LISD co-hosted a panel discussion, "A New Strategy for Afghanistan," at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21 at the John Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. The panel reviewed the findings of the LISD conference on Afghanistan convened in Bonn/Petersberg, Germany in September 2008. The conference participants included policy makers, academics, parliamentarians, military officers, NGO representatives, UN officials, representatives of think tanks and foundations, diplomats, journalists and students from Afghanistan and the international community. Panelists at the LISD-SAIS event were Ambassador Francesc Vendrell, LISD Senior Visiting Fellow and former EU Special Representative to Afghanistan; Ambassador Robert Finn, LISD Senior Research Associate and former US Ambassador to Afghanistan; Leanne Smith (MPP '08), former UNAMA Human Rights Field Officer; and Wolfgang Danspeckgruber, Director of LISD. The discussion focused on five main issue areas: security, elections, human development, the Taliban, and the region.