African Conflicts and American Diplomacy: Roles and Choices
Panel Discussion and Luncheon
CSIS
October 29, 2009

U.S. diplomacy in Africa is at a crossroad. There is a need to define more clearly the role of diplomatic instruments and the Department of State in the shaping and conduct of policy toward African conflict zones. A panel of experts discussed the major diplomatic challenges facing Africa and examined the policy tools which the U.S. can use to meet these challenges. An additional panel analyzed three of the continent's diplomatic "hot spots;" the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes region and Nigeria.

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AGENDA FOR AAD/CSIS JOINT PROGRAM
African Conflicts and U.S. Diplomacy:
Roles and Choices

8:30-9:00    Breakfast and Arrivals

9:00-9:15     Introductory Comments
Ambassador Ronald Neumann, president, American Academy of Diplomacy
Jennifer Cooke, director, Africa Program, CSIS

9:15-10:45   Panel I: The Place of Diplomacy in U.S. Africa Policy

U.S. diplomacy in Africa is at a crossroads. The State Department’s Africa Bureau is the subject of a recent Inspector General’s report that made a number of comments on how to restore its capacity and level of performance. More broadly, there is a need to clearly define the role of diplomatic instruments and the Department of State in the shaping and conduct of policy toward African conflict zones. Questions arise about how the new joint command for Africa, AFRICOM, fits into U.S. policy and how diplomatic, military and assistance tools are best managed and coordinated. Finally, there is the over-arching challenge of setting priorities for U.S. engagement in African conflicts. Where and when should Washington engage? How should the United States prioritize its focus and attention? How to balance conflict prevention, crisis management, and intervention challenges?

• Policy tools and coordination: Ambassador Mark Bellamy, director, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, the National Defense University

• Diplomatic resources and priorities for engagement: Ambassador Frances Cook, chair, Ballard Group LLC

• Where and when to intervene: Chester Crocker, James R. Schlesinger professor of strategic studies, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service

Moderator: Ambassador William Harrop, director American Academy of Diplomacy
                                               
11:00-12:30            Panel II: Today’s Most Salient Hot Spots

African conflict-related challenges fall into several categories. Some impose themselves onto the U.S. agenda. Others also demand attention, both to mitigate on-going humanitarian consequences and to prevent expansion or rekindling of conflicts currently being ‘managed’. Some may fall into the area of interest of other actors and do not make the U.S. policy ‘triage’ process.  The panel will discuss three of the continent’s most pressing crises.

• Nigeria: Ambassador Princeton Lyman, adjunct senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council of Foreign Relations

• Horn of Africa: Ambassador David Shinn, adjunct professor, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University

• Great Lakes: Ambassador Herman Cohen, independent business consultant, Africa

Moderator: Jennifer Cooke, director, Africa Program, CSIS

1:00-2:00    Lunch and Keynote address: The Strategic Impact of Foreign Assistance
Andrew Natsios: Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy, Edmund A.Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University; former Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, USAID.