Middle East Seminars

My new defense organization has been hosting or co-hosting round table discussions and seminars on various Middle East related issues including one's on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and on Iran. The intention is to to offer alternative perspectives on the issues addressed as well as open discussions. The following are the events to date:

November 14th, 2007

The Nixon Center & The American Conservative Defense Alliance

Iran: A Conservative Response

In this era of super-heated rhetoric and vitriolic exchanges between the leaders of Iran and the United States, the threat of war looms large. Even all-major Presidential candidates in both parties say all things are on the table when it comes to Iran. Whether it is Iran’s government’s nuclear ambition, its support for Hezbollah and Hamas or its interference in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iran is now front in center as one of the biggest issues facing U.S. Foreign Policy. The question remains how should the United States deal with Iran?

Discussants Include:

Philip Giraldi, Former CIA Counter-Terrorism Expert

Geoffrey Kemp, Director of Regional Strategic Programs, Nixon Center

Ken Ballen, Executive Director, Terror Free Tomorrow

Trita Parsi, Ph.D., President, National American Iranian Council

The session will be hosted by Doug Bandow, the Robert A. Taft Fellow with the American Conservative Defense Alliance, former Special Assistant to President Reagan, and author of Foreign Follies: America's New Global Empire (Xulon, 2007)

October 17th, 2007

A book discussion with Trita Parsi, Ph.D.

author of the newly-released Treacherous Alliance: The Secret
Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States (Yale University Press,
2007)

The session will be hosted by Doug Bandow, the Robert A. Taft Fellow
with the American Conservative Defense Alliance, former Special
Assistant to President Reagan, and author of Foreign Follies: America's
New Global Empire (Xulon, 2007)

In this era of super-heated rhetoric and vitriolic exchanges between
the leaders of Iran and Israel, some even assert that the threat of
nuclear violence looms. But the real roots of the enmity between the
two nations mystify Washington policymakers, and no promising pathways
to peace have emerged. Dr. Parsi's book traces the shifting relations
among Israel, Iran, and the United States from 1948 to the present,
uncovering for the first time the details of secret alliances,
treacherous acts, and unsavory political maneuvering that have
undermined Middle Eastern stability and disrupted U.S. foreign policy
initiatives in the region.

Trita Parsi, a U.S. foreign policy expert with more than a decade of
experience, is the only writer who has had access to senior American,
Iranian, and Israeli decision makers. He dissects the complicated
triangular relations of their countries, arguing that America's hope
for stability in Iraq and for peace in Israel is futile without a
correct understanding of the Israeli-Iranian rivalry. Dr. Parsi is
president of the National Iranian American Council and adjunct
professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University SAIS.
He writes frequently about the Middle East and has appeared on BBC
World News, PBS News Hour, CNN, and other news programs.

June 20th, 2007

The American Conservative Defense Alliance hosted a book party for Doug Bandow, Author of
"Foreign Follies: America's New Global Empire."

Foreign Follies presents a case for more restrained, less interventionist foreign policy. The result, Bandow argues, would be a freer, wealthier, and more secure United States. Indeed, shifting in this direction is a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for preserving the American republic, a system based on limited government and individual liberty

June 13th, 2007-

The American Conservative Defense Alliance hosted William Sieghart who is the co-founder and chairman of Forward Thinking, an NGO involved in conflict resolution in the U.K. and Middle East. He has worked in conflict resolution in Northern Ireland as well as in the Middle East. Last month Sieghart visited Washington to report on his recent trip to Jordan, Damascus, Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. He was back in DC to engage in a conversation with conservatives on events shaping U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and how conflict resolutions properly utilized can change the face of the difficulties we face as a nation.

Mr. Sieghart’s experience shows that reducing tensions, finding common ground and creating the space for lasting peace can help set the stage for new initiatives such as economic development, creating and strengthening the foundations for civil society and liberal democratic political traditions. All of this allows for increasing levels of peace, freedom and prosperity and greatly reduces the chances of armed conflict involving U.S. military forces at the costs of American blood and treasure.

May 16th 2007-

The American Conservative Defense Alliance hosted a private meeting with Daniel Levy and Ghaith Alomari, an Israeli and Palestinian who helped draft the Geneva Accords. Daniel and Ghaith discussed the status of the Palestinian/Israeli peace process and the appropriate role for the United States to play in helping to reach a two state solution. The purpose of the meeting was for Daniel and Ghaith to seek advice and counsel from conservatives and libertarians on how to engage the center-right on this issue which will serve U.S. national security interests as well as the Israelis' and Palestinians'