On April 20, from 12-1 pm, the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies will host a "brown bag" lunchtime lecture featuring Mary Crannell, president and founder of Idea Sciences. Ms. Crannell will speak about decisions the US faces as it seeks a way forward and a successful exit strategy in Afghanistan.
 
Ms. Crannell recently returned from a week in Kabul, where she facilitated decision-making sessions with USAID contractors. Her discussions with personnel representing military, USAID, security, and Ministry of Interior interests offer interesting insights into the challenges facing the US in Afghanistan.  RSVP is requested. Click here for more information and registration details.

Amb. David Smith (Ret.) is a Senior Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and a former top US arms negotiator. From 1989 to 1991, Amb. Smith led the US team in talks with the former Soviet Union to negotiate an agreement for deployment of defenses against the growing threat of ballistic missiles.  Now, the US and Russia are preparing to ink a new nuclear arms reduction deal to replace the old START treaty. But as the anticipated April 8 signing date approaches, Amb. Smith is urging close scrutiny of the terms of the pact. He spoke in detail about the nuclear issue in a radio interview on the The Jim Bohannon Show, which airs on stations across the country.

Click here to listen to the show in full.  Click here to read Amb. Smith's op-ed on START in Defense News.

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is pleased to resume its participation in the Arlington County Learning in Retirement Institute (ALRI) program.  A series of six Monday lectures will be hosted by the Center for Neurotechnology Studies, starting with an April 5 program on "Neuroscience, Neurotechnology and the Neuroethics of Flourishing: Contemporary Perspectives and Future Possibilities," presented by Prof. James Giordano, PhD, director of CNS. The ALRI program offers college-level courses at a small fee for persons 50 and over. The Institute is pleased to be a part of this program of enrichment for community residents. Click here for more information and to register for ALRI courses.  

Center for Health Policy and Preparedness Executive Director Donald Donahue, DHEd, and Medical Director Stephen Cunnion, MD, raise a provocative question in an op-ed for the Washington Times.  Reacting to puzzling cases of anthrax in European drug users, Drs. Donahue and Cunnion ask whether a possible link to bioterrorism has been fully explored. Such a link is not out of the question, say these public health and security experts. Click here to read the article in full.