This roundtable brings together policymakers, practitioners, journalists, academics, and other concerned individuals for face-to-face dialogue on specific issues concerning refugees and the internally displaced. Recent subjects have included Sudan, Kosovo, Chechnya, the continuing refugee crisis in Africa, the internally displaced in Afghanistan, the problem of land mines as an impediment to refugee repatriation, the role of illicit diamond trade in perpetuating civil strife, and ways to improve collaboration among the governments, the United Nations, humanitarian relief organizations, and human rights groups.

Since September 11, 2001, refugees and displaced persons have become key issues in both the causes and effects of terrorism. Humanitarian assistance is already an integral part of the overall U.S. and international response to the terrorist attacks on the United States. This roundtable will examine the humanitarian consequences of military action; the impact of tightening borders on internal displacement and the refugee problem; the role of immigration policy in curbing terrorism; the impacts of the new anti-terrorism campaign on international refugee protection; and the relationship between military and relief operations.