Lunch Keynote

2nd Annual Dialogue on War Legacies and Peace in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia

Please note: This event is presented in three parts over two days. Please check the agenda below for specific times. In this keynote luncheon presentation at USIP on September 13, 2023, Director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Kelly McKeague speaks with Vice President of the Gandhi-King Global Academy at USIP David Yang. The video is in English with Vietnamese subtitles.

The process of postwar reconciliation between the United States, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia is a remarkable story of the 21st century. The legacies of U.S. military involvement in Southeast Asia, once a major obstacle to normal relations, have become the basis for a closer partnership. Over the past few decades, humanitarian cooperation among governments — supported by efforts from civil society, including veterans’ organizations — has assisted in the identification of the remains of missing personnel and helped to address the impacts of Agent Orange and unexploded ordnance. Meanwhile, people-to-people exchanges including young people and Southeast Asian Americans have fostered connectivity and built trust between our societies.

On September 13 and 14, USIP hosted a three-part livestream of the Institute’s Dialogue on War Legacies and Peace, an annual event bringing government and non-governmental experts together to discuss the full range of war legacy issues and U.S. relations with Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. It builds on USIP’s experience in peacebuilding around the world, especially our flagship Vietnam War Legacies and Reconciliation Initiative, which aims to further advance reconciliation through people-to-people engagement; to build and sustain U.S. support for addressing the war’s legacies and MIA accounting in the coming decades; and to highlight stories of reconciliation as evidence that peace is possible and practical.

The event brought together diplomats, advocates and researchers to discuss how bilateral partnerships, including cooperation on war legacy issues, contributes to building a culture of peace while drawing lessons from U.S. engagement in Southeast Asia that could apply to conflicts elsewhere in the world. Roundtable discussions explored in depth how Vietnamese, Laotians and Cambodians are healing from wartime suffering and building a future based on trust and shared interests.

Speakers:

Kelly McKeague

Director, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

David Yang

Vice President, US Institute of Peace

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The United States Institute of Peace is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict. To reduce future crises and the need for costly interventions, USIP works with governments and civil societies to build local capacities to manage conflict peacefully. The Institute pursues its mission by linking research, policy, training, analysis and direct action to support those who are working to build a more peaceful, inclusive world. Learn more about USIP