The Center for US-Ukrainian Relations, The American Foreign Policy Council, US-Ukraine Foundation and The Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation invite you to US-Ukraine Security Dialogue VII

Taking New Measures of Russia’s ‘Near Abroad’: Assessing Security Challenges Facing the ‘Frontline States’

February 25, 2016, Registration at 8:30am, 1777 F St NW, Washington DC 20006, 1st Floor Conference Room

Reception to follow at 5:00-7:30pm

American Foreign Policy Council, 509 C Street NE, Washington, DC

RSVP to mykcusur@gmail.com

PROGRAM

8:30 am – 9:00 am — Registration

9:00 am – 9:25 am — Words of Welcome                         
[US]: Rep. Sander Levin [D-MI] [Congressional Ukraine Caucus Co-Chair]
 [UA]: HE Valeriy Chaly [Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States]

9:25 am – 9:55 am — Focus Session I: Which States Constitute RU’s ‘Near Aboard’? 
Should They Be Worried? Chair:  William Taylor [United States Institute of Peace]  
Presenter: Stephen Blank [American Foreign Policy Council        
   
9:55 am – 11:15 am — Panel I [Extended Discussion] --- The 'Hybrid War in Ukraine': Sampling of a 'Frontline State' Future?
Chair: John Herbst [Atlantic Council
Lead Remarks: Andriy Parubiy [Vice Speaker of the Rada of Ukraine; 
Fmr. Head of the UA National Security & Defense Council
Discussants: Glen Howard [Jamestown Foundation]
Ariel Cohen [Atlantic Council; Institute for the Analysis of Global Security]
Derek Fraser [University of Victoria; Former CA Ambassador to UA]                                     

11:15 am – 12:30 pm — Focus Session II: Assessing Threat Risks to the 'Traditional Near Abroad' [GUAM Members; the Baltic States; Central Asia & Belarus]
Chair: William Courtney [RAND Corporation]
Panelists: Temuri Yakobashvili [German Marshall Fund]
Vlad Spanu [Moldova Foundation]
 Marius Laurinavicius [Center For European Policy Analysis]
 Paul Goble [Windows on Eurasia]
Suggested Topics: Moldova, Georgia & Azerbaijan: Will Frozen Conflicts Remain Frozen? 
The Baltic States: Any Grounds for Fearing a 'Sudeten Russian' Card?
Central Asia & Belarus: Is Anyone Watching for 'Bear-tracks'?

12:30 pm – 1:00 pm — Lunch Break [Press Interviews]

1:00 pm – 1:30 pm — Focus Session II: Might the United States Become a ‘Frontline State’?
Chair: Herman Pirchner [American Foreign Policy Council]
 Presenter: Michael Carpenter [Dep. Asst. Secretary of Defense/RUE]

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm — Focus Session III: Is Canada on the ‘Frontline’ in the Arctic?
Chair: William Miller [Woodrow Wilson International Center]
Presenter:  James Bezan [Member of Canadian Parliament/NDC]                 

2:00 pm – 3:15 pm — Focus Session III: Assessing Risks to the 'Recent Additional Near Abroad' [Nordic Neutrals; Visegrad Countries; Black Sea Nations]
Chair: David Kramer [McCain Institute]
Panelists: Henryk Lax [MP Emeritus/Finnish Parliament-European Parliament]
Margarita Assenova [Jamestown Foundation]
Aurel Braun [University of Toronto]
Hüseyin Oylupinar [Harvard University]                            
 Suggested Topics: Scandinavian 'Neutral States' – An Umbrella Too Short?
 Do the Visegrad States Face a ‘Iskander Intimidation Factor’ in Kaliningrad?                         Do the Black Sea Nations Face a ‘Iskander Intimidation Factor’ in Crimea?

3:15 pm – 3:45 pm — Highlight IRU ‘Information Ops’ in the Old & New ‘Near Abroard

Chair: Adrian Karmazyn [US-Ukraine Foundation; Former VOA UA Desk Chief]
Presenter: Ostap Kryvdyk [Senior Advisor to the UA Rada Vice Speaker; Former  Information Officer of the UA Nat. Sec. & Defense Council]

3:45 pm – 4:00 pm — The Final Word
Sen. Robert Portman [R-OH] [Senate Ukraine Caucus Co-Chair] [Invited]

5:00 pm – 7:30 pm — Evening Reception: American Foreign Policy Council

[Host: The US-UA Security Dialogue VIII Organizing Committee]