Hostage Diplomacy as an International Security Threat: Strengthening our Collective Action, Deterrence and Response

Tuesday, Feb. 13 // 1–4:00 pm (ET)

Set against a backdrop of an increasingly fractured international geopolitical environment, hostage diplomacy is among a growing range of hybrid security threats, such as cyber attacks, foreign interference, economic coercion, and misinformation. The impact this practice has on victims and their families is immeasurable, and we owe it to all travelers, workers, and those living abroad to assess its full range of international security implications and uphold a strong collective front against this practice.

To mark the 3rd Anniversary of the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada, the Office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs at the US Department of State, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, will host a special event to explore the international security dimensions of arbitrary detention in state-to-state relations.

The event will feature expert panel discussions focused on understanding the issue, as well as exploring deterrence and response strategies.

Still to Come this week

Is the Belt and Road Initiative Reshaping the Global Order?

Monday, Feb. 12 // 11:00 am–12:00 pm (ET)

Rather than fixating on the Belt and Road Initiative’s (BRI) many well discussed negative attributes, Simon Curtis and Ian Klaus, authors of the soon-to-be-released book The Belt and Road City: Geopolitics, Urbanization, and China’s Search for a New International Order, focus on how the BRI strengthens China’s economy and is altering the global order in its favor. Join Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition Director Mark Kennedy and Schwarzman Fellow Lea Thome as they moderate a conversation on these many aspects of the BRI with the authors.

Human Capital: A History of Putting Refugees to Work

Monday, Feb. 12 // 4–5:30 pm (ET)

The advent of internationalist refugee aid has long been told as an inspirational story of humanitarians fighting tirelessly for a system for that would recognize and guarantee the rights of displaced and dispossessed people. But in fact, modern refugee policy has long had a different goal: to make use of refugees as cheap workers in an emerging system of global industrial capitalism. In Human Capital, Laura Robson traces the century-long history of attempts to remake refugees as disposable migrant labor, revealing the deep-seated commitment to refugee exploitation and containment at the heart of a purportedly humanitarian international regime.

What's Next for Pakistan, Post-Election?

Wednesday, Feb. 14 // 9:30–11:00 am (ET)

This event will bring together a panel of current and former Wilson Center fellows to discuss the election outcome and what it might mean for Pakistan’s politics, society, economy, security, and foreign affairs, including relations with the United States.

A Conversation With Mexico City Mayoral Candidate Salomón Chertorivski

Thursday, Feb. 15 // 9:30–11:00 am (ET)

We invite you to join us for a conversation with the Movimiento Ciudadano's candidate for Jefe de Gobierno of Mexico City, Salomón Chertorivski. This June, more positions will be up for election than during any other cycle in Mexico's history. Not only will Mexicans elect a new president, but they will also go to the polls to elect all the legislators of the Congress of the Union, eight governors, and 31 local congresses. The Jefe de Gobierno, or Mayor of Mexico City, is an especially salient position in the bilateral relationship between the US and Mexico. As the nation's capital, Mexico City is the largest city in the country and is a benchmark for commerce, culture, and politics on the North American continent.