Ambassador James Dobbins of the RAND Corporation will speak about "Does Nation-Building Have a Future? Lessons from Afghanistan."

Dobbins is the author of the recently-released book "After the Taliban: Nation-Building in Afghanistan," published by Potomac Books, Inc. The book is the first "insider's account" of the Bush administration's post-9/11 diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan after the Taliban was toppled. As the administration's representative to the Afghan opposition, Dobbins worked with a broad coalition of other nations to hammer out a successor government to the Taliban.

Dobbins previously served as assistant secretary of state for Europe; special assistant to the president for the Western Hemisphere, special adviser to the president and assistant secretary of state for the Balkans, and ambassador to the European community. He also was the Clinton administration's special envoy for Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo, and the Bush administration's first special envoy for Afghanistan.

• James Dobbins, director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center, former special envoy for Afghanistan.
• Steve Clemons, director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation and publisher of www.TheWashingtonNote.com, will serve as moderator.

Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008 from 12:15 to 1:45 p.m. ET

New America Foundation
1630 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 7th floor, Washington, DC

Liz Wu, New America Foundation
202-986-2700, ext. 315 or wu@newamerica.net