A University of South Florida event Thursday called “Violent Extremism in the Greater Middle East and the Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy” will address the pending nuclear deal with Iran and how to deal with the growing threat of the Islamic State, or ISIS.
WUSF's Steve Newborn discusses what to expect with USF Professor Mohsen Milani.
The conference, hosted by USF's Center for Strategic & Diplomatic Studies, comes a week before Congress will vote on the Iran nuclear deal. It will be held from 8:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. in the Patel Center for Global Solutions Auditorium.
The morning session focuses on the Iran nuclear deal, while the afternoon session will cover ISIS. According to the event organizers, the speaker list includes:
MORNING SESSION: 9:00-11:45 A.M.
Brig. Gen. Shlomo Brom (ret. Israel) previously served as the Director of the Strategic Planning Division in the Israeli Defense Forces. He will discuss the Iran nuclear deal from an Israeli perspective.
Ambassador Christopher Hill is the former Ambassador to Iraq and served as the Head of the U.S. delegation on the North Korean nuclear negotiations. He will discuss the Iran nuclear deal from an American perspective and what we have learned from the negotiations with North Korea.
Mr. Paul Saunders is the Executive Director of the Center for the National Interest and served in the Bush Administration from 2003-2005. He will discuss the role of Russia in the nuclear deal with Iran.
Dr. Mohsen Milani is a professor of politics at the University of South Florida. He will discuss Iran's perspective regarding the nuclear deal with the six global powers.
AFTERNOON SESSION: 1:00-4:30 P.M.
Ambassador Husain Haqqani is the former Pakistan Ambassador to the U.S. He will discuss prophecy and Jihad in the Indian sub-continent.
Dr. Henri Barkey is the Director of the Woodrow Wilson Center, Middle East Program. He will discuss Turkey's policy toward the ISIS.
Dr. Ebtesam Al-Ketbi (UAE) is Chairwoman at the Emirates Policy Center, United Arab Emirates. She will discuss the roots of extremism in the Middle East.
Mr. Hayder al-Khoei (U.K.) is an Associate Fellow in the Middle East and North Africa Programs at Chatham House in London. He will discuss the rise of Iraq's Shi'a militias in fighting against the ISIS.
