CANTON — St. Lawrence University Assistant Professor of Government and African Studies Kristin McKie on May 19 participated in a panel discussion at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

The discussion was held at the Africa Security Initiative of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at Brookings, and it addressed conflict, famine and security in Africa today. In addition to McKie, panelists included Karen Attiah of The Washington Post and Comfort Ero of the International Crisis Group. Brookings Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon moderated.

In the midst of a bevy of political events and crises around the world over recent years, security issues are intensifying across swaths of Africa. Despite a temporary reprieve in worries over the future of United Nations involvement in Congo (DRC), the conflict there remains acute. DRC is just one of several countries facing concerns over the future of peacekeeping. Famine is on the rise as well—a result of a combination of natural causes and manmade ones—in conflict zones such as Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia.

In 2015, St. Lawrence University began collaborating with the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., as part of its Africa Security Initiative. The initiative brings together the expertise of St. Lawrence faculty and student interns with Brookings scholars. Faculty from St. Lawrence work alongside Brookings scholars and experts from the Institute’s Africa Growth Initiative in its Global Economy and Development Program.

In November 2015, McKie took part in a panel discussion on the Great Lakes Region of Africa. In April 2016, Abye Assefa, associate professor of sociology and African studies, participated in a panel discussion at Brookings regarding the security situation in Ethiopia and how it relates to the broader region. And in July 2016, Associate Professor of History Matthew Carotenuto took part in a discussion on President Obama’s policy legacy for African security and development.

The collaboration with Brookings also funds a St. Lawrence University student internship in D.C. This summer, Emily Terry ’17 of New Minas, Nova Scotia, a Francophone studies major and African studies, education studies and peace studies minor, will serve as St. Lawrence’s summer 2017 intern at Brookings.

For more information, visit www.stlawu.edu/african-studies.