MES presents: Philip H. Gordon

Philip H. Gordon, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; former special assistant and White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf Region from 2013-15

Introduction by James Steinberg, Dean, Maxwell School

The U.S. and the Crises in the Middle East 

Philip H. Gordon, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, former special assistant to the president and White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf Region from 2013-15 will deliver a lecture on The U.S. and the Crises in the Middle East.  This talk is free and open to the public.  James B. Steinberg, Dean of the Maxwell School and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State will introduce Dr. Gordon

As the most senior White House official focused on the greater Middle East, he worked closely with the president, secretary of state, and national security advisor on issues including the Iranian nuclear program, Middle East peace negotiations, the conflict in Syria, security in Iraq, U.S. relations with the gulf states, the democratic transitions in North Africa, and bilateral relations with Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon

Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Chair of the Political Science Department at Syracuse University, describes Dr. Gordon as one of the most astute analyst of Middle Eastern affairs. “He has not been afraid to think outside the box. For example, he has argued that the U.S. should rethink its position that President Assad must step down.  Gordon’s voice is one that needs to be heard as the U.S. government confronts a multitude of crisis from Afghanistan to Libya.”

Sponsored by the Middle Eastern Studies program at the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs