Middle East Expert Set for July 23 Talk on U.S.-Iran Relations
Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571; George Manlove at (207) 581-3756
BANGOR — Bruce Riedel, a Middle East expert of international stature who serves as Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center for Middle East Policy, will speak on U.S.-Iran relations in Bangor on Monday, July 23.
Riedel will present “U.S.-Iran Relations: Looking into the Future” at 7:30 a.m. in the second floor lecture room at Bangor Public Library. His talk is part of the Bangor Foreign Policy Forum Series, a community forum organized by UMaine’s School of Policy and International Affairs. The forum brings recognized scholars and other authorities to Bangor to discuss timely issues of interest to a wide audience, increasing awareness of international affairs.
“Bruce is a prominent analyst with 30 years of experience and is widely respected in Washington for his balanced position,” says Prof. Bahman Baktiari, director of research and academic programming in the School of Policy and International Affairs. “He predicted the situation in Iraq, and was one of the few people who warned the administration that its Iraq policy will undermine the war against Osama Bin Laden.”
Riedel’s previous positions include service as Special Adviser working for NATO in Brussels, Belgium; work as a member of the Royal College of Defense Studies in London; service as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Near East and North African Affairs at the National Security Council, and time as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council.
His expertise, in areas such as counter-terrorism and Arab-Israeli issues is widely known. Both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times quoted Riedel in July 13 news reports related to the threat posed by Al Qaeda.