2011 UPDATE ON THE MIDDLE EAST:
ECONOMIC AND SECURITY TRENDS IN THE REGION

A Political-Economic Conflict Seminar

May 24-26, 2011
October 4-6, 2011

Capitol Hill Club
Washington, DC

The United States continues to face serious strategic, economic and political challenges in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. The war on terror, the politics of oil, nuclear proliferation, and issues of local governance will all pose critical tests for Congress, the Obama White House and the Pentagon. This seminar will discuss each of these areas of concern and analyze how U.S. foreign policy makers might respond.

Stability in the Middle East and America’s relationship with the wider Muslim world are linked to how effectively the United States manages a number of difficult issues, ranging from Iraq's fragile democracy and Iran's nuclear ambitions to the terrorist insurgency in Afghanistan. The stakes will be high since what happens in these three pivotal states will be felt by key American allies from Turkey to the Horn of Africa.

Achieving even basic security in the Middle East will depend on an array of political and economic variables abroad and on an equally important partisan debate in Washington. In this special three-day Political-Economic Conflict Seminar, attendees will explore U.S. strategic options as well as the politics, culture, and the religious and sectarian issues at the heart of this tumultuous region.

SEMINAR TOPICS*

• The Middle East: The United States and a Changing Region
• Egypt: Leadership at Home and Abroad
• The Eastern Flank – South Asia and the Middle East: An Overview
• The Arab-Israeli Issue: The Promise vs. The Realities
• The Drive for Democracy in the Middle East: The End of the Road?
• Assessing the Future of Iraq and the Implications for U.S. National Interests
• Turkish-American Relations: Current Tensions and Future Prospects
• The Iran Dilemma: Politics, Culture, Society and the Future of the Islamic Republic
• U.S.-Saudi Relations: Inside the Mirage
• Jordan and Yemen: Simmering Problems and New Challenges
• Israeli-Syrian Negotiations: Shifting Relations and the Risk of Miscalculation
• Israel and Palestine: Is A Breakthrough Possible?
• Iran’s Nuclear Challenge: The Stakes for the United States and Its Allies
• How American Foreign Policy Has Misread the Middle East
• The Middle East: Why the Region Will Remain Crucial for American Interests
• The Persian Gulf States: Emerging Powers, Old Enmities, and the New Middle East

*The above topics are taken from previous seminars and may change to address current events at the time of the seminar.

FEE

$1,985 per person

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The seminar will be held in a private meeting room at the Capitol Hill Club, located at 300 First Street, SE, Washington, DC. The Club is directly across the street from the Capitol South Metro Station (Blue and Orange Lines). Reporting information concerning registration time and workshop start and end times will be sent to all participants approximately 2 weeks prior to the start of each program. This is a senior-level seminar and is designed for those who are professionally involved in the region, have a need-to-know, or an interest in the subject matter.

Generally, registration will begin around 7:45 am and seminars will be conducted from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on the first two days and from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm on the last day (subject to agenda and scheduling). Business attire for participants is required. Military uniform is optional.

No video, power point or audio-visual aids are utilized in the presentations. These programs are informal and strictly "off-the-record."

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