BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//National Interest Foundation - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://nifusa.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for National Interest Foundation
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20220313T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20221106T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20230312T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20231105T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20240310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20241103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231115T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231115T150000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150335
CREATED:20240209T210902Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240209T220005Z
UID:11120-1700049600-1700060400@nifusa.org
SUMMARY:Decoding the War on Gaza
DESCRIPTION:Disclaimer: NIF events are by email invitation only and are non-transferable. You will receive a confirmation email if you have been successfully added to our event attendee list upon registration. Those who do not receive a confirmation email will not be admitted. Also\, please note that when registering for any of our events\, all required fields must be properly filled out. We reserve the right to deny entry to those who fail to do so. \n  \n\nEvent Synopsis:\nThe ongoing conflict in Palestine and Israel has garnered significant attention across the globe since October 7th. Although political and media circles are focused on the Gaza Strip other factors are at play including the situation in surrounding kibbutzim and Tel Aviv\, emboldened settler incursions into neighboring villages\, operations in the West Bank\, as well as the role of regional and international powers. We have assembled a panel of notable experts and professionals to analyze editorial coverage of the conflict which has been subject to scrutiny with allegations of bias in favor of either party. Simultaneously\, there have been allegations of serious war crimes which have been offset by declarations of the right to self-defense either of a sovereign state or an occupied people as referenced in Article 51 of the UN charter\, Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention\, and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 37/43 (1982). \n  \nPanel I: Media Coverage & Editorial Accountability\nMiko Peled is considered by many to be one of the clearest voices calling for justice in Palestine\, support of the Palestinian call for Boycott\, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)\, and the creation of a single democracy with equal rights in all of historic Palestine. Miko is also a contributor to several online publications including the Mint Press\, The Electronic Intifada\, Democracy Now\, and Mondoweiss\, and has been invited to speak all over the world. \nJames Zogby is the founder and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI)\, a Washington\, D.C.–based organization that serves as a political and policy research arm of the Arab-American community. He is also the managing director of Zogby Research Services\, LLC. Zogby is featured frequently on national and international media as an expert on Middle East affairs. In 2010\, Zogby published the highly-acclaimed book\, Arab Voices. \nRyan Grim is The Intercept’s D.C. Bureau Chief and the host of the podcast Deconstructed. He authors the newsletter Bad News and was previously the Washington bureau chief for HuffPost\, where he led a team that was twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize\, and won once. \nLaila Al-Arian is an executive producer for Fault Lines. Prior to joining Fault Lines\, Laila worked for AJE for four years\, covering everything from Guantanamo Bay’s youngest detainee to the re-settlement of Iraqi refugees in the U.S \nHafez Al Mirazi (Moderator) is a Columnist\, Independent Broadcaster\, and Professor of Practice in television journalism. He’s currently a columnist at Al Manassa\, an Egyptian news website\, writer and media critic\, and host of YouTube shows\, including his current series “On Gaza from Washington.” \n  \nPanel II: International Law and the Case for War Crimes\nBruce Fein is a nationally and internationally renowned constitutional lawyer\, scholar\, and writer. Currently\, Fein serves as the President and founder of the law firm\, Bruce Fein and Associates Inc. He makes regular appearances on national television and radio\, including MSNBC\, FOX News\, C-Span\, BBC\, Reuters\, and NPR. \nSarah Leah Whitson is the Executive Director of DAWN. Previously\, she served as executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division from 2004 – 2020\, overseeing the work of the division in 19 countries\, with staff located in 10 countries. \nEmily Schaeffer Omer-Man is a human rights litigator with over 15 years practice challenging policies and practices of the Israeli occupation in Israeli and foreign courts and representing human rights defenders denied access to Israel and Palestine. She is currently a Lecturer and specialist in International Humanitarian Law\, International Criminal Law\, and International Human Rights Law at American University. \nBruce DelValle (Moderator) is the founder and principal shareholder of DelValle Law PLLC. Mr. DelValle often appears in various international courts and tribunals in matters relating to genocide\, voting irregularities\, and crimes against humanity. Mr. DelValle is also considered a constitutional law expert and often represents various international and domestic clients on matters concerning individual civil rights\, freedom of speech and of the press\, human rights\, and constitutional law litigants.
URL:https://nifusa.org/event-2/decoding-the-war-on-gaza/
LOCATION:National Press Club\, 529 14th St. NW\, 13th Floor\, First Amendment Room\, Washington D.C.\, 20045\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nifusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/WarcrimesReuters-e1707512735395.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240131T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240131T193000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150335
CREATED:20240209T205546Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240209T214812Z
UID:11114-1706724000-1706729400@nifusa.org
SUMMARY:How Strong is South Africa's Case Against Israel at the ICJ?
DESCRIPTION:The National Interest Foundation invites you to attend a dinner conversation regarding South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. \n  \nSpeakers: Bruce Fein\, Former Associate Deputy Attorney General\nSam Husseini\, Independent Journalist \n  \nModerator: Yasmeen Hussain\, Attorney Specializing in International Humanitarian Law \n  \nDisclaimer: NIF events are by email invitation only and are non-transferable. You will receive a confirmation email if you have been successfully added to our event attendee list upon registration. Those who do not receive a confirmation email will not be admitted. Also\, please note that when registering for any of our events\, all required fields must be properly filled out. We reserve the right to deny entry to those who fail to do so. \n  \nEvent Synopsis: We will examine the importance of South Africa’s landmark case against Israel at the International Court of Justice – the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. South Africa is accusing Israel of committing the crime of genocide\, in breach of the 1948 Genocide Convention\, with its destructive military campaign in Gaza. The case details an array of evidence of Israeli war crimes and human rights violations being committed including the killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians\, the expulsion and displacement of Gaza Strip inhabitants\, and the hindrance of food\, water\, medical\, and other humanitarian assistance. The event will include discussion regarding the merits of the case\, where things stand in the process\, and how the prosecution of cases works at both the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. \n  \nParking: Free parking will be available around the building. We will inform building management about the event and they will not tow. If you wish to take the metro\, it is a 7-minute walk from both the Tysons and Greensboro stations. \n  \n*A light dinner will be served at the event. \n  \nAbout our Speakers: \nBruce Fein has been a renowned legal-media fixture in Washington\, D.C. for more than 50 years across the political spectrum. He featured on Attorney General William French Smith’s short-list of potential nominees to the United States Supreme Court. His unique network extends to all three branches of the government\, the media\, think tanks\, universities\, and a cluster of NGOs. Mr. Fein appears regularly on national and international television. His articles on law and public policy are ubiquitous. He conducts constitutional tutorials for Members of Congress and staff. He is Vice Chairman of the Committee for the Republic. He is author of Constitutional Peril: The Life and Death Struggle for Our Constitution and Democracy and American Empire Before The Fall. Mr. Fein served as senior policy advisor to Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign. He contributes daily commentary on his substack page: brucefein.substack.com. His twitter hashtag is @brucefeinesq. He has testified as an expert witness before Congress on more than 200 occasions. He served on the American Bar Association’s Task Force on Presidential Signing Statements. He has lived through every major political-legal battle or crisis since 1969 beginning with the defeats of President Richard Nixon’s Supreme Court nominees Clement Haynsworth and G. Harold Carswell. Mr. Fein graduated with honors from Harvard Law School and served at the highest levels of the legislative\, executive\, and judicial branches of government before establishing his own law firm. Among other things\, Mr. Fein served as special assistant to the assistant attorney general in the office of legal counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice\, assistant director of the office of legal policy\, associate deputy attorney general\, general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission\, research director for the Joint Congressional Committee on Covert Arms Sales to Iran\, and clerk to federal Judge Frank A. Kaufman. Mr. Fein has been a newspaper columnist\, professor at George Washington University\, and Visiting Fellow at The Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institute. Mr. Fein specializes in constitutional\, international law\, civil liberties\, and administrative law. He has assisted multiple countries in writing or rewriting constitutions. He offers unique multi-dimensional analyses and solutions for every client. He is a member of the bar of the United States Supreme Court\, multiple federal appeals courts\, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia\, and the District of Columbia Bar. \n  \nSam Husseini is an independent journalist now writing at husseini.substack.com. Since October 2023\, his work has focused on Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza\, especially highlighting the possibility of a country invoking the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice\, which South Africa did on December 29\, 2023\, leading to oral arguments. In addition to Palestine\, his work has focused on Iraq (in particular the draconian sanctions during the 1990s and falsifications about WMDs used as a pretext for the 2003 invasion)\, international law\, U.S. government refusing to acknowledge Israel’s nuclear weapons arsenal\, Covid origins\, political and media disinformation\, and issues of free speech. He has scrutinized and questioned officials\, most recently at the State Department. His questioning of a Saudi official during the Arab uprisings in 2011 led to him being suspended from the Press Club (later overturned by the ethics committee). He is also senior analyst at the Institute for Public Accuracy\, and the founder of VotePact\, which advocates people from the left and right voting in pairs against the establishment duopoly. \n  \nAbout our Moderator: \nYasmeen Hussain has an extensive education in international law and human rights\, and a career committed to public service. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago in international studies with a concentration in human rights\, conducting field research in her native Syrian village prior to writing her thesis on the role that minority groups played in mid-century Syrian politics. She also specialized in international humanitarian law while attending American University Washington College of Law\, writing research papers on the importance of international special tribunals to prosecute war crimes. She is committed to a life of public service and worked in community development throughout the south side of Chicago\, as well as environmental protection and conservation in the state of California. She currently works in legal advising at Covington & Burling in Washington\, D.C. \n  \nNote: additional speakers may be announced later
URL:https://nifusa.org/event-2/how-strong-is-south-africas-case-against-israel-at-the-icj/
LOCATION:National Interest Foundation\, 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW\, Suite 7000\, Washington\, DC\, 20006\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nifusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/1.31.24-NIF-Event-Picture-e1707512116270.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240918T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240918T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150335
CREATED:20240915T203122Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240915T203250Z
UID:11448-1726666200-1726669800@nifusa.org
SUMMARY:Presidential Elections in Tunisia: More Dictatorship or a Return to Democracy?
DESCRIPTION:The National Interest Foundation invites you to attend a panel discussion event regarding the upcoming October elections in Tunisia. \n  \nSpeakers:\nH.E. Ambassador (ret.) Gordon Gray\, Former U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia\nSharan Grewal\, Brookings Institution\nRadwan Masmoudi\, Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy\nPatricia Karam\, Arab Center Washington D.C. \n  \nModerator:\nKhaled Saffuri\, National Interest Foundation \n  \nDisclaimer: NIF events are by email invitation only and are non-transferable. You will receive a confirmation email if you have been successfully added to our event attendee list upon registration. Those who do not receive a confirmation email will not be admitted. Also\, please note that when registering for any of our events\, all required fields must be properly filled out. We reserve the right to deny entry to those who fail to do so. \n  \n*A light lunch will be served at the event. \n  \nAbout our Speakers: \nH.E. Ambassador (ret.) Gordon Gray is the Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Prior to his retirement from the U.S. government after 35 years of public service\, Ambassador Gray was the Deputy Commandant at the National War College. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia from 2009 until 2012\, witnessing the start of the Arab Spring and directing the U.S. response in support of Tunisia’s transition. He served in Iraq as Senior Advisor to the Ambassador from 2008-2009 and was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs from 2005-2008. Ambassador Gray’s other foreign assignments include Egypt\, Canada\, Jordan\, Pakistan\, and Morocco\, where he began his career in government as a Peace Corps volunteer. Before joining the faculty at the Elliott School\, Ambassador Gray was a Professor of Practice at Penn State’s School of International Affairs. He was previously Chief Operating Officer at the Center for American Progress and Executive Vice President at the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce. Ambassador Gray holds a B.A. from Yale\, an M.A. from Columbia\, and an honorary M.S. from the National Defense University. \n  \nSharan Grewal is a nonresident senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings Institution. He is also an assistant professor of government at American University and a faculty affiliate at the Middle East Initiative at Harvard. He received a doctorate in politics from Princeton University in 2018. Grewal’s research examines revolutions and democratic transitions\, particularly in Egypt and Tunisia. His first book\, “Soldiers of Democracy? Military Legacies and the Arab Spring” (Oxford University Press\, 2023)\, examines why militaries support or thwart democratic transitions. It won the APSA Best Book in MENA Politics Award and co-won the Robert Jervis Best International Security Book Award. He is currently writing a second book on the rise and fall of Tunisian democracy. Sharan has published academic articles in the American Political Science Review and the American Journal of Political Science\, among other journals. These articles have explored the effects of U.S. military training in Tunisia\, the response of Algeria’s military to the Hirak protests\, and the conditions under which Islamists moderate or radicalize. These articles have won best paper and article awards from APSA as well as the Perry World House-Foreign Affairs Emerging Scholars Prize. Sharan has also written for the Washington Post\, Foreign Policy\, New Lines Magazine\, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace\, and has been interviewed by the New York Times\, Associated Press\, Wall Street Journal\, and Reuters\, among others. \n  \nRadwan Masmoudi is the founder and president of the Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID)\, a Washington-based non-profit organization dedicated to promoting freedom\, democracy\, and good governance in the Arab/Muslim world. He is also the editor-in-chief of the Center’s quarterly publication\, Muslim Democrat. In 1998\, Masmoudi established the Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID). Four years later\, he left his engineering career to serve as the full-time president of CSID. Under his leadership\, CSID has grown into a major institution with programs and activities in over 20 countries\, and over 600 regular and associate members. Throughout his career\, he has written and published several articles on Islam\, democracy\, freedom\, and human rights in the Muslim world. He is a frequent commentator on several TV networks including CNN\, Al-Jazeera\, Fox News\, Algerian TV\, and MBC. \n  \nPatricia Karam is a nonresident Fellow at Arab Center Washington DC. She held multiple senior managerial positions in nongovernmental organizations over the past 20 years\, working at the nexus of problem analysis\, policy formulation\, and impactful program implementation aimed at social and policy change in a range of complex\, conflict-ridden settings across the globe. Most recently\, Karam was Middle East North Africa (MENA) Regional Director at the International Republican Institute\, where she was responsible for the strategic oversight and leadership of a multimillion-dollar portfolio of programs focused on citizen-responsive governance\, political party development\, legislative strengthening\, and civil society capacity-building. Prior to that\, as MENA Director at the Natural Resource Governance Institute\, Karam was responsible for research\, advocacy\, grant-making\, and technical assistance projects aimed at improving natural resource governance managed through country offices she established in Lebanon\, Iraq\, Tunisia\, and Libya. As a deputy director at the International Center for Transitional Justice\, she oversaw educational transitional justice programs and spearheaded the expansion of a Documentation Affinity Group\, a global network of action-oriented and grassroots documentation-focused human rights groups. She also held a combination of senior management\, fundraising\, and grant-making roles at the US Institute of Peace\, Iraq Foundation\, the Iraqi Embassy\, and New York University’s Trauma Studies Program. Karam’s research expertise covers political party development\, conflict-mitigation\, peacebuilding and transitions\, good governance and anti-corruption\, natural resource management\, transitional justice and human rights\, and gender/women’s rights and empowerment. She has published widely on the politics of Lebanon\, Syria\, Iraq\, Iran\, and North Africa\, as well as on great power competition and the dynamics of authoritarianism and conflict in the broader Middle East region. She holds a dual Political Science/Religious Studies BA from Brown University and an MSFS degree with an Arab Studies concentration from Georgetown University. Her PhD work at New York University revolved around identity politics in the Western Sahara. \n  \nAbout our Moderator: \nKhaled Saffuri is the Founder and President of the National Interest Foundation (NIF)\, a nonpartisan think tank and nonprofit organization established in April of 2018 which is focused on bettering relationships between the United States and countries across the globe through the promotion of smarter foreign policy. Mr. Saffuri has previously served as a Principal at Meridian Strategies providing international business and government clients with strategic and public affairs consulting services\, and also founded and ran one of the United States’ prominent and most active organizations to represent the Middle East and Muslim-Americans. He has worked for many years with Members of Congress and has testified in front of Congressional Committees\, advising them on international issues and leading Congressional delegations to the Middle East. Due to his extensive background and expertise\, Mr. Saffuri is a regular contributor to a number of important media outlets in the United States and internationally including CNN\, CBS\, and BBC\, and contributes articles and written publications to outlets such as The Washington Post and The American Conservative. \n  \nNote: additional speakers may be announced later
URL:https://nifusa.org/event-2/presidential-elections-in-tunisia-more-dictatorship-or-a-return-to-democracy/
LOCATION:Regus\, 1050 Connecticut Ave NW\, Suite 500\, Washington\, DC\, 20036\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nifusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/9.18.24-NIF-Event-Picture-e1726432250649.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241217T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241217T193000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150335
CREATED:20241216T192816Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241217T002030Z
UID:11601-1734458400-1734463800@nifusa.org
SUMMARY:The Fall of Assad and the Future of Syria
DESCRIPTION:The National Interest Foundation invites you to attend a panel discussion event regarding the latest developments in Syria after the ousting of Assad and what to expect next. \n  \nSpeakers:\nDr. Tarek Abou Ghazala\, American Coalition for Syria\nRadwan Ziadeh\, Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies\nRaghid Okla\, Syrian-American Activist\nBassam Barabandi\, People Demand Change \n  \nModerator:\nKhaled Saffuri\, National Interest Foundation \n  \nDisclaimer: NIF events are by email invitation only and are non-transferable. You will receive a confirmation email if you have been successfully added to our event attendee list upon registration. Those who do not receive a confirmation email will not be admitted. Also\, please note that when registering for any of our events\, all required fields must be properly filled out. We reserve the right to deny entry to those who fail to do so. \n  \n*A light dinner will be served at the event. \n  \nParking: Free parking will be available around the building. We will inform building management about the event and they will not tow. If you wish to take the metro\, it is a 7-minute walk from both the Tysons and Greensboro stations. \n  \nAbout our Speakers: \nDr. Tarek Abou Ghazala is an Interventional Cardiologist practicing in Northern Virginia. He established the Virginia Cardiovascular Group and served as the President of the Medical Society of Northern Virginia and the Chairman of Medicine and Director of Cardiovascular Services then elected Chief of Staff at Stonesprings Hospital in Aldie Virginia. He was then elected Director at the Medical Society of Virginia in 2019. Dr. Abou Ghazala is an active political advocate of the Syrian uprising\, currently serving as the President of Kayla’s List PAC\, a Political Action Committee aiming to promote congressional candidates that support freedom\, social & economic justice\, and dignity for people across the globe. Previously\, Dr. Abou Ghazala co-founded the American Coalition for Syria\, encompassing 10 organisations advocating for freedom and democracy for the Syrian people. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Syrian American Medical Society\, Washington DC Chapter\, and is a signatory to the 10 Principles for Freedom and Democracy for Syria\, put forth by active Syrian Americans. He appeared on many media outlets in person and by writing. Dr. Abou Ghazala graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the Damascus University in 1991. He later continued his training in the United States completing his residency in Internal Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland\, Ohio and his fellowship in Cardiordivascular Diseases at the University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics in Columbia\, Missouri. \n  \nRadwan Ziadeh is a Senior Fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC\, where he deals chiefly with issues pertaining to Syria. He has been documenting the ongoing human rights violations since the onset of the Syrian crisis and has testified before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in the US Congress. He served as a visiting fellow and scholar at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University\, the Institute for Middle East Studies of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University\, the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University\, the Center for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University\, Chatham House\, the Carr Center for Human Rights at Harvard University\, and the United States Institute of Peace. He was also a Prins Global Fellow at the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at New York University and a Reagan–Fascell Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy. Dr. Ziadeh is the author of more than 20 books in English and Arabic including Power and Policy in Syria: Intelligence Services\, Foreign Relations and Democracy in the Modern Middle East (2010)\, and Syria’s Role in a Changing Middle East: The Syrian-Israeli Peace Talks (2016). He holds a DDS in Dentistry from Damascus University\, a Diploma in International Human Rights Law from American University\, an MA in Democracy and Governance from Georgetown University\, and a Diploma in Peace Negotiations and Conflict Studies from the University of Cyprus. Ziadeh is also the founder and director of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies in Syria (www.dchrs.org); and co-founder and executive director of the Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Washington\, D.C. (www.scpss.org). \n  \nRaghid Okla is a Syrian-American activist and opinion’s columnist for various media outlets. \n  \nBassam Barabandi is Co-Founder of People Demand Change and was a Non-Resident Fellow at the Newlines Institute. Born in Damascus City with familial ties to Deir Azzour Province\, Syria\, Bassam Barabandi worked in the diplomatic civil service of the Syrian Government for 14 years before leaving the Syrian Embassy in Washington DC in the summer of 2013 and co-founding People Demand Change Inc. Previously as a diplomat\, Mr. Barabandi had numerous postings\, including being the first secretary at the Embassy of Syria in Washington DC\, the head of political affairs at the Syrian Embassy in Beijing\, China\, and a post at the Syrian Government’s UN mission in New York City. Through his time as a diplomat\, Mr. Barabandi also worked with the World Bank\, the US Treasury Department and as a liaison to the US Congress. Since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011\, Mr. Barabandi was instrumental in providing unhindered access to consular services for all Syrians regardless of political or ideological affiliation\, including access to many Syrians who had no other avenue through which to acquire passport extensions and other necessary legal documents. Mr. Barabandi has a BA in political science and public administration from the American University of Beirut and speaks fluent Arabic and English. Since co-founding PDC\, Mr. Barabandi has written extensively on the Syrian conflict and has been published in Foreign affairs\, Foreign policy\, and was qouted by all main newspaper and reserch on Syria & has conducted guest interviews to provide his analysis for BBC\, Al-Jazeera\, Al-Arabiya\, Sky News\, France24 and other media outlets. \n  \nAbout our Moderator: \nKhaled Saffuri is the Founder and President of the National Interest Foundation (NIF)\, a nonpartisan think tank and nonprofit organization established in April of 2018 which is focused on bettering relationships between the United States and countries across the globe through the promotion of smarter foreign policy. Mr. Saffuri has previously served as a Principal at Meridian Strategies providing international business and government clients with strategic and public affairs consulting services\, and also founded and ran one of the United States’ prominent and most active organizations to represent the Middle East and Muslim-Americans. He has worked for many years with Members of Congress and has testified in front of Congressional Committees\, advising them on international issues and leading Congressional delegations to the Middle East. Due to his extensive background and expertise\, Mr. Saffuri is a regular contributor to a number of important media outlets in the United States and internationally including CNN\, CBS\, and BBC\, and contributes articles and written publications to outlets such as The Washington Post and The American Conservative. \n  \nNote: additional speakers may be announced later
URL:https://nifusa.org/event-2/the-fall-of-assad-and-the-future-of-syria/
LOCATION:National Interest Foundation\, 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW\, Suite 7000\, Washington\, DC\, 20006\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nifusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/12.17.24-NIF-Event-Picture_V2-e1734394811643.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250123T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250123T123000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150335
CREATED:20250117T212519Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250122T145224Z
UID:11638-1737630000-1737635400@nifusa.org
SUMMARY:Gaza Ceasefire Deal and the Prospects of Success
DESCRIPTION:The National Interest Foundation invites you to attend a Zoom event regarding the Gaza ceasefire agreement that was recently reached and the prospects of successful implementation moving forward. \n  \nSpeakers:\nDr. Annelle Sheline\, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft\nKhaled Elgindy\, Visiting Scholar at Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies\nSam Husseini\, Independent Journalist \n  \nModerator:\nKhaled Saffuri\, National Interest Foundation \n  \nDisclaimer: NIF events are by email invitation only and are non-transferable. You will receive a confirmation email if you have been successfully added to our event attendee list upon registration. Those who do not receive a confirmation email will not be admitted. Also\, please note that when registering for any of our events\, all required fields must be properly filled out. We reserve the right to deny entry to those who fail to do so. \n  \nAbout our Speakers: \nDr. Annelle Sheline is a research fellow in the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. She previously served as a Foreign Affairs Officer at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy\, Human Rights\, and Labor’s Office of Near Eastern Affairs (DRL/NEA)\, before resigning in March 2024 in protest over the Biden administration’s Gaza policy. She is a senior non-resident fellow at the Arab Center of Washington DC and a non-resident fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. She holds a PhD in political science from George Washington University. She has written for Foreign Affairs\, The Washington Post\, The Nation\, Foreign Policy\, and The New Republic\, and has appeared on the BBC\, CNN\, CBS\, and Al Jazeera. \n  \nKhaled Elgindy is a Middle East analyst and author as well as an adjunct professor in Arab Studies at Georgetown University. He is the author of the 2019 book\, Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians\, from Balfour to Trump (Brookings Institution Press). Elgindy previously served as director of the Middle East Institute’s Program on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs from Jan. 2020 until Jan. 2025. From 2010 through 2018\, he served as a resident scholar in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution. Prior to arriving at Brookings\, he served as an adviser to the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah on permanent status negotiations with Israel from 2004 to 2009\, and was a key participant in the Annapolis negotiations of 2007-08. \n  \nSam Husseini is an independent journalist now writing at husseini.substack.com. Since October 2023\, his work has focused on Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza\, especially highlighting the possibility of a country invoking the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice\, which South Africa did on December 29\, 2023\, leading to oral arguments. In addition to Palestine\, his work has focused on Iraq (in particular the draconian sanctions during the 1990s and falsifications about WMDs used as a pretext for the 2003 invasion)\, international law\, US government refusing to acknowledge Israel’s nuclear weapons arsenal\, Covid origins\, political and media disinformation\, and issues of free speech. He has scrutinized and questioned officials\, most recently at the State Department. His questioning of a Saudi official during the Arab uprisings in 2011 led to him being suspended from the Press Club (later overturned by the ethics committee). He is also senior analyst at the Institute for Public Accuracy\, and the founder of VotePact\, which advocates people from the left and right voting in pairs against the establishment duopoly. \n  \nAbout our Moderator: \nKhaled Saffuri is the Founder and President of the National Interest Foundation (NIF)\, a nonpartisan think tank and nonprofit organization established in April of 2018 which is focused on bettering relationships between the United States and countries across the globe through the promotion of smarter foreign policy. Mr. Saffuri has previously served as a Principal at Meridian Strategies providing international business and government clients with strategic and public affairs consulting services\, and also founded and ran one of the United States’ prominent and most active organizations to represent the Middle East and Muslim-Americans. He has worked for many years with Members of Congress and has testified in front of Congressional Committees\, advising them on international issues and leading Congressional delegations to the Middle East. Due to his extensive background and expertise\, Mr. Saffuri is a regular contributor to a number of important media outlets in the United States and internationally including CNN\, CBS\, and BBC\, and contributes articles and written publications to outlets such as The Washington Post and The American Conservative. \n  \nNote: additional speakers may be announced later
URL:https://nifusa.org/event-2/gaza-ceasefire-deal-and-the-prospects-of-success/
LOCATION:Zoom Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nifusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1.23.25-NIF-Event-Picture-e1737149103762.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251106T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251106T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150335
CREATED:20251031T160952Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251103T221116Z
UID:12127-1762430400-1762435800@nifusa.org
SUMMARY:Sudan War and Foreign Meddling
DESCRIPTION:The National Interest Foundation invites you to attend an event regarding the latest developments surrounding the war in Sudan and the foreign meddling in the conflict. \n  \nSpeakers:\nH.E. Mohamed Abdalla Idris\, Ambassador of Sudan to the United States\nH.E. Dr. Khidir Haroun Ahmed\, Former Ambassador of Sudan to the United States and Associate Professor of Political Science at the International University of Africa\nDr. Mohamed Elsanousi\, Executive Director at the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers\nImam Mohamed Magid\, Executive Imam at All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center \n  \nModerator:\nKhaled Saffuri\, President at the National Interest Foundation \n  \nDisclaimer: NIF events are by email invitation only and are non-transferable. You will receive a confirmation email if you have been successfully added to our event attendee list upon registration. Those who do not receive a confirmation email will not be admitted. Also\, please note that when registering for any of our events\, all required fields must be properly filled out. We reserve the right to deny entry to those who fail to do so. \n  \nAbout our Speakers: \nH.E. Mohamed Abdalla Idris is the current Ambassador of Sudan to the United States. As a seasoned diplomat\, he brings a sophisticated understanding of international relations\, particularly in global health cooperation and humanitarian coordination. H.E. Ambassador Idris has played a pivotal role in representing Sudan’s national interests in Washington and beyond\, often working to build cross-border partnerships for health and development. He has been instrumental in facilitating collaborations with global institutions\, NGOs\, and foreign governments to tackle infectious disease\, bolster healthcare infrastructure\, and equip Sudan for future public health challenges. Fluent in multiple languages and with a background that includes both international diplomacy and public service\, H.E. Ambassador Idris combines strategic acumen with a humanitarian orientation. His leadership exemplifies how diplomacy and global health advocacy can work together to support resilient and equitable outcomes in developing nations. \n  \nH.E. Dr. Khidir Haroun Ahmed is the Former Ambassador of Sudan to the United States. He currently works as an Associate Professor of Political Science at the International University of Africa. Previously\, Dr. Ahmed also served as Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Sudan to the Republic of India between 2009 and 2011\, as Non-resident Ambassador to Nepal\, Sri Lanka\, and the Maldives between 2009 and 2012\, and as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sudan to Japan between 1999 and 2001\, among other roles. He has published several books including The Urban Dwellers – a novel in Arabic\, Nostalgic Messages – an autobiography\, and Visions on Thoughts\, Culture and Literature. He has also published research in areas such as the story of secession of South Sudan\, the impact of globalization on Arabic culture\, and religious extremism. \n  \nDr. Mohamed Elsanousi is the Executive Director of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers\, a global coalition that connects grassroots peacebuilders with international stakeholders to strengthen collective efforts toward sustainable peace. He also currently serves as a Commissioner on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Previously\, Dr. Elsanousi was the Director of Interfaith and Government Relations at the Islamic Society of North America. He served on the U.S. Department of State’s Working Group on Religion and Foreign Policy\, where he contributed key recommendations to the Secretary of State and the Federal Advisory Commission to enhance collaboration between the U.S. government\, civil society\, and religious actors. He also played a leading role in developing the standards and protocols for protecting the rights of Christian\, Jewish\, and other religious minorities in Muslim-majority contexts—an effort that culminated in the landmark Marrakech Declaration\, one of the most recognized Islamic theological documents in support of religious freedom. Dr. Elsanousi is the founder of Faiths4Vaccines\, a national campaign mobilizing faith leaders and communities to support the Biden Administration’s goals of equitable vaccine distribution and combating vaccine hesitancy. He is a founding executive committee member of the Shoulder-to-Shoulder Campaign\, and was recently appointed to the UN Security Council’s Nongovernmental Organization Working Group. He also co-chairs the Multifaith Advisory Council to the UN Interagency Task Force on Religion and Sustainable Development. In addition to these roles\, Dr. Elsanousi serves on the boards of several interfaith and civic organizations\, including the Religious Leadership and Civic Engagement Project at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service\, the Center for Interreligious Dialogue at the Jewish Theological Seminary\, and the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law\, a master’s in law\, and a doctorate in law and society from Indiana University’s School of Law. \n  \nImam Mohamed Magid is the Executive Imam at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center. He has dedicated over three decades to serving the Muslim community with unwavering commitment\, compassion\, and vision. Originally from Sudan\, Imam Magid comes from a distinguished lineage of Islamic scholarship. He is recognized nationally and internationally for his leadership in promoting human rights\, interfaith understanding\, and community development. As the Resident Scholar of the ADAMS Center\, Imam Magid plays a vital role in guiding the community through education\, spiritual growth\, and advocacy. His work has empowered individuals and families across generations\, and his efforts to foster inclusivity and unity have earned him deep respect across diverse communities. In addition to his community leadership\, Imam Magid is an accomplished author and public speaker. His lifelong dedication to service reflects an impeccable record of addressing the evolving needs of the Muslim community while upholding the timeless values of faith\, justice\, and compassion. \n  \nAbout our Moderator: \nKhaled Saffuri is the Founder and President of the National Interest Foundation (NIF)\, a nonpartisan think tank and nonprofit organization established in April of 2018 which is focused on bettering relationships between the United States and countries across the globe through the promotion of smarter foreign policy. Mr. Saffuri has previously served as a Principal at Meridian Strategies providing international business and government clients with strategic and public affairs consulting services\, and also founded and ran one of the United States’ prominent and most active organizations to represent the Middle East and Muslim-Americans. He has worked for many years with Members of Congress and has testified in front of Congressional Committees\, advising them on international issues and leading Congressional delegations to the Middle East. Due to his extensive background and expertise\, Mr. Saffuri is a regular contributor to a number of important media outlets in the United States and internationally including CNN\, CBS\, and BBC\, and contributes articles and written publications to outlets such as The Washington Post and The American Conservative. \n  \nNote: additional speakers may be announced later
URL:https://nifusa.org/event-2/sudan-war-and-foreign-meddling/
LOCATION:National Interest Foundation\, 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW\, Suite 7000\, Washington\, DC\, 20006\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nifusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/11.6.25-NIF-Event-Image-e1761926981691.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR