About the Lecture:

In the wake of the London January 28 conference, both the Afghan government and the international community have put a difficult election behind them, and identified key priorities for civilian action without which the military campaign is unlikely to pay enduring dividends.  This lecture will focus on the tricky issues of reconciling Taliban inside Afghanistan, ending the impunity of sanctuaries in Pakistan and raising the prospects for Afghan institutions that are able to deliver down the line.  The stakes are higher than ever before, but the need for conceptual clarity on these issues and flawless, large-scale implementation on the ground is for the first time well understood, and driving coordinated action in response.  But the agony will not end unless both Afghanistan and Pakistan face down some of their shared demons.

Bio:

Christopher Alexander was Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General in Afghanistan from December 2005 until May 2009.  In this position he was responsible for political affairs, including elections, disarmament, governance, regional cooperation, rule of law and police reform, as well as cooperation with ISAF.  Prior to this assignment he served as Ambassador of Canada to Afghanistan from August 2003 until October 2005. He was number two at the Canadian Embassy in Moscow from 2000 to 2003 and second secretary at the same mission from 1993 to 1996.  A career diplomat, Mr. Alexander joined the Canadian Foreign Service in 1991. He received a BA from McGill University in Montreal in history and politics in 1989 and an MA from Balliol College at Oxford University in England in philosophy, politics and economics in 1991. Mr. Alexander was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2005.  He grew up in Toronto, attending the University of Toronto Schools (UTS) from 1979 until 1985.  He has recently moved back to Canada with his wife Hedvig Christine Alexander – who worked in Afghanistan for seven years, most recently as Managing Director of Turquoise Mountain.  Their daughter Selma Zolaykha Alexander was born in April 2009.  He is now writing a book on Afghanistan.  Chris Alexander was recently selected to be the federal candidate for Ajax-Pickering for the Conservative Party of Canada