Middle Eastern Studies Roundtable Series
Director: Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies
May 2009 - Present
Conflict in the Middle East has been near the top of the American foreign policy agenda for a half century. Through discussions with academic experts and especially with current and former government officials, this roundtable series aims to inform the debate surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as other challenges facing the region. These roundtables discuss developments in the region and the goals and impact of U.S. actions, with an eye to deepening understanding of the Middle East and analyzing how to make U.S. foreign policy more effective.
Meetings
Roundtable Meeting
Israel, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East
Speaker:
Matthew Gould, Ambassador to Israel, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Israel's Security Challenges
Speaker:
Amos Yadlin, Director, Institute for National Security Studies, Tel Aviv UniversityPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Is There an Islamist Road to Democracy?
Speakers:
Robert Satloff, Executive Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policies, Reuel Gerecht, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of DemocraciesPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
View All Meetings
Roundtable Meeting
The UK, the Arab Spring, and the New Middle East
Speaker:
Malcolm Rifkind, Chairman, Intelligence and Security Committee, British ParliamentPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Where Is China Heading on Tibet?
Speaker:
Lodi Gyari, Special Envoy to His Holiness the Dalai LamaPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
Roundtable Meeting
Morocco and the Arab Spring
Speaker:
His Excellency Rachad Bouhlal, Ambassador, Kingdom of MoroccoPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
UNESCO, Palestine, and the UN System
Speaker:
Irina Bokova, Director General, UNESCOPresiders:
Stewart M. Patrick, Senior Fellow and Director, International Institutions and Global Governance Program, Council on Foreign Relations, Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Tunisia's Challenge: A Conversation with Rashed Ghannouchi
Speaker:
Rashed Ghannouchi, Co-founder, Ennahda MovementPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
Roundtable Meeting
Dan Schueftan on Israel and the Palestinians
Speaker:
Dan Schueftan, University of HaifaPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Israel and the UN: A Conversation with Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor
Speaker:
His Excellency Ron Prosor, Israeli Ambassador to the United NationsPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
A Conversation with Ambassador Yaacov Amitai
Speaker:
Ambassador Yaacov Amitai, Incoming Israeli Ambassador to EgyptPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Crisis In Syria
Speakers:
Ammar Abdulhamid, Tharwa Foundation, Radwan Ziadeh, George Washington University, Amr Al-Azm, Shawnee State UniversityPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Peace and the Peace Process: A Conversation with Shalom Tourgeman
Speaker:
Shalom Tourgeman, Interdisciplinary Center HerzliyaPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Situation in Lebanon and Its Consequences for the Region
Speaker:
Terje Rød-Larsen, International Peace InstitutePresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Lebanon and Syria Update
Speakers:
Lee Smith, The Weekly Standard, Andrew Tabler, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Mona Yacoubian, United States Institute of PeacePresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Friends of Israel Initiative
Speakers:
H.E. José María Aznar, Former President of the Government of Spain, H.E. Alejandro Toledo, Former President of the Republic of Peru, Andrew Roberts, Historian and WriterPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Israel and the UN
Speaker:
H.E. Gabriela Shalev, Former Israeli Ambassador to the United NationsPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
A Conversation with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat
Speaker:
Nir Barkat, Mayor of JerusalemPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Syria and Lebanon Today: A Conversation with Michael Young
Speaker:
Michael Young, Daily StarPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Security in the West Bank: A Conversation with MG Gadi Shamni
Speaker:
Major General Ghadi Shamni, Israeli Central CommandPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
A Discussion with Ambassador Sallai Meridor
Speaker:
Sallai Meridor, Embassy of IsraelPresider:
Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
A Discussion with Ed Husain
May 5, 2009
This meeting is not for attribution.
CFR Experts Guide
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda.
Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
