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The Middle East Institute’s Lebanon Program is pleased to host its inaugural Lebanon Policy Conference in collaboration with the American Task Force on Lebanon and LIFE. This two-part series of events will take place on May 26-27 and June 1-4 to tackle the urgency and viable paths forward for Lebanon's political, financial and humanitarian crises. Bringing together leading policymakers, academics, diplomats and private sector representatives, the conference comes at a critical time when decisions made in the weeks and months ahead will fundamentally influence Lebanon's trajectory for years to come.
To learn more about programming and to register for the conference, please follow the link below. Details on June 1-4 keynotes and panels are forthcoming. Kate Seelye, MEI's Vice President for Arts, Culture, and Communication, will open the conference.
Wednesday May 26
10:00am – 11:00am EDT | The Future of US Policy Toward Lebanon: A Conversation with Senator Tim Kaine and Ambassador David Hale
Sen. Tim Kaine
United States Senator for Virginia
Amb. David Hale
Former United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Amb. (ret.) Edward M. Gabriel, moderator
President and CEO, American Task Force on Lebanon
11:15am – 12:15pm EDT | Breaking the Lebanese Political Logjam
Jon Alterman
Senior Vice President, Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy, and Director, Middle East Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Paul Salem
President, Middle East Institute
Maha Yahya
Director, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Christophe Abi-Nassif, moderator
Director, Lebanon Program, Middle East Institute
12:30pm – 1:30pm EDT | Lebanon Amid Evolving Regional and International Dynamics
Emile Hokayem
Senior Fellow for Middle East Security, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Lina Khatib
Director, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
Maxim Suchkov
Senior Fellow and Associate Professor, Moscow State Institute of International Relations
Patricia Karam, moderator
Regional Director of the Middle East North Africa Division, International Republican Institute
Thursday May 27
10:00am – 11:00am EDT | The Future of the “French Initiative”: A Conversation with Ambassador Pierre Duquesne
Ambassador Pierre Duquesne
Ambassador in Charge of Coordinating International Support to Lebanon, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Charbel Abou Charaf, moderator
Partner, White & Case LLP; Member, LIFE Advocate
11:15am – 12:30pm EDT | The Final Countdown: How to Manage Lebanon’s Transformational Economic Crisis and Avert Total Collapse
Thanos Arvanitis
Deputy Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, International Monetary Fund
Saroj Kumar Jha
Regional Director for the Mashreq, World Bank
Alia Moubayed
Managing Director, Jefferies
Nasser Saidi
Founder and President, Nasser Saidi and Associates
Jacques J. Tohme, moderator
Member, LIFE Advocate
Tuesday June 1
9:45am - 11:00am EDT | Addressing the Lebanese Social and Humanitarian Crises
Opening Remarks:
Congressman Darin Lahood
U.S. House of Representatives, Illinois's 18th District
Paul Salem
President, MEI
Speakers:
Alex Mahoney
Acting Office Director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, USAID
Nadine Massoud-Bernheim
Chief Executive Officer, LIFE
Haneen Sayed
Lead Social Protection and Jobs Specialist, MENA Region, World Bank
Mona Yacoubian, moderator
Senior Advisor to the Vice President of Middle East and North Africa, United States Institute of Peace
11:15am - 12:15pm EDT | The Future of US-Lebanon Defense and Security Cooperation
Brig Gen Duke Pirak
Deputy Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)
Bilal Y. Saab
Senior Fellow and Founding Director of the Defense and Security Program, Middle East Institute
Dana Stroul
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, U.S. Department of Defense
Missy Ryan, moderator
Defense and National Security Reporter, The Washington Post
Thursday June 3
10:00am - 11:00am EDT | Coordinating International Support for Lebanon: A Conversation with Dr. Najat Rochdi of UNSCOL
Dr. Najat Rochdi
Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL)
Joyce Karam, moderator
Senior Washington Correspondent, The National
Friday June 4
10:00am - 11:00am EDT | Envisioning Lebanon’s Path to Sustainable and Equitable Growth: A Conversation with Ferid Belhaj
Ferid Belhaj
Vice President, Middle East and North Africa Region, The World Bank
Ronnie W. Hammad, moderator
Adviser, Office of the Vice President for Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions, The World Bank