Syrian Civil War: End in Sight?
Ambassador Robert Ford
Wednesday, November 8th
Ambassador Ford will brief us on the Syrian Civil War, as it is now and possible outcomes, including the role of the various players, from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and ISIS, to the U.S., Russia, Iran and Turkey, calling on his experience and his deep expertise in Arab politics and diplomacy.
About Ambassador Robert Ford
Robert Ford finished a thirty year career with the U.S. Department of State in April 2014. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Syria 2011-2014, receiving the Profile in Courage award in 2012 from the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston for his human rights work and a Presidential Honor award in 2012 for his stewardship of the American Embassy in Damascus during a crisis period. Ford was the U.S. Ambassador in Algeria 2006-2008 and also served five years in Iraq helping the Iraqis establish their permanent government through three rounds of elections.
He was presented with the Distinguished Service award, the State Department’s highest award, by Secretary of State John Kerry in March 2014. He is now a scholar at the Middle East Institute where he writes and speaks about Iraq, Syria and North Africa. He is also a fellow at Yale University Jackson Institute where he teaches about Arab politics and diplomacy.
