Marines Host Some Serious Af-Pak Heavy Hitters for Conference Next Week

By Spencer Ackerman

Want to get a crash course in all things Af-Pak without, like, going to Afghanistan or Pakistan? The Marine Corps University at Quantico, Va., is the place to be on Wednesday and Thursday. A two-day conference called Emerald Express features discussions and presentations about nearly every Af-Pak question under the sun, including such minor issues as “How do we define success and are we winning”; “Afghanistan’s Neighbors: What are their security concerns”; “What is the message to the American people and how sustainable is the shift in attention from Iraq to Afghanistan”; and “Do we understand the drivers for Afghan economics,” to name a few

The conference will also host serious heavy-hitters. Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rashid Wardak. Pakistani Ambassador. to the United States Husain Haqqani. Afghan Ambassador to the United States Said Jawad. Central Command deputy commander Lt. Gen. John Allen. Clare Lockhart, possibly the most knowledgeable western expert in Afghan development there is. Former Afghan Interior Minister Ali Ahmed Jalali. Also, British Lt. Gen. Jonathon Martin, the former deputy commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan. Ret. Gen. Tony Zinni, the former Centcom chief.

You want more? How about a pair of ex-U.S. ambassadors to Iraq, like Robert Finn and Ron Neumann? Peter Ever-Lovin’ Beren????

http://www.mcu.usmc.mil/Pages/Events,%20Conference.aspx

Events, Conferences, and Symposiums

The Marine Corps University announces the following upcoming events: 

EMERALD EXPRESS 09

Wednesday 8 April & Thursday 9 April

The purpose of EMERALD EXPRESS is to examine the integration of all elements of national influence in the pursuit of national security objectives as it pertains to expeditionary forces at the operational level.  Symposium presenters and panelists will focus first on interagency issues writ large and then focus on a strategic region, this year, South Asia. The objectives of the symposium are as follows:          1) Analyze major security concerns and the challenges of coordination in South Asia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.         2) Assess interagency coordination requirements for the operational application of all elements of national power.         3) Strengthen relationships between civilian and military leaders to effectively leverage all elements of national power.         4) Discuss how to better coordinate across interagency, private sector, and non-governmental organizational boundaries.