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ACFR Annual Conference
Washington, D.C.
May 6-7, 2010 


TO: ACFR Committee Members
FROM: Ken Jensen
SUBJECT: ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE UPDATE

As I hope you all know, ACFR'S 15th Annual National Conference will occur on Thursday and Friday, May 6 and 7, 2010, here in Washington.  This update is intended to allow you to make your travel and lodging plans now. (See below for Conference hotel particulars.)  A proper registration form with conference information will be distributed by email in the next several weeks.  By that time, full details will be available.

LOCATIONS

Embassy Reception
The Thursday evening opening reception (time and exact location to be determined) will be hosted by Pakistani Ambassador Husain Haqqani, a longtime friend of ACFR.

Friday Panels and Luncheon
We return to the site of last year's events at 1777 F Street, NW, across the street from ACFR.  Program will run from 9 AM until 4PM, with luncheon between Noon and 2 PM.

Friday Evening Dinner
As usual, we will dine in the Diplomatic Rooms at the U.S. Department of State, most likely from 6 to 9 PM.

PROGRAM



Title and Substance

We have entitled this year's conference "Plus ça change: The More Things Change."  The title means to beg the question of whether the change of approach in American foreign policy we have witnessed over the past year will endure or change again.  We're most interested in whence we have come since the last annual conference and wither our foreign policy involvements are going to take us.  Obviously, those things depend on what's happened in the world and not simply on our general approach to them.

Distinguished Service Award and Luncheon Address

We are pleased to announced that the 2010 ACFR Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Mr. Haass will join us for the luncheon and will address us at that time on a topic of his choosing that is resonant with the conference theme.

Keynote and Panels

The Conference keynote and panels are still in formulation/recruitment stage. Full disclosure will come when the registration materials are emailed out.  At this writing, we are giving serious consideration to holding one panel on the United States and Latin America and the other on "Change, Hope, and U.S. Foreign Policy."

Dinner Host and Speaker

Our host at the State Department will once again by Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller.  As you know, she has been the chief U.S. arms control negotiator with Russia since Conference-time last year.  Given the likelihood that a new START agreement will be in place by May 6-7, she will be able to speak to us on the particulars of the agreement and the negotiating process.  If the agreement is not in place, she'll have some explaining to do.

CONFERENCE HOTEL

The State Plaza will once again be the Conference hotel. It is located at 2117 E Street, NW, close to ACFR and 1777 F Street.  The room rate this year will be $165 per night. The deadline to receive this rate will be April 8, 2010.

The room block is reserved for the nights of May 6 and 7.  However, there should be no problem getting the rate for nights before and after that.  Please take this up with the reservation clerk.

The code for the room block is ACFR Annual Meeting—10165.  Reservations can be made online at

https://reservations.ihotelier.com/crs/g_reservation.cfm?groupid=403522&hotelid=4614&languageid=1&CFID=2517410&CFTOKEN=50124006

If you can't make this work, or prefer to call, you may telephone for reservations at 202-861-8200 or 800-424-2859.

PLEASE LET THE WASHINGTON STAFF KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS (202-682-0053)