Ambassador William Rugh will lead “Great Decisions” 

discussion of US Foreign Policy in the Middle East

Ambassador Rugh was a U.S. Foreign Service Officer for 31 years and had nine diplomatic assignments in the Arab world, including ambassador to Yemen (1984-87) and to the United Arab Emirates (1992-95), as well as Deputy Chief of Mission in Syria (1981-84), public affairs officer in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He has taught diplomacy and foreign policy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and at Northeastern University. He is the author of five books on public diplomacy in the Arab and Islamic worlds, US soft power and Arab mass media. Rugh holds a PhD in international relations from Columbia University. He is a Board member of the Middle East Policy Council and formerly was a Trustee of the American University in Cairo and an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute.

Ambassador Rugh will be joining us via Zoom as we discuss “American Policy in the Middle East” on Monday, October 13, at 6:00 p.m. 

The Middle East suffers ceaseless conflicts, autocratic rulers, endemic social and economic disparity, unchecked population growth, and poor education systems. Peace between Israel and the Palestinians seems impossible. What are the options when the war in Gaza finally ends?

The relevant reading from the Foreign Policy Association is “American Policy in the Middle East: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead,” by Daniel C. Kurtzer, Professor of Middle East Policy Studies at Princeton and former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt and to Israel. A copy of this excellent article can be emailed to you upon request to Jane Malmberg, Library Director: jmalmberg@walpoletownlibrary.org

For those joining via Zoom, please request the Zoom link from the library prior to the meeting and join at 6:25 p.m., after the Foreign Policy video “Master Class.”

Tagged: great decisions