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Contemporary Issues Program Alumni Reunions Tackle Terrorism, HIV/AIDS, Water Management, and Regional Security

A Report on Conferences Celebrating the Program’s Tenth Anniversary

On the tenth anniversary of the Contemporary Issues Program (CI) in September, IREX administered four regional alumni reunions in Kyiv, Ukraine; Moscow, Russia; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; and Tbilisi, Georgia, to celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of the program’s alumni (see our event news story). Summaries of these conferences follow.

Combating Terrorism: Russia’s Domestic and Foreign Policy Approach
Moscow, Russia, 17 September 2004

Terrorism expert Alexey Malashenko of
the Carnegie Moscow Center gives the
keynote address at the Contemporary
Issues 10th Anniversary Reunion in
Moscow, September 2004.

The tenth anniversary reunion for Russian alumni of the Contemporary Issues Program was held at the World Trade Center in Moscow, Russia on September 17, 2004. Seventy-eight alumni attended the event. Other guests included representatives of the Russian government, think tanks and NGOs. American embassy officials were also present, and a CBS television crew covered the proceedings.

In planning this reunion, IREX sought a central policy issue that could be approached in various ways by alumni from many professions. At the time when the title, “Combating Terrorism: Russia’s Domestic and Foreign Policy Approach” was chosen, it was impossible to predict the extent to which the tragic shooting of schoolchildren in Beslan, which took place just a few weeks prior to the event, would increase the gravity and significance of this particular theme. The urgency surrounding this situation was reflected in the comments of all of the speakers.

In his welcoming remarks, Alexander Vershbow, US ambassador to the Russian Federation, set the tone for the day’s events. The ambassador lauded the joint Russian-American efforts that have already been made against the threat of terrorism and underscored the need for future collaboration. The keynote speaker was Alexey Malashenko of the Carnegie Moscow Center, a well-known expert on terrorism, who is widely quoted in both the Russian and foreign press. His presentation on political aspects of domestic terrorism and the potential for international cooperation produced an intense discussion that continued during the coffee break that followed. During this period, alumni had the chance to meet both the ambassador and Mr. Malashenko and to network among each other.

US Ambassador to Russia Alexander
Vershbow (right) and IREX Moscow
Director Chris Cavanaugh (left) attend
the Contemporary Issues 10th
Anniversary Reunion in Moscow,
September 2004.

The next part of this event featured two concurrent panels. Each panel featured CI alumni who addressed the problem of terrorism from the perspective of their individual fields. The first panel concentrated on Russia’s domestic policy approach to terrorism and opened with a compelling presentation by Soslan Khadikov (CI 2003-2004) of the Ministry of Nationalities and External Relations, Republic of North Ossetia. Mr. Khadikov, who spent many days at the scene in Beslan, provided an insightful analysis of the complex political situation in the North Caucasus. Ludmila Petrova (CI 2004-2005) of the St. Petersburg Bar Association concentrated on the legislation passed to combat terrorism, while Oleg Budnitskiy from the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, provided significant historical background. Guest speaker Olga Oliker, an analyst from the RAND Corporation in Washington, DC, offered an American perspective on Russia’s struggle with terrorism.

The second panel focused on Russia’s struggle against international terrorism. Tatiana Shakleina (CI 1998-1999) of the Institute of USA and Canada Studies began the discussion with an overview of the influence of anti-terrorism activities on US-Russian relations. Shakleina was followed by Lesslie Viguerie, first secretary of the US embassy, who provided an in-depth analysis of the activities of the US–Russia Counter- Terrorism Working Group. Eugeni Shubnikov (CI 1998-1999) of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences spoke on the role of information technologies and science in the prevention of terrorism and bioterrorism. Finally, Elena Osokina (CI 2002-2003) of ITAR-TASS, Far East presented on media coverage of terrorist acts.

The reunion concluded with a reception held at the Winter Garden Restaurant of the Golden Ring Hotel. The exceptional view of Moscow from the 22nd floor provided a suitable background for the tenth anniversary ceremony. Laurence Wohlers, Minister Councilor for Public Affairs of the United States Embassy in Moscow, awarded participation certificates to alumni. Several of the alumni also gave short presentations of thanks to ECA, the American Embassy, and IREX.

 

The Fight against HIV/AIDS: Action and Developments in Western Eurasia
Kyiv, Ukraine, 25 September 2004

The September 25 alumni reunion in Kyiv, Ukraine, focused on contributions of alumni from Western Eurasia to the fight against HIV/AIDS in the region. This event brought together 88 CI alumni from Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus along with representatives of think tanks and organizations active in the field.

US Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst (second from
right) stands with IREX staff and speakers at the
Contemporary Issues Program 10th Anniversary
Reunion in Kyiv, September 2004.

The event opened with welcoming remarks from Ambassador John Herbst. Next, the keynote speech was presented by Dr. James Sherry, vice president of the Global Health Council. Dr. Sherry provided an overview of the HIV/AIDS situation in the region, with specific examples from Ukraine. He touched on issues of women’s empowerment, men’s attitudes and role in awareness and prevention, and community responsibility.

The next component of this event consisted of three simultaneous panels. Each panel had a lead panelist and two-three CI alumni panelists. The first panel was entitled, “Community Mobilization: The NGO Sector and the fight against HIV/AIDS.” Panel leader Dr. Yury Sarankov, harm reduction senior advisor for the AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW), focused on the main activities of the AFEW Harm Reduction Project. This project is aimed at supporting the development and implementation of a comprehensive and sustained country-wide training program on HIV/AIDS prevention strategies among drug users in Ukraine.

The second panel entitled, “Public Health: The Battle against HIV/AIDS from a Health Professional’s Point of View,” was primarily aimed at health professionals but was attended also by other alumni interested in the topic. Panel leader Susan Gallagher, Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow of the Office of Senator Dick Durbin, opened the panel with a discussion of the role of health professionals and scientists in HIV/AIDS prevention.

Contemporary Issues alumni
and participants attend a session at the
Contemporary Issues Program 10th
Anniversary Reunion in Kyiv, September
2004.

The third panel entitled, “Moving HIV/AIDS Awareness into the Schools: An Educator’s Role in Prevention,” addressed increasing HIV awareness to wider sections of the population. Panel leader Patricia Sullivan, regional English language officer at the US Embassy, spoke about the integration of AIDS education into the curriculum as an organizational priority.

Following the panels and lunch, reunion participants screened the film, “Pandemic: Facing AIDS—Russia.” Narrated by Elton John, it is part of a documentary series of five half-hour films by Rory Kennedy that takes a unique look at the worldwide AIDS epidemic, melding intimate personal stories with a global perspective. The series contains half hour segments highlighting the issue in Thailand, Uganda, Russia, Brazil, and India. An introduction and post-film discussion was led by Tim Clary, USAID senior technical and policy advisor for HIV/AIDS and reproductive health, and Tatiana Poladko of UN Focal Point for Youth.

The reunion concluded with a reception in honor of the Contemporary Issues alumni where certificates of participation were presented to the alumni by Janet Demiray, public affairs officer of the US embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Connie Phlipot, deputy chief of mission of the US embassy in Minsk, Belarus.

 

Water for Life: Transboundary Water Management in Central Asia
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 25 September 2004

The September 25 alumni reunion in Tashkent, Uzbekistan focused on ways in which Central Asian countries are faced with common water and environmental issues affecting each country independently and the region as a whole. This event brought together 69 CI alumni from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan along with representatives of other organizations dealing with environmental issues in the region.

Alumni of the Contemporary Issues
program chat after a session at the
Contemporary Issues Program 10th
Anniversary Reunion in Tashkent,
Uzbekistan, September 2004.

Keynote speaker Martin Raiser, World Bank country manager for Uzbekistan, commenced the reunion with an overview of the environmental challenges facing Central Asia and possible solutions including intraregional cooperation.

Next, there were two simultaneous panels focusing on national approaches to water resources management. The first panel focused on community aspects while the second took a more technical approach to the topic. The community aspects presentations culminated with a lively discussion both about water issues and about how alumni can continue their work in this area. The ‘technical aspects’ presentations also ended in a lively discussion spurred on by a presentation given by Azim Nazarov of National Resource Management Program (NRMP). Nazarov spoke about the technical aspects of logistical support to the NRMP projects.

During lunch alumni had the chance to talk in a more informal environment about their experiences with the CI program and their current work. After lunch, everyone gathered for a group presentation entitled, “The Death of the Aral Sea: Environmental Consequences and Solutions.” Panel leader Ajiniyaz Reimov, UNDP program analyst, presented his views on how the sea cannot be saved, but that certain marshlands can be monitored and restored.

The event concluded with a reception and CI alumni received certificates of participation.

 

Common Struggle for Security: The South Caucasus
Tbilisi, Georgia, 25 September 2004

Public Affairs Officer Theresa Markiw (second
from left) of the US embassy in Azerbaijan
stands with Azebaijani alumni of the
Contemporary Issues program during the
regional alumni gathering for the 10-year
anniversary of the program.

The reunion held in Tbilisi, Georgia, on September 25 focused on the common security challenges facing the South Caucasus. This event brought together 64 CI alumni from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia along with representatives of other organizations working on regional security issues. Special guests from Peace Corps, NATO, EU, OSCE, Eurasia Foundation, plus several other local NGO’s and international organizations were in attendance.

The event commenced with US Ambassador to Georgia Richard Miles’ presentation on the importance of intraregional cooperation in regards to security. Ambassador Miles also spoke to the importance of the Contemporary Issues program and how the access to information and research fellowships have benefited Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia by creating important linkages between specialists in the USA and the South Caucasus.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Louise Shelley, had first visited Georgia and Azerbaijan 30 years ago as a research scholar herself and has continued to work in the South Caucasus extensively on the topic of transnational crime and corruption. Dr. Shelley has a network of Transnational Crime and Corruption Centers (TRACC), one of them in Tbilisi. Dr. Shelley’s presentation on security issues in the South Caucasus was not only timely with current security events happening in the region in South Osetia, Beslan, and Adjaria, but was well received by the CI alumni in attendance and special guests at the conference.

IREX president Mark Pomar (right) stands with
representatives of three local US embassies during a
regional tenth-anniversary celebration for alumni of
the Contemporary Issues program. Left to right:
Public Affairs Officer Kimberly Hargin of the US
embassy in Armenia, Public Affairs Officer Rowena
Cross-Najafi of the US embassy in Georgia, US
Ambassador to Georgia Richard Miles, Public Affairs
Officer Theresa Markiw of the US embassy in
Azerbaijan, and IREX president Mark Pomar.

Next, a panel discussion was convened entitled, “Regional Security: Challenges and Perspectives.” This panel focused on ways in which the three South Caucasus countries are faced with common security problems affecting each country independently and the region as a whole. Panel guests included, Gigi Ugulava, First Deputy Minister, Ministry of State Security of Georgia; Zbigniew Sec, Military Advisor, OSCE Mission to Georgia; Zoran Krunic, Security Advisor, EU; and Vasil Chkoidze, President, Center for European Integration Studies.

Following lunch, alumni and other guests attended a session comprised of three presentations—one from each country in the South Caucasus.

The event concluded with a reception at the ballroom of the Parliament of the Republic of Georgia, where alumni received certificates from the US Department of State for their participation in the CI 10 Year Anniversary.