June 2009 [doc id=17156]Afghanistan’s 2004 Constitution revived a system of highly centralized government with a strong presidency. Six years later, it is apparent that this arrangement is failing on many counts. The Hollings Center for International Dialogue and the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies (AIAS) convened pre-eminent experts from Afghanistan, Europe, Turkey, and the United […]

July 2008 This dialogue conference focused on Afghanistan’s significant economic, cultural, and political relationships with its neighbors in the region beyond Pakistan. Scholars, experts, and policy professionals from Afghanistan, the Central Asian Republics, the European Union, Turkey and the United States addressed Afghanistan’s impact on its neighbors, the significance of trans-national ethnicities and the effects […]

Deep sectarian divides and different visions for Iraq’s future continue to widen rifts within Iraqi society and make advances in governance, economic progress, and stability all the more fragile. Participants discussed Iraqi national identity, the perspective of Iraq’s neighbors, the impact of the current war on domestic politics and economics and the future of Iraq […]

July 2007 The Durand Line, the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, has long been the site of more conflict than cooperation. This dialogue brought together leading scholars, policy experts, and officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and several European countries to focus on the political and legal history of the boundary, its social and […]

May 2006 Unresolved questions of boundaries and legal regimes hinder ties between states bordering the Caspian Sea. Dialogue participants explored potential areas of collaboration, addressing pollution, protecting fisheries and promoting maritime trade. In cooperation with the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, the Hollings Center convened the conference with representatives of four […]

February 2006 Television plays a powerful role, reflecting and shaping public opinion in the Middle East. With support from the Hollings Center, participants in this Search for Common Ground dialogue analyzed trends in Middle Eastern television, weighed the challenges of covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and discussed whether television programming can promote peace in the region. […]

May 2005 In the midst of heightened violence, the Hollings Center convened prominent scholars from Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States to discuss the exceedingly difficult yet promising relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Sessions focused on the sources of conflict between the two neighbors and generated ideas for dispute resolution and cooperation. Download the report. […]