A look at America’s policy challenges for the next decade

  • Wed, March 9, 2022 • 10:00 am ET

A convening of policymakers, academics, civil society leaders and representatives from the 57 countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to reflect on how the world and the United States have changed over the past 20 years and examine American policy priorities for the coming decade.

The Atlantic Council’s Millennium Leadership Program is pleased to partner with The Concordia Forum to host a symposium featuring a diverse range of experts to offer perspectives on American policy priorities for the coming decade.

The day-long symposium will feature plenaries on online censorship, hate speech, and the challenges to freedom of expression; challenges facing Muslim communities in the West; repercussions for the US, Pakistan, and the OIC following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan; engaging new resources and allies to tackle climate change; and human rights and foreign policy lessons learned from the Uighur and Rohingya struggles.

The symposium will also feature a special keynote by Congressman Adam Schiff, who will discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, national security threats to the United States and its allies, the fight to protect and uphold democracy, and his memoir, “Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could.”

In partnership with

The Concordia Forum

Agenda

10:00 – 10:05 a.m.

Opening remarks

SPEAKERS
• Muddassar Ahmed, President, The Concordia Forum
• Jonah Fisher, Senior Director, Millennium Leadership Program, Atlantic Council

MC
• Salma Hasan Ali, Author/Storyteller

Plenary 1: Online censorship, hate speech, and the challenges to freedom of expression

PANELISTS
• Graham Brookie, Senior Director, Digital Forensic Research Lab, Atlantic Council
• Rabia Chaudry, Attorney and Author
• Keith Ellison, Attorney General, Minnesota
• Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO, Anti-Defamation League

KEYNOTE
•Alex Johnson, Deputy Director, US Foreign Policy – US Programs, Open Society Foundations

MODERATOR
•Katherine Brown, President and CEO, Global Ties

10:05 – 11:00 a.m.
11:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Special keynote

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
The Hon. Adam Schiff, US Representative, California

Plenary II: Challenges facing Muslim communities in the West

PANELISTS
• Baqir al-Kashmiri, Vice Chairman and Religious Affairs Director, I.M.A.M.
• Salam al-Marayati, President, Muslim Public Affairs Council
• Debbie Almontaser, Founder, Khalil Gibran International Academy
• Saafir Rabb, Muslim community activist

KEYNOTE
• Farah Pandith, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations

MODERATOR
• Arshia Wajid, Founder, American Muslim Health Professionals

12:00 – 12:55 p.m.
2:00 – 2:55 p.m.

Plenary III: Afghanistan after the withdrawal: The way forward for Pakistan, the US and the OIC

PANELISTS
• Hassan Abbas, Professor, National Defense University
• Hassan Abedin, Academic Researcher
• Haris Tarin, Senior Policy Advisor, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Department of Homeland Security

MODERATOR
•Kamran Bokhari, Director, Analytical Development, New Lines Institute

Plenary IV: Engaging new resources and allies to tackle climate change

PANELISTS
• Vicente Lopez Ibor Mayor, Founder and Former Director, LightSource BP
• Ibrahim Ozedmir, Professor and Founding President, Hasan Kalyoncu
• Jenan Mohajir, Senior Director of Special Projects, Interfaith Youth Core
• Glenn Schatz, Chief Revenue Officer, BlocPower
• Michael Shank, Co-Director, Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance

MODERATOR
• Reed Blakemore, Deputy Director, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council

3:10 – 4:05 p.m.
4:20 – 5:15 p.m.

Plenary V: Human rights and foreign policy: Lessons from the Uighur and Rohingya struggles

PANELISTS
• Rushan Abbas, Uighur activist
• Rayhan Asat, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs, Atlantic Council
• Arsalan Suleman, Counsel, Foley Hoag LLP
• Yasmin Ullah, Rohingya social justice activist

KEYNOTE
• Uzra Zeya, Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, & Human Rights, US Department of State

Moderator
• Arif Hyder Ali, Co-chair of International Arbitration practice, Dechert LLP

The Millennium Leadership Program aims to foster, connect, and empower the next generation of global leaders.