New York, NY (October 3, 2013) – More than 100 people attended an invitation-only event, Every Nation for Itself: International Leadership in a Changing Middle East, co-sponsored by the Near East Foundation (NEF) and Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
The forum, held last evening at the Harvard Club, featured Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of Eurasia Group, and James Steinberg, Dean of the Maxwell School and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State.
Mehrzad Boroujerdi – Iranian expert, Political Science Professor, and Founding Director of the Middle Eastern Studies Program at Syracuse University – served as moderator for the discussion.
The panelists discussed the role of the United States in global politics and the new world order in which no single country or alliance can meet the challenges of global leadership. They addressed the situations in Syria, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern countries – along with the tremendous challenges and opportunities of this historic moment, in an age of problems without borders.
Relations with China, cybersecurity, climate change, food security, and global health were highlighted as priority foreign policy concerns.
The panelists discussed ways that development organizations such as NEF can support countries as they’re undergoing political change. Strengthening the leadership qualities and skills of women and youth was mentioned as an area of particular importance.
The forum was the first in a series of events to be held in the lead-up to NEF’s 2015 Centennial Celebration.
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The Near East Foundation is a U.S.-based international development NGO leading innovative social and economic change in the Middle East and Africa for nearly 100 years. Founded in 1915, NEF helps build more sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive communities through education, governance, and economic development initiatives. NEF field staff – all of them from the countries in which they work – partner with local organizations to implement grassroots solutions and to empower citizens through “knowledge, voice, and enterprise.” To learn more visit www.neareast.org.
