Buffalo, new york. On book tv will visit the mark twain room at the buffalo and here he county public library. The centerpiece our pages of the original handwritten manuscripts of adventures of huckleberry finn. Then occurrence the grain, about the history of its first ward. The irish settled here because they were desperate. They came across the atlantic and the famine and years after and still were not great. It would take maybe one relatives of find out about these plentiful jobs along the waterfront. Working in the Grain Elevators or in the mills. Work we go back to ireland that you want to come to buffalo. You would have steady employment. Neighborhoodthis called the first ward. It has to say because when buffalo was first created in 1832 as a city it was divided into five political wards. This area along the waterfront along the river has always been the first four. On American History tv. On september 6, 1901, president William Mckinley was assassinated in buffalo. Tour the Buffalo History Museum exploring the mckinley exhibit features of in surrounding his death and the gun used to shoot the president. Then discover the history of the waterfront and how it has adapted from the nations great center to moderate modern redeveloping. This is a collection of Grain Elevators built along the then in the buffalo river. Originally built for different companies. Company is owned by one on ohio street. Its being regenerated for many different purposes. For art and music. We do history chores. We tell the story of buffalos history. There are theatrical auctions down here. All sorts of different pieces for these historic silos. See all of our programs and buffalo today at 2 00 on American History tv on cspan3. The cspan cities tour, working with our cable affiliate and visiting cities across the country. On tuesday members of a Columbia University task force discussed a report on state building and Iraqi Kurdistan. It outlined the out the economic and political and security challenges for those working for an independent kurdish state. This is one hour. Mr. Linday im a Senior Intelligence analyst for the next week and a half. Thank you for coming. To the release of this new report. It sets up recommended pathways for the Kurdistan Regional government to take to what many believe is inevitable independence from iraq or Iraqi Kurdistan. The full report is on the web. You guys got the executive summary. It was repaired by a task force prepared by the program on peace building and the right of Columbia Universitys institute for the study of human rights. The task force chair, to my immediate right is ambassador nancy soderberg. Her Foreign Policy resume is extensive. Serving as a third highestranking official on president bill clintons National Security council. At alternate universe u. S. Delegate to the united nations. A foreignpolicy advisor to a number of democratic president s of campaigns and to edward kennedy. To her right is David Phillips. We are old friends. Legal back to the wars in the balkans. He has extensive experience in the balkans, middle east, and south asia and conflict resolution and human rights advocacy. He is the director of the program on peace building and rights and he offered this report. N advisor tod as a the state department and authored numerous books on Foreign Policy. No matter how you feel about the question of the iraqi kurds long quest for independence, this report could not be timelier given the tragedy convulsing the middle east and in particular iraq, syria, and turkey with their large kurdish populations. Its hard to argue with the reports essential premise. The middle east is no more. Iraq and syria are partitioned for all intents and purposes. Its all impossible to see how they can be put together again. More than half a Million People from more than half of syrias population is been operated and 4 million are refugees. I was there twice last year and saw entire towns utterly destroyed. I have no idea how that will ever be rebuilt. So that people can live there again. I was also in iraq. Its a wash and billions of internally displaced and refugees. Anyhow secretly expensed bk rg. By the krg. The iraqi army and shiite militias have failed delivery and our province Anbar Province and there is little hope that mozul will be restored soon. Turkey is now facing serious political instability with the resumption of the war between the pkk and the government. One of the only copies of political units that is continued functioning in this of people is Iraqi Kurdistan, these people have your for decades for independence and its leaders have vowed to give it to them despite opposition from baghdad and her chief ally, the United States. They face serious dont think political and economic insecurity challenges. In delivering on that promise. This report is being issued today to try the difficult and challenging course of that goal. I will turn it over to nancy and david and then take questions. There is a microphone there. I would ask you to please identify yourself when we do when u. S. Questions. Ms. Soderberg thank you very much jonathan for joining us and also for your long work in these war zones where you will crisscrossed over the years. Its wonderful to see some old friends here at appreciate all of you coming out on short notice. We are delighted you are here. I want to first say thanks to David Phillips to my right, without whom this project would not have occurred. David has spent decades analyzing the kurdish issues and im delighted when he conceived of this task force and asked me to chair. Universitycolumbia and its program of peace building and human rights at Columbia Universitys institute for the study of human rights. Its been a wonderful host and provided a lot of support to this project. Thank you for that. I also want to thank the task includedbers, which former u. S. Officials, u. S. And european scholars and activists who have many decades of experience in kurdish affairs. We met regularly since april of this year to discuss strategy, methodology, findings, and recommendations. A number of visited the region. I want to thank all the members for their participation and expertise and time. Delighted to welcome rendon invaluable member of the task force. He is most knowledgeable on constitutional and legal issues in the region. Thank you for your contributions. We also have interrater contributor a key interrogative on these issues. She is now home and in simple and thank you for and in simple thank you. For those who would like us to mail you a copy of the actual glossy report there is a china she on the there is a signup sheet on the cookie tray and we will mail you a copy if you would like one. So we are delighted to review the recommendations. I will talk briefly. David will talk briefly and we will answer questions and in probably at 1 00. Promptly at 1 00. This region is one in crisis. You have the collapse of the iraqi state. The brutal sweep of isis through the region. A flood of 4 million refugees and another 6 million displaced in syria. Half of the country has moved. Russianst moves by have upped the ante, prompting guppy assad prompting of the assad regime. In our view these events should be a wakeup call for u. S. Policymakers and International Policymakers of the current course is failing. The u. S. Is gradually shifting from some of its policies in recognition of this fact. In the midst of the chaos we want to highlight a critical and all too often overlooked element. The steady march towards independence of the iraqi kurds. We recognize this is part of a larger puzzle but one of the focus on just this one under analyze and underappreciated fact in the hopes it will spur further thinking. Kurds and the International Community have to make tough decisions. With respect to Iraqi Kurdistans march towards independence, if it is done correctly, the emergence of an independent democratic prosperous and stable Iraqi Kurdistan is a winwin for the region. In advances the interests of the kurds, iraq, the region, and broader International Community. I will summarize the key findings in three broad areas and turned it over to david. I will talk about the need for the International Community to work with and not against iraq the kurds independence. They need for the International Community to build a more unified effort to combat isis. And the need for the International Community to help the kurds address the overwhelming refugee crisis. Our recommendation is for the International Community to stop blocking the iraqi kurds march towards independence. If you look back, the kurds of in building a de facto independent state since 1991. Over the 12 years since the 2003 usled invasion of iraq, the iraqi kurds have sought to work with the Central Government in baghdad through the last 12 years. But with iraqs collapse and baghdads obstructionism they will no longer do so. During the negotiations on the 2005 pounds vision constitution, they made a deal to stay in iraq if iraq was truly federal, democratic, and decentralized. Such a new iraq does not exist. Theuly of last year courtesy and Regional Government announced plans for a referendum on independence which will set the stage for a declaration of independence. The courtesy and Regional Government understands it must not act hurriedly oracles of late. And it understands it must do so it invites conflict with iraq, syria, and turkey and iran. We do not know how and when i recognize and will seek dish or independence dejure is not fore, but it the International Community to block the aspirations of the kurds for selfdetermination. We argued the community should work with the regional Kurdistan Regional government with baghdad and concerned countries to make sure the process is consulted, democratic, responsible, and stable. Iraqi kurds march towards independence even with careful consideration. The risks destabilize neighboring country with kurdish populations. The International Community will face challenges as the iraqi kurds consolidate their state. We lay out a few recommendations in the report. I will highlight a few of them here. First ill recommendation to the Iraqi Government is that iraq must resolve his outstanding territorial issues. In accordance with article 140 of the iraqi constitution we recommended it hold a referendum kurkukstatus of the region. With monitoring by the International Community. If the government iraq is unwilling or unable to do so, we recommend that curtis and Regional Government conduct a referendum with Strong International assistance and monitoring. Our recommendations to the Regional Government are as follows. First, reassure turkey and iran that the krg harbors no plan for a care greater curtis and incorporate parts of syria, turkey, or iran. Second, request monitoring by the International Community should there be a referendum and work to ensure that iraq, neighboring state, and the International Community are kept fully informed of the process. Specialeveloped powersharing arrangements for in thes referendum. And economic issues. Our recommendation to the International Community include understanding that Iraqi Kurdistan is moving towards independence. Work with the Kurdistan Regional government and iraq and the neighbors to support the development of a transparent roadmap and timetable for the possible decision by the iraqi kurds to separate from iraq. Transparency would enhance stable postindependence relations. We should also provide direct assistance to kurdistans independent High Electoral Commission so that the design and conduct of a referendum on independence meet International Standards and we should discuss monitors to verify that the referendum is free and fair. Secondly, we wanted the need for a stronger effort against isis in the region. The kurds are key to the fight against isis in syria and iraq. We were all impressed by the u. S. Effort in support of the in 2014 tofend keep isis from overrunning the city. The International Community has an interest in making Iraqi Kurdistan a bulwark of stability and a better ally in the fight against isis. With usmadearmed stateoftheart military equipment it sees from Iraqi Security forces. And u. S. Cooperation with the Kurdish Forces is a model for successful Security Corporation that should be expanded. First, our recommendation for the courtesy of Regional Government is to strengthen its own ability to take on these tasks. The ministry for personal theirs should transform merga into a professional army. Pension andregular retirement benefits. Rgashould organize peshme from rival parties and into unified brigades. We should support the Ministry Efforts to create nonpartisan battalions in which he records do not affiliate by political party. Recommendations to the International Community with respect to the security against isis would be first to support a more unified effort in both syria and iraq to defeat isis or Cooperation Among kurdish groups with the necessary training and equipping to win. Continue to review the military needs of the peshmerga as the isis threat and the role of the kurds evolved. They need immediate provision of antitank weapons to more effectively defend themselves against vehicle borne improvised expositors devices. We have to train and equip the peshmerga with more sophisticated weapons as needed for offensive missions against isis. Today the u. S. Has managed to deliver weapons quickly to the kurds despite its insistence on first seeking approval from baghdad. Should that become a problem we point out there is a residential waiver that can be invoked to deliver weapons directly to the kurds if the peshmerga need to receive weapons were quickly. Given the ongoing critical security needs of the region, over time we recommend the u. S. Should develop plans to place a u. S. Military base inside Iraqi Kurdistan that would only become fully operational should Iraqi Kurdistan become independent. But given the critical needs the kurds aree, welcoming, friendly, and good fighters indicated its u. S. Security interests dramatically. Lastly i will touch on the humanitarian crisis. Office of the amanda berry affairs estimates 8. 2 Million People in iraq that need support. 1. 6 million of which are in kurdistan. The Regional Government is struggling to provide relief, resettlement, and protection for those at one point 6. 1 million refugees. There are all sorts of budgetary issues and social tensions. The challenge is exacerbated by the suspension by baghdad of payments that were supposed to be 70 of the National Budget prorated for the oil exchanges. Those payments were stopped by baghdad in february of 2014. The World Bank Estimates the cost of stabilizing the refugee situation and kurdistan is 1. 4 billion. I have a couple of recommendations in this segment both for the courtesy and Regional Government and the International Community for consideration. One would be to position the curtis and Regional Government for directed nations from the International Community by developing a conference in postconflict Recovery Plan that focuses on stabilization during the transition from release release to development. To the community we suggest they to present this Recovery Plan at a special session of the Un Security Council convened. Its an informal method to allow the nonmember states of the Security Council to address the Security Council in an informal session. We also suggest providing enhanced direct d