For more than twelve years – in both the George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations – Dennis Ross played a leading role in shaping U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process. In a wide-ranging conversation with Geoffrey Kemp, Director of Regional Strategic Programs at the Nixon Center, Ambassador Ross talks about what Tony Blair must do to succeed in his new role as envoy to the Middle East, the failures of the Bush Administration to act as mediators in the region, his view of a “best outcome” in Iraq, and his just-published book, Statecraft, And How to Restore America’s Standing in the World.

Host> Geoffrey Kemp, director, Regional Strategic Programs, Nixon Center
Guest> Dennis Ross, counselor and Ziegler distinguished fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

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Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington D.C., sees Islam facing not just one crisis, but two:  Besides its tension with the West, Islam’s internal conflicts set Shi’a against Sunni, rich against poor, and tribe against tribe.  Ahmed joins host Geoffrey Kemp, Director of Regional Strategic Programs at the Nixon Center, to discuss how Islam’s internal crisis affects global relations as well as the importance of Muslims’ number one role model.

Host> Geoffery Kemp, director, Regional Strategic Programs, Nixon Center
Guest> Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University 

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In anticipation of General Petraeus’ report on Iraq this September, Americans want to know whether the U.S. has been part of the solution or part of the problem. According to Ellen Laipson, president and CEO of the Henry L. Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., the answer is: Both. Laipson joins host Geoffrey Kemp, Director of Regional Strategic Programs at the Nixon Center, to discuss how the U.S.’s dual role as defender and babysitter of the fledgling Iraqi government will affect the future of U.S. - Middle Eastern relations.

Host> Geoffery Kemp, director, Regional Strategic Programs, Nixon Center
Guest> Ellen Laipson, president and CEO, Henry L. Stimson Center

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At just 10 years old, Zainab Salbi lived life at the heart of danger:  With her family living under forced compliance to Saddam Hussein, resistance to his regime could only come in the form of small acts and whispers. Now, as the founder and president of Women for Women International, Salbi uses these same small acts to fight global injustice. Guest Zainab Salbi joins Mary Daley and host Joan Brown Campell, Director of Religion, to discuss how just $27 and a letter have helped 100,000 women war survivors around the world.

Host> The Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, director, Department of Religion
Guest> Zainab Salbi, founder and president, Women for Women International, and Mary Daley, Women for Women International 

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What’s going on with the Sunni?  The Shi’a?  And what does the hidden imam have to do with it?  These questions challenge many Westerners, but for distinguished scholar Vali Nasr, Professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, the intricate relationship between the Sunni and Shi’a is the key to understanding the force behind Middle East politics. Join Vali Nasr in his conversation with Geoffrey Kemp, Director of Regional Strategic Programs at the Nixon Center, as they undertake a religious and political journey from Iraq to Saudi Arabia, all the way to the so-called Shi’a Crescent.

Host> Geoffery Kemp, director, Regional Strategic Programs, Nixon Center
Guest>  Vali Nasr, professor, Fletcher School of Law and Dimplomacy, Tufts University

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