On April 15-17, 2010, Arent Fox LLP — along with the U.S. Department of State's Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan, the American Society of International Law, the Los Angeles Bar Association, and several others — will conduct an international symposium featuring some of the world's leading thinkers and decision-makers who will gather to discuss the future of Afghanistan and nation-building.

One of the most pressing challenges of our time is the development of effective strategies to assist the peoples of emerging states as they set themselves on the path of achieving democracy and the rule of law.

The objective of the Afghanistan & State Building Symposium is to bring together some of the most innovative, experienced professionals and thinkers in the areas of law, diplomacy and national security to provide governments with a concrete set of protocols that will allow these emerging states to reach their goals.

Arent Fox's Robert C. O'Brien, managing partner of the firm's Los Angeles office and co-leader of the State Department's Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan, will serve as co-chair and panelist at this extraordinary event.

Arent Fox counsel Pierre-Richard Prosper, who served as the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues from 2001-2005, will serve as a keynote speaker, along with the Attorney General of Afghanistan H.E. Mohammad Eshak Aloko and Cherif Bassiouni, Distinguished Research Professor of Law and President Emeritus of the International Human Rights Law Institute.

The three-day symposium will feature panel discussions on a variety of topics, including:

• Human Rights

• Military Intervention

• Criminal Justice

• Constitutions, Multicultural Democracies, and Citizenship

• Post-Conflict Priorities

• National Security Institutions

For more information on this very special three-day symposium (including how to register), please click here.

More information about the Public-Private Partnership is available for download from the State Department Web site.