Leading Middle East Peace Negotiator Speaking at Duke
Ross will speak on "The Battle for Peace in the Middle East" Feb. 17 at the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy
ennis Ross, former special envoy to the Middle East and a key peace negotiator for more than 12 years, will speak on "The Battle for Peace in the Middle East" at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, at Duke University.
The lecture takes place at the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, at the corner of Science and Towerview drives. The lecture is free and open to the public and will be followed by a book signing. Visitor parking is available for a fee on Science Drive and in the Bryan Center parking deck.
Ross, the U.S. envoy to the Middle East from 1988 to 2000, was the chief Middle East peace negotiator during the administrations of presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He is credited with helping bring about the 1995 interim agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians, the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty and the 1997 Hebron Accord.
His recent book, "The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace," provides a detailed account of the maneuverings of both Israel and Palestine, how each side saw the other behind closed doors and how the Israelis, the Palestinians and their Arab neighbors view the world.
Ross is now the Ziegler distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington, D.C. He was co-convenor of the bipartisan 2004 Presidential Study Group, which developed recommendations for Middle East policy for President George W. Bush's administration.
Prior to his service as special Middle East coordinator under Clinton, Ross served as director of the State Department's policy planning office in the first Bush administration. In that position, he played a prominent role in developing U.S. policy toward the former Soviet Union, the unification of Germany and its integration into NATO, arms control negotiations and the development of the 1991 Gulf War coalition.
During President Ronald Reagan's administration, he served as director of Near East and South Asian affairs on the National Security Council staff and as deputy director of the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment.
Ross was awarded the Presidential Medal for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service by Clinton.
The event is co-sponsored by the Sanford Institute, the Center for Jewish Studies, Department of Political Science, the Division of Student Affairs, Duke Center for International Studies, Freeman Center for Jewish Life, Office of the Provost and the Office of Public Affairs and Government Relations.