The Week at CSIS: The Speeches, Discussions, and Events from April 2 to April 6

CSIS hosts over 2,000 events a year, from major public speeches to small briefings. Join us here for an inside look at the events of the week.

Published in

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

4 min readApr 6, 2018

4.2: Armenia’s New Challenges: How Should the West Respond?

The crisis in relations between Russia and the West, coupled with the potential resumption of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which briefly broke into open conflict in the spring of 2016, threatens stability for Armenia. CSIS hosted a conversation on how Western policy towards Armenia be better calibrated to advance goals of regional peace, security, and development.

From left to right: **Jeffrey Mankoff**, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, CSIS; **Miriam Lanskoy,**Senior Director, Russia and Eurasia, National Endowment for Democracy; **Paul Stronski**, Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; **Hon. Kenneth Yalowitz,** Global Fellow, Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center

4.3: Blended Finance and Aligning Private Investment with Global Development — Report Launch

Over the past few decades, the composition of development finance has flipped from being primarily funded through public-sector resources to intensified interest and investment from the private sector. CSIS hosted a conversation evaluating the impacts, opportunities, and challenges for blended finance in global development.

From left to right: **Mildred Callear**, Vice President, Financial and Portfolio Management, OPIC; **Morten Elkjær** Vice President, Finance Sector, Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU)

4.4: Investigations and Cross-border Data After the CLOUD Act

CSIS hosted a series of discussions with experts from industry, law enforcement, and government on how the recent passage of the CLOUD Act will reshape how U.S. and other law enforcement agencies can access cross-border data to conduct investigations.

From left to right: **Hasan Ali,** Senior Attorney, Law Enforcement & National Security, Microsoft; **Sandra Moser;** Acting Chief, Fraud Section, U.S. Department of Justice.

4.4: The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War — Book Launch with Dr. Benn Steil

The Marshall Plan is again one of the most important case studies in American Grand Strategy. CSIS hosted a discussion with Dr. Steil, recounting the history of the Marshall Plan and the ways in which it echoes into today’s global contexts.

From left to right: **Dr. Benn Steil,** Senior Fellow, Director of International Economics Council on Foreign Relations; **Daniel F. Runde;** William A. Schreyer Chair and Director, Project on Prosperity and Development.

4.4: The Quest to Colonize the Cosmos: How Billionaires are Changing the Space Industry

“The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos" is the story of a group of billionaire entrepreneurs who are pouring their fortunes into the epic resurrection of the American space program. CSIS hosted a conversation and book launch on how billionaires are changing the space industry.

From left to right: **Todd Harrison,** Director, Defense Budget Analysis, Director, Aerospace Security Project and Senior Fellow, International Security Program; **Chris Davenport,** Reporter, The Washington Post

4.5: The Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen

Labeled the worst humanitarian crisis in today’s world, the conflict in Yemen is entering its fourth year. CSIS hosted a panel discussion, featuring a keynote address from David Miliband, to understand the impact the war is having on the Yemeni people.

From left to right: **Barbara Bodine;** Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy and Director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University, **Peter Salisbury,** Senior Consulting Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Program, Chatham House

4.6: What is the Right Division of Labor between USAID and the Proposed International Development Finance Corporation?

This event explored the reasons why the U.S. should consider more and better development finance capacities to complement its traditional foreign assistance capacities. CSIS hosted a conversation on finding the best institutional arrangement between USAID and the new IDFC.