I-House DC, Author at International Student House Washington, DC

Special Briefing by His Excellency Akan Ismaili, Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo

May 28, 2013 by I-House DC

International Student House

is pleased to invite you to a

Special Briefing by

His Excellency Akan Ismaili

of the Republic of Kosovo

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

6:30 – 8:30 pm

1825 R Street, NW

Washington, DC 20009

RSVP: Marie Pius, Development Associate

(202) 232-4007 x211; [email protected]

Ambassador Ismaili will discuss the impact of war, post-conflict rebuilding, and nation building on Kosovo’s youth and Millennials as well as the recent successes and challenges that the country has faced in terms of economic and political development.

Akan Ismaili was appointed as the Republic of Kosovo’s second Ambassador to the United States on May 2, 2012. He is a former telecommunications entrepreneur and CEO.

Immediately after the NATO bombing ended in 1999, Ambassador Ismaili co-founded Internet Project Kosovo (IPKO), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the use of information and communications technology as a tool to foster rebuilding and development in Kosovo. IPKO has been credited with bringing the internet to Kosovo. During the same time, he co-founded the American University Foundation in Kosovo, which draws support from Kosovar citizens and its diaspora to establish an American-style higher education institution in Kosovo.

Prior to the war, Ambassador Ismaili managed IT infrastructure for the American diplomatic office in Pristina. After the war started in Kosovo, Ambassador Ismaili served as a translator for U.S. diplomats. Just before the NATO bombing campaign began, Ambassador Ismaili was evacuated to Vienna, where he continued to work as a translator, tasked with translating and distributing U.S. government news articles to the Albanian-language media in the region and at refugee camps.

In December 2007, Ambassador Ismaili was named “Manager of the Year” by the Economic Chamber of Kosova (ECK).

ISH’s educational outreach programs

are made possible, in part,

by a generous grant from Al-Monitor

Ambassador of Liechtenstein hosts ISH Residents

May 9, 2013 by I-House DC

Ambassador of Liechtenstein, Claudia Fritsche — Ambassador of Liechtenstein Claudia Fritsche

Six ISH residents, representing a cross-section of the world’s nations, recently were hosted to a luncheon by Liechtenstein’s Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Claudia Fritsche, at her residence. Ambassador Fritsche briefed the ISH attendees on her responsibilities as her country’s representative to the U.S. and provided insight into the day-to-day duties of a foreign ambassador in Washington. She also discussed her own career and explained how the role of women in her country’s government had changed over the years. The occasion afforded the opportunity as well for the residents to conduct a dialog with the Ambassador, exchanging information about their experiences in the United States and observations about life in their home countries. This program was organized by ISH Board Member Lawrence P. Dunham, former Assistant US Chief of Protocol.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre’s visit to ISH

April 25, 2013 by I-House DC

The Honorable James Oberstar, ISH Board Member Barbara Slavin and Ambassador Francois Delattre led an engaging discussion

His Excellency Francois Delattre, the Ambassador of the French Republic, returned to International Student House on the evening of April 16, 2013 to address residents and friends on France’s January 2013 military intervention in Mali and the rise of Islamic insurgencies in North Africa. The conversation following Ambassador Delattre’s remarks was led by former Representative James L. Oberstar, who was awarded the rank of Commander in the National Order of Merit by the government of France in 2012. ISH resident Pierre Malafosse introduced the Ambassador, highlighting his background in defense issues and European and transatlantic security concerns. The conversation focused on the strategic interests of France in Northern Africa and the security implications of Islamic insurgency for Europe as a whole.

His Excellency had served as the Diplomatic Chair of the 2012 International Student House Gala, and graciously hosted a group of residents and members of the board of directors at the official residence in the fall of 2012.

Ambassador of France Francois Delattre with ISH Residents

ISH Residents Visit the Pentagon

April 23, 2013 by I-House DC

On April 12, 2013 Board of Directors members Andrew Ammerman and Kathryn Horlick led a group of ISH residents on an in-depth visit to the Pentagon. Mr. Ammerman explained the design and function of the Pentagon, which was originally intended as a storage facility for the heavy boxes of documents to be generated by the Department of Defense before and during World War II. This accounts in part for the sturdy design that helped the building withstand the attack of September 11, 2001. Board member Lilibet Hagel joined the group, which was graciously received by the Honorable Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Defense, in his office for photographs, a look at some of the portraits of military leaders that lined the walls, and an insight into the responsibilities weighing on the man entrusted with the defense of the United States.

Afterwards the group attended the ceremony following the award of the United States’ highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, to Chaplain Emil J. Kapaun, a priest who encountered enemy fire in the Korean War in order to provide comfort to soldiers on the battlefield, recover the wounded, and bring food and support for them in their captivity.

This fascinating day ended with a tour of the memorial to those who died in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon of Sept. 11, 2001. James Laychak, President of the Pentagon Memorial Fund, conducted a tour of the indoor and outdoor memorial sites, explaining the artist’s concept of benches to memorialize each person who died in the attack.

Dealing with North Korea’s Belligerence Presented by Joseph Cirincione

April 18, 2013 by I-House DC

International Student House is pleased to invite you to a

Special Briefing

“Dealing with North Korea’s Belligerence”

Joseph Cirincione, President of Ploughshares Fund

Briefing moderated by

Barbara Slavin, ISH Board Member

on Tuesday, May 7, 2013

7:30 – 9:00pm

1825 R Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009

Joseph Cirincione, President of Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation and an expert on nuclear proliferation, will discuss how seriously we should take the recent threats and actions of the North Korean leadership and how the US and the international community should respond in a way that does not escalate the crisis.

Joseph Cirincione is the author of Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons and Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats. He is the author of hundreds of articles on nuclear weapons issues and is a frequent commentator in the media. Cirincione is a member of the State Department International Security Advisory Board as well as the Council of Foreign Relations. He teaches at the graduate school of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Barbara Slavin is a senior fellow at The Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center, Washington correspondent for Al-Monitor.com and a member of the ISH Board of Directors.

RSVP by May 3, 2013 to Marie Pius, Development Associate, (202) 232-4007 x211; [email protected]