Middle East Policy Forum Events
The Middle East Policy Forum is presented with the generous support of ExxonMobil.
The Middle East Policy Forum presents a series of events that bring leading scholars, analysts, journalists, diplomats, and policymakers to campus to discuss current and emerging issues in the region.
Ultimate Allies: Israel and the United States
April 30, 2012
Watch the video
- Michael B. Oren, Ambassador of Israel to the United States
Invisible War: The United States and the Iraq Sanctions
April 26, 2012
- Joy Gordon, Professor of Philosophy, Fairfield University
The Humanitarian Situation in Gaza
April 19, 2012
- Rania Elhilou, Gaza-based Communications Officer, American Near East Refugee Aid
The Legal Dimensions of the Arab Spring
April 17, 2012
Watch the videos
- Conference Panelists:
- Ruti Teitel, Ernst C. Stiefel Professor of Comparative Law, New York Law School
- Michael Hanna, Fellow, The Century Foundation
- Shadi Mokhtari, Assistant Professor, American University
- Ellis Goldberg, Professor, University of Washington
- Clark Lombardi, Associate Professor of Law, University of Washington
- David Mednicoff, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
- Bruce Rutherford, Associate Professor of Political Science and Middle Eastern & Islamic Civilization Studies, Colgate University
- Catherine Warrick, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Villanova University
- Moderators:
- Marc Lynch, Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies, GW
- Nathan Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, GW
The Arab Spring: A Regional Perspective
March 28, 2012
- Mohammed Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait
The 2012 Annual Kuwait Chair Lecture –
Gulf Monarchies: Facing Change
March 22, 2010
Watch the video
- Ambassador Edward W. "Skip" Gnehm, Jr., Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, GW
King's Counsel: A Memoir of War, Espionage, and Diplomacy in the Middle East
March 5, 2012
- Vernon Loeb, co-author, King's Counsel: A Memoir of War, Espionage, and Diplomacy in the Middle East; editor, The Washington Post
Invisible War: The United States and the Iraq Sanctions
- Joy Gordon, Professor of Philosophy, Fairfield University
The Humanitarian Situation in Gaza: First-hand report from visiting development professional
- Rania Elhilou, Gaza-based Communications Officer, American Near East Refugee Aid
The Legal Dimensions of the Arab Spring
- Keynote: M. Cherif Bassiouni, Emeritus Distinguished Research Professor of Law and President Emeritus, International Human Rights Law Institute, DePaul University
- Ruti Teitel, Ernst C. Stiefel Professor of Comparative Law, New York Law School
- Michael Hanna, Fellow, The Century Foundation
- Shadi Mokhtari, Assistant Professor, American University
- Ellis Goldberg, Professor, University of Washington
- Clark Lombardi, Associate Professor of Law, University of Washington
- David Mednicoff, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
- Bruce Rutherford, Associate Professor of Political Science and Middle Eastern & Islamic Civilization Studies, Colgate University
- Catherine Warrick, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Villanova University
- Moderator: Marc Lynch, Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies, GW
- Moderator: Nathan Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, GW
The Arab Spring: A Regional Perspective
- Mohammed Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait
The 2012 Annual Kuwait Chair Lecture Gulf Monarchies: Facing Change
- Ambassador Edward W. "Skip" Gnehm, Jr., Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, GW
King's Counsel: A Memoir of War, Espionage, and Diplomacy in the Middle East
- Vernon Loeb, Co-Author, King's Counsel: A Memoir of War, Espionage, and Diplomacy in the Middle East; Editor, The Washington Post
Is Israeli-Palestinian Peace Still Possible?
- Gershon Baskin, Founder & Chairman, Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI)
The U.S. and the Arab Spring: An Arab Perspective
- Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, Professor of Political Science, United Arab Emirates University
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A Report from the Field
November 3, 2011
Watch the video
- Ethan Bronner, Jerusalem Bureau Chief, The New York Times
Turning Motion Picture into Emotion
- Walid Al-Awadi, Producer, C Sky Pictures
Revolutionary vs. Reformist Islam: The Iran-Turkey Rivalry in the Middle East
- Omer Taspinar, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
- Hadi Semati, Iranian Political Scientist
- Mohammad Tabaar, Adjunct Lecturer, GW
Implications of a Nuclear Empowered Iran for the United States and the Region
- Bruce Riedel, Senior Fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution
Institute for Middle East Studies Annual Conference: Iran in Transition
April 21, 2011
- Kaveh Ehsani, Assistant Professor of International Studies, DePaul University
- Nader Hashemi, Assistant Professor of International Studies, University of Denver
- Elliot Hen-Tov, Princeton University
- Arang Keshavarzian, Associate Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies; Director of Undergraduate Studies, New York University
- Azam Khatam, York University
- Pardis Minuchehr, Lecturer, University of Pennsylvania
- Misagh Parsa, Professor of Sociology, Dartmouth College
- Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, Professor of Economic, Virginia Tech; Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
- Naghmeh Sohrabi, Lecturer in History, Brandeis University
- Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Visiting Scholar, Institute for Middle East Studies, GW
- Roxanne Varzi, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine
- Keynote: Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; Human Rights Lawyer
The Edge of War: Kuwait's Underground Resistance Movement
- Ambassador Edward "Skip" Gnehm, Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, GW; former U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait, Australia, and Jordan
- Ambassador Salem al-Sabah, Ambassador of Kuwait to the United States
- Dr. Farida al-Habib, Cardiologist; former Resistance Member
- General Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Advisor to President George H. W. Bush
The Joseph Cedar Film Retrospective: Time of Favor
March 7, 2011
- Yaron Peleg, Associate Professor of Hebrew, GW
- Dan Schwartz, Assistant Professor of Modern Jewish History, GW
Yaron Peleg and Dan Schwartz speak before presenting Time of Favor, Israeli writer-director Joseph Cedar's debut film. The movie plays out a psychologically complex love triangle in the middle of terrorist conflict in Israel's West Bank.
The Annual Kuwait Chair Lecture —The Liberation of Kuwait: Reflections
February 17, 2011
Watch the video.
- Ambassador Edward "Skip" Gnehm Jr., Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, GW; former U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait, Australia, and Jordan
Faith Misplaced: The Broken Promise of U.S.-Arab Relations, 1820-2003
November 8, 2010
- Ussama Makdisi, Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Arabic Studies and Professor of History, Rice University
Negotiating with Iran
October 27, 2010
- Ambassador John Limbert, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State; author, Negotiating with Iran: Wrestling the Ghosts of History.
Oman 2010: 40 Years — Building the Future
September 30, 2010
co-sponsored by the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center and the Elliott School of International Affairs
The Arab-Israeli Peace Process
- Ambassador Nabil Fahmy, Founding Dean, School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP), Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy, Ambassador in Residence, The American University in Cairo
The Annual Kuwait Chair Lecture — A Focus on Yemen
March 4, 2010
» Read more
» Read the transcript
Watch the video
- Amb. Edward W. Gnehm Jr., Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs
Ambassador of Bahrain
January 28, 2010
- Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, Ambassador of Bahrain to the United States
Iran and Gulf Security
November 12, 2009
- Sami M.K.M. Al-Faraj, President, Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies
Underexposure: Baghdad Spring 2003
November 11, 2009
- Ziad Turkey Jazzaa, Iraqi Director, cinematographer and photographer
Mayor of Jerusalem
November 6, 2009
Watch the video
- The Honorable Nir Barkat, Mayor of Jerusalem
Palestinians in Israel: Predicaments, Opportunities, and Challenges
October 13, 2009
- Raef Zreik, Georgetown University
- Ori Nir, Americans for Peace Now
The Annual Kuwait Chair Lecture — The Gulf: Searching for a New Balance
April 14, 2009
» Read the transcript
- Amb. Edward W. Gnehm Jr., Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs
Israel's Future in the Middle East: A Conversation
April 1, 2009
- Menachem Klein
- Shai Feldman
- Moderator: Nathan Brown
Jerusalem Women Speak: Hope for Peace
November 20, 2008
- Leila Shelimar Mosenson
- Taghreed El Khodary
- Lucy Talgieh
The Future of World Energy Markets: the United States and the Middle East
October 14, 2008
- Richard Sawaya, Executive Director, U.S.-Venezuela Business Council
- Frank Verrastro, Director, Energy and National Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Jon Alterman, Director, Middle East Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Public Diplomacy and the War of Ideas: Agendas for the Next Administration
September 30, 2008
- Hady Amr, Director, Brookings Doha Center; Fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, The Brookings Institution; co-author of Engaging the Muslim World: A Communication Strategy to Win the War of Ideas
- Michael Doran, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Support to Public Diplomacy, U.S. Department of Defense
- Kristin Lord, Fellow, Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World, The Brookings Institution; author of the forthcoming Voices of America: U.S. Public Diplomacy for the 21st Century
- Marc Lynch, co-director of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communications, George Washington University; author of Voices of the New Arab Public
September 25, 2008
- John D. Negroponte, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of State
September 18, 2008
- Shaikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister, State of Kuwait
Iran Elections 2008 — Domestic, Regional, and International Consequences
April 2, 2008
- Afshin Molavi, Fellow, New America Foundation; author of Persian Pilgrimages: Journeys Across Iran
- Ray Takeyh, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations; author of Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic
Saudi Arabia: Legacy, Stability, and Destiny
March 5, 2008
» Read the transcript
- Amb. Edward W. Gnehm (Ret.), Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsular Affairs, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University; former Ambassador to Kuwait, Australia, Jordan and Deputy U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations; former Director General of the Foreign Service
Back to top
Israel, Iran and the U.S.: Is Conflict Inevitable?
February 26, 2008
- Trita Parsi, Co-Founder and President of the National Iranian American Council
Partition Iraq? Imperial Iraq Strategies from Suleiman the Magnificent to Joseph Biden
January 15, 2008
- Reidar Visser, Research Fellow, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
Iran's Role in the Post 9/11 Middle East
November 13, 2007
- Kayhan Barzegar, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Iraq: Today's Reality — Tomorrow's Horizons
October 29, 2007
- Bruce Riedel, Senior Fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution; former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Near East and North African Affairs, National Security Council; former U.S. Government official at the Pentagon and CIA
- Christopher Kojm, Professor of the Practice of International Affairs and Director of the U.S. Foreign Policy Institute, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University; former Senior Advisor to the Iraq Study Group; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research; former senior staff if the Committee of Foreign Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives
- Judith Yaphe, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University; Adjunct Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University
- Amb. Edward W. Gnehm (Ret.), Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsular Affairs, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University; former Ambassador to Kuwait, Australia, Jordan and Deputy U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations; former Director General of the Foreign Service
Turkey's View of Its Southern Neighbors
October 4, 2007
- Bulent Aliriza, Senior Associate and Director of the Turkey Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
His Excellency Sallai Meridor, Ambassador of Israel
April 20, 2007
- His Excellency Sallai Meridor, Ambassador of Israel
Inaugural Lecture – The Arab States of the Gulf: Under Pressure
March 29, 2007
» Read the transcript
- Amb. Edward W. Gnehm (Ret.), Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsular Affairs, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University; former Ambassador to Kuwait, Australia, Jordan and Deputy U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations; former Director General of the Foreign Service
Elliott School Press Inquiries
Office of Public Affairs
The Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E Street, NW, Suite 401
Washington, DC 20052
202-994-8025 (p)
202-994-0335 (f)
GW Press Inquiries
Events Updates
Never miss an Elliott School event. Register for our weekly Events Alert email.
» Sign Up Now