Atlantic Council Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham was a featured speaker today at the 14th Annual David H. Miller Foundation Lecture at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. The event, which focused on “Security and Conflict in the Horn of Africa,” was moderated by David Shinn, former US ambassador to Ethiopia and adjunct professor of international affairs at GWU. Other speakers were E.J. Hogendoorn, deputy director for Africa at the International Crisis Group, and Nairimas Ole-Sein, head of chancery at the Embassy of the Republic of Kenya.
The event was sponsored by the Miller Foundation, which supports African studies at the Elliott School and is dedicated to advancement of African interests and US-Africa relations. Previous speakers in the series include Joaquim Chissano, former president of Mozambique; Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson; and Jendayi Frazer, former assistant secretary of state for African affairs.
In his remarks, Pham emphasized the fragility of the states in the greater Horn of Africa region at the current time and called for greater US engagement in peace and security efforts, premised on realism about the actors, interests, and dynamics at play.