Released July 29, 2005

HATTIESBURG – The University of Southern Mississippi's International Development doctoral program (IDV) will co-sponsor "Global Policy and Development Conference 2005: Nation Building and Sustainment Operations" with the Association for Global Policy and Development (AGPD). The event will take place October 27-29 at the Southern Miss Gulf Park campus.

The conference focus is to bring together policymakers, academics, military and the international business and development community. Participants will discuss the challenges and opportunities inherent in nation-state building and sustainment operations.

"This conference will showcase the scholarly contribution of The University of Southern Mississippi to the world. Academic conferences serve major objectives," said Dr. Shahdad Naghshpour, director of IDV at Southern Miss. "The first objective is to bring world-class scholars to the site to enrich Southern Miss and the community. The second objective is to display the scholarly contributions of the university community. Last year's conference had numerous researchers from overseas."

The conference will cover a broad spectrum of topics, such as public administration, sustainment and reconstruction, the role of private enterprise, the role of non-governmental organizations and intergovernmental organizations, terrorism and responses to terrorism, globalization and economic development and citizenship and integration challenges.

Dr. David Butler, assistant professor, IDV, Department of Political Science, International Development and International Affairs said, "Since the end of the cold war there has been an intense focus on failing and failed states for global security as well as the promise the new states provide. There are many parties and stakeholders involved in stabilizing and rebuilding failed states with the hope that these states and their citizens will emerge once again as active participants of the global community."

The participants will attend morning and afternoon panels and a late afternoon roundtable discussion, bringing together different sectors and functions in nation-state building and sustainment operations.

The conference is open to academics, practitioners, private and public sectors, policymakers, politicians and members of the military from developed states and from states and regions. Practitioners impacted by nation-state building and sustainment operations and the overall day-to-day hands-on operations of building and developing in countries are invited to attend.

"The conference is presented at a time of great importance. This is a critical area our country is just scratching the surface on," said Maj. Gen. Buford C. Blount, a distinguished visiting lecturer of national security and strategic studies in the College of Arts and Letters at Southern Miss. "You just need to look at the resources our country is committing to Iraq and Afghanistan, the billions of dollars and the cost in American lives. We must be prepared for the next time, and there will be a next time. We must come together to find the solutions, find better ways, to have systems in place before we need them again."

The cost is $250 per participant and $150 for student participants, which includes a year's subscription to the journal Horizons and a one-year membership in the Association of Global Policy and Development.

For more information, go to http://www.usm.edu/international/global_policy/.

-30-