Speaker Events - Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Senegalese President Delivers First Lecture in African Leaders Series
H.E. Mr. Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal, inaugurated IPI's African Leaders Series on September 25th with a speech at the Waldorf-Astoria entitled “Consolidation of Peace in Africa and Prospects for Economic Development in Senegal.” IPI President Terje Rød-Larsen introduced President Wade, who followed his speech with a question and answer session.
President Wade began with a discussion of the nature of politics and democracy in Africa, highlighting his own personal history as a member of the political opposition in Senegal. "Our experience shows that in Africa it is wholly possible to politically succeed and achieve your goals without the use of weapons," Wade said.
President Wade also stressed the importance of affordable energy resources to fighting poverty and stimulating development, citing rising oil prices as an obstacle to economic growth. His solution to combating poverty in Africa, dubbed "the Wade Formula," proposes subsidizing oil purchases while devoting more resources to the development of biofuels.
Despite the considerable challenges facing Senegal and the rest of Africa, Wade remains hopeful. "I am absolutely convinced that development relies on the creative genius of men and women," he said. "Being a country without significant natural resources, our gray matter is our primary raw material."
The Global Observatory
Interview with John Prendergast, Co-Founder, Enough Project
Mr. Prendergast discusses the international justice system and the new ground forged by Invisible Children's Kony2012 campaign.
Key Global Events to Watch in May
A list of key upcoming meetings and events with implications for global affairs.
The Global Observatory is a new website by IPI, providing timely analysis on peace and security issues, interviews with leading policymakers, interactive maps, and more.
Recent Events
May 10, 2012
Arbour: What the Rule of Law Means
“In my understanding of the rule of law, fundamentally, what the rule of law means is that it embraces the principle of equality before the law,” Louise Arbour, president of the International Crisis Group (ICG), told an IPI audience on May 10, 2012. Ms. Arbour outlined that this means that no one is above the law and everyone has both equal protection and equal benefit of the law. 
May 03, 2012
Shachtman: Cyber Threats Akin to South Bronx, Not Pearl Harbor
“There’s not a danger of a cyber Pearl Harbor… it’s more like the South Bronx circa 1999, where there’s a danger that it becomes such a tough neighborhood that no one wants to set up shop there and people move out,” Noah Shachtman, editor of the Danger Room blog at Wired magazine and non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, told an IPI audience at a panel on cyber security on May 3, 2011.
April 27, 2012
Preventing Conflicts in Africa: The Role of Early Warning and Response Systems
An April 27th roundtable discussion at IPI titled “Preventing Conflicts in Africa: The Role of Early Warning and Response Systems” examined the progress, prospects and challenges of regional and international early warning and response mechanisms to monitor, anticipate, and mitigate potential conflict situations in Africa.