character of international politics?
The Significance of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation for America
January 28, 2013 // 4:00pm — 5:30pm
History and Public Policy Program
What were Lincoln’s motives in deciding for general emancipation? The emancipation itself changed the nature of the war. It reflected a fundamental change in Lincoln’s own thinking about the relationship of slavery to the war as well as the future place of blacks in American life.
From Cyber to Immigration, Terrorism to Disasters: Securing America in the Next Administration
January 24, 2013 // 9:30am — 10:30am
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano discussed her departments plans to protect America from multiple threats. This event was co-sponsored with the Aspen Institute's Homeland Security Group.
A Safe and Smart Border
December 12, 2012 // 9:00am — 12:00pm
Canada Institute
Please join the Canada Institute for the launch of its 15th One Issue, Two Voices publication exploring the recent attempts to make the Canada-U.S. border safer and more efficient.
American author Christopher Sands, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, and Canadian author Laura Dawson, President of Dawson Strategic, will discuss the findings of their respective essays and offer analysis on the progress of negotiations on both Beyond the Border and the Regulatory Cooperation Council.
The Decisive Vote?
December 10, 2012 // 9:00am — 11:00am
Mexico Institute
Join us for a discussion on the importance of the Latino vote and how it played out on November 6. Who voted, where and what difference did they make? What happened in a key battleground states? And what are the likely consequences for immigration reform and other policy issues?
A 21st Century NORAD? How Canada and the United States can confront our shared cyber threat
December 05, 2012 // 1:00pm — 2:30pm
Canada Institute
Experts expect that cyber attacks from hostile nations and rogue actors will represent one of the most dangerous threats to Canada and the United States in the coming decades. The perils are numerous and the consequences are severe for such an attack. However, there are many measures that both nations can take, individually and collectively, to ensure peace and prosperity, free from the threat of a "cyber Pearl Harbor" disaster. The Canada Institute is pleased to host a distinguished panel to discuss these threats as well as the most effective measures and best practices that the private and public sector actors can use to make both countries more secure.
Women, Ecumenism, and Interracial Organizing
December 03, 2012 // 4:00pm — 5:30pm
History and Public Policy Program
Bettye Collier-Thomas explores the ways in which black and white ecumenical Protestant women grappled with issues of race and ethnicity in the early twentieth century and how in doing so they contributed to laying the groundwork for the modern civil rights movement.
Participatory Democracy and Public Housing
December 03, 2012 // 9:00am — 12:30pm
Comparative Urban Studies Project
A panel of experts discuss the latest research on the benefits of participatory democracy. Is it possible to apply lessons learned from global experiences in participatory governance to public housing in the U.S. so that residents can help determine and thereby improve their own living environments?
Nuclear Statecraft: History and Strategy in America’s Atomic Age
November 29, 2012 // 3:30pm — 5:00pm
International Security Studies
We are at a critical juncture in world politics. Nuclear strategy and policy have risen to the top of the global policy agenda, and issues ranging from a nuclear Iran to the global zero movement are generating sharp debate. The historical origins of our contemporary nuclear world are deeply consequential for contemporary policy, but it is crucial that decisions are made on the basis of fact rather than myth and misapprehension. In Nuclear Statecraft, Francis J. Gavin challenges key elements of the widely accepted narrative about the history of the atomic age and the consequences of the nuclear revolution.