The Jerusalem Belfast Forum was established by IPCRI in 2016, based on the belief that cities which have endured prolonged conflict and divisions can learn from each other, while acknowledging that the conflicts are different and manifested differently in each city.
12 Jerusalemite activists, Palestinian and Israeli from a variety of professions, were accepted into the Forum, with the aim of infusing creativity and best practices into their efforts to improve the experience of Jerusalem for all who live there.
The members took a series of seminars, using the latest research on Jerusalem from an urban perspective, including demographic trends, gender, and implications of current policies on the local communities.
Following these seminars, they traveled to Northern Ireland to tour Belfast and meet a variety of local players, all of whom were deeply and directly involved in the violent conflict and building the peace, and who strive to overcome the persisting divisions that still exist in Belfast today.
Topic:
Conflict, Violence, Peace, and Cities
Political Geography:
Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and Northern Ireland
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
John Bercow talks to Professor Phil Cowley about why he didn't invite Donald Trump to the houses of parliament and other current issues facing British politics.
Topic:
Politics, Governance, Leadership, and Conservatism
The Islamic State (IS) is often identified as the world’s leading proponent of Salafism, or fundamentalist Sunni Islam. But, as Dr. Jacob Olidort points out, most of the world’s Salafis are not violent or politically active -- in fact, they explicitly condemn both. In this illuminating video presentation, Institute Soref Fellow Olidort provides an introduction to Salafi thought, describes the emergence of the Salafi movement, and deconstructs the Salafism of IS. This is essential viewing for anyone interested in the ideological roots of IS and how it diverges from other Islamist groups.
Dr. Jacob Olidort, an adjunct professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University, received his BA in Middle Eastern studies from Brandeis University, his AM in Near Eastern languages and civilizations from Harvard University, and his MA and PhD in Near Eastern studies from Princeton University. Dr. Olidort has spent nearly two years in the Middle East, including a Fulbright Scholarship in the UAE and field work on Salafism in Jordan. He has given presentations and has briefed on Salafism and on countering violent extremism to various academic and policy settings. His writing has appeared in Foreign Affairs, the Washington Post, the National Interest, and Lawfare, among other publications.
Topic:
Islam, Religion, Violent Extremism, Islamic State, and Salafism
The Institute hosted a policy forum on Sept. 22, 2016, to discuss the progress of Iraqi security forces against the Islamic State and their imminent operation to liberate Mosul. The panelists included Brig. Gen. William Mullen and Dr. Daniel Green, who also discussed how the coming battle for Mosul relates to lessons learned during their previous tour in Fallujah, where they served during the 2007 surge and which is the topic of their book, "Fallujah Redux: The Anbar Awakening and the Struggle with al-Qaeda" (Naval Institute Press, 2014). The discussion was moderated by Michael Eisenstadt, the Institute's Kahn Fellow and Director of its Military and Security Studies Program.
Brig. Gen. William F. Mullen III, USMC, is the Commanding General of Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command at Twenty-Nine Palms, California, and recently served as the Deputy Commanding General-Operations, Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command in Baghdad from June 2015 to June 2016. In addition, he has served as director of the Combined Joint Operations Center, as a senior advisor to the Iraqi security forces, as a Regimental Combat Team Operations Officer in the Fallujah area (February 2005-February 2006), and as a Battalion Commander in Fallujah (March-October 2007).
Daniel R. Green is a Defense Fellow at The Washington Institute. He recently served in Iraq as a mobilized reservist with the U.S. Navy from October 2015 to May 2016; in that capacity, he worked as a Sunni Arab tribal analyst, conducting engagements with local political and tribal leaders from Anbar Province. Previously, he served with the Navy from April to October 2007 as a Tribal and Political Engagement Officer in the Fallujah area. His publications include the 2011 monograph, "The Valley's Edge: A Year with the Pashtuns in the Heartland of the Taliban" (Potomac Books), based on his service in Afghanistan.
The Václav Havel European Dialogues is an internation- al project that aims to initiate and stimulate a discussion about issues determining the direction of contemporary Europe while referring to the European spiritual legacy of Václav Havel. This idea takes its main inspiration from Václav Havel’s essay “Power of the Powerless”. More than other similarly focused projects, the Václav Havel Euro- pean Dialogues aims to offer the “powerless” a platform to express themselves and in so doing to boost their posi- tion within Europe. The Václav Havel European Dialogues is planned as a long-term project and involves cooperation with other organisations in various European cities. Indi- vidual meetings, which take the form of a conference, are targeted primarily at secondary and third-level students, as well as specialists and members of the public interested in European issues.
Topic:
Migration, Regional Cooperation, Immigration, Border Control, European Union, and Humanitarian Crisis
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
The Honorable Antonio T. Carpio, Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, discusses the South China Sea disputes in an October 7, 2015 lecture at Columbia University. Moderated by Ann Marie Murphy, Senior Research Scholar at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute. Co-sponsored by SEASI and the New York Southeast Asia Network.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Territorial Disputes, and Geopolitics
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
Video from the March 11, 2016 Weatherhead East Asian Institute event about discussing the representations of March 11, 2011's "triple disaster" in Japan in popular media. Featuring Yukari Fujimoto, professor at Meiji University. Moderated by Hikari Hori, assistant professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University.
Topic:
Natural Disasters, Culture, Disaster Management, and Nuclear Energy
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
Andrew J. Nathan, the Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, discusses Donald Trump's conversation with Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen and what it may mean for U.S.-China relations.
Topic:
International Relations, Diplomacy, Bilateral Relations, Political Science, and Donald Trump
Political Geography:
China, Taiwan, Asia, North America, and United States of America
The 4th IPCRI forum for 2016 focused on:
"From Extremism to Inclusion"
How hardliners joined the peace process in Northern Ireland
Speakers:
Rev. Dr. Gary Mason
Belfast Peacemaker and Adviser to ex-militants on reintegration
A member of the Order of the British Empire for his work in the peace process in N.Ireland
Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin
Policy Fellow at Mitvim Institute
Ariel Heifetz Knobel
Conflict Management Practitioner, Northern Ireland Specialist
Aziz Abu Sarah
Nat Geo Explorer, Co-Founder of Mejdi Tours
Topic:
Violent Extremism, Conflict, Peace, and Reintegration