2006 PEP Public Events

September 2006 - UN Peacekeeping Discussion

On September 19th, the PEP co-sponsored A Talk with UN Assistant Secretary-General Jane Holl Lute with the United Nations Foundation, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the UN Information Center-Washington, and the UN Association- Council of Organizations.

This discussion focused on the hot topics of the day, including maintaining the fragile peace in Lebanon and stopping the escalating violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. The briefing addressed several key questions, such as: How is the deployment of UN peacekeepers to Lebanon proceeding? What can the UN peacekeepers in Lebanon do-- and not do? What is the UN plan for Darfur? Can UN peacekeepers be deployed without Sudan's consent? How can a 'catastrophe' in Darfur be averted?

Jane Holl Lute is Assistant Secretary-General for peacekeeping operations at the United Nations with specific responsibilities for personnel, finance, and logistical support necessary to mount and sustain UN field-based peace operations world-wide.

March 2006 - Policy Roundtable

On March 6th, the PEP sponsored a roundtable discussion on the potential for a NATO partnership with the African Union to build greater African capabilities for preventing mass killing of civilians. This concept derives from a July 2005 policy paper, Learning from Darfur: Building a Net-Capable African Force to Stop Mass Killing, published by the Center for Technology and National Security Policy at the National Defense University. Discussants were David Gompert of the RAND Corporation, Ken Bacon of Refugees International, Frederick Barton of CSIS, and Charles Kosak with the Office of the Secretary of Defense.