This is the main index page for the Convention which provides links for more information. Please click on the buttons below to find out more about the convention, the convention program, the city of Washington, and other relevant information. The deadline to submit proposals for participation at the convention was 15 June 1998. If you have any questions about your submission or you wish to indicate your willingness to serve as a panel chair or discussant, please contact Joe D. Hagan, the 1999 Program Chair ( see the contact information below). To return to this page from the rest of the convention pages, just click on the title image of the Washington Monument at the top of all these pages.

At the ISA Executive Committee Meeting in Boston on September 4, 1998 the following clarification to the Convention No-Show Policywas adopted.

Two years ago the ISA Governing Council adopted a policy that if persons accepted a place on the Convention Program and then did not show up and did not have a legitimate excuse (personal or family illness) for not appearing or did not provide someone to substitute for them, they would not be allowed to participate on the ISA convention program the following year. Such a policy was noted in a second letter that accompanied the acceptance letters to all participants last year. Nevertheless, 82 people did not show up as scheduled in Minneapolis and did not arrange for a substitute or provide a legitimate excuse to the program chair. Of these 82 people, 38 have applied to participate in the upcoming ISA meetings in Washington DC. Apparently many of these people were unaware of the policy or did not read the details of the last year's acceptance materials.

ISA President Margaret Hermann proposed that in order to be fair and not overly punitive to those who were not fully aware of their responsibilities regarding the convention participation the policy be phased in with a probationary period for this year only; that is, these 38 people would receive a letter notifying them that they will be restricted to only one participation on the 1999 Program and if they do not attend will be excluded from the 2000 Program entirely. Additionally, the no-show policy will be highlighted in the acceptance letters to all participants on the Washington DC program. If a person cannot participate in the Convention Program, he/she must notify the Convention Program Chair within 30 days of receipt of the letter of acceptance. Those persons who fail to appear without a legitimate excuse or without arranging for a substitute at the Washington, DC Convention will be notifies by letter next month following the meeting that they will not be able to participate formally in the next year's meeting.

At the ISA's upcoming annual meeting in Washington, we have arranged a special set of roundtables for our members that will take place around the city. Entitled the "Bridging the Gap" Series, the roundtables are intended to facilitate ISA members interacting with policymakers and policy analysts in a variety of agencies. These roundtables are meant to address the increasing interest among our members in bridging the gap between theory and application in the study of world politics. The sessions will take place at 4:00 in the afternoon and will probably last around 90 minutes. All the roundtables can be reached using public transportation. We are grateful to Theodore Raphael and Christopher Joyner for setting up these sessions.

Because only 30-40 people can attend each session and we need to furnish the agencies with the names of those who will be attending before the session, we invite you to sign up for one of these roundtables now. To ensure that we maximize the number of ISA members who can participate, we ask that if you are interested in two or more of the sessions you rank order your choices. We will take people in the order in which they reply. E-mail Peg Hermann at polipsych@aol.com if you are interested, indicating your name and session you would like to attend.

Wednesday, February 17, 4:00 p.m.
National Intelligence Council- Strategic Themes at the Turn of the Century

John Gannon, current Chairman of the National Intelligence Council, will open the discussion that will involve a number of National Intelligence Officers; the roundtable will be followed by a reception; we will use vans to get to this session and will need to depart from the hotel at 3:15, meeting in the lobby around 3:00; we will return by around 7:30.

Thursday, February 18, 4:00 p.m.
Defense Department - Technology Transfer and U.S. Foreign Policy: the View from the Pentagon

This session is being organized by the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for International and Commercial Programs; it is possible to get to this roundtable by the Metro; attendees will need to meet at the Pentagon by 3:30 to clear security and be escorted to the meeting room.

Federal Reserve - The Role of the Federal Reserve in U.S. Foreign Policy: The Increasing Role of Central Banks in Determining the Foreign and Domestic Economic Policies of Their Respective Governments.

This session is being organized by Karen Johnson, Director of the Division of International Finance of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve; it is possible to get to this roundtable by the Metro; attendees will need to meet at the Federal Reserve by 3:45 to clear security and be escorted to the meeting room.

National Security Council - Current Issues in U.S. Foreign Policy. This session is being organized by Mary McCarthy, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs; this session will be held at the Old Executive Office Building which can be reached by the Metro; attendees will need to meet at 3:45 to clear security and be escorted to the meeting room.

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