UCF Newsroom: Lou Frey Institute Symposium Focuses on Middle East Issues
By: Courtney Gilmartin
Lou Frey Institute of Politics and GovernmentLeaders from Jewish, Evangelical and Muslim faiths gathered for a panel discussion at the University of Central Florida on Monday to discuss religion in the Middle East and encourage young people to be open minded and accepting of people of different faiths.
The Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government’s fall symposium also featured Scott Ritter, a former U.N. chief weapons inspector; retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, former director of the reconstruction efforts in Iraq; and Lisa Myers, a senior investigative correspondent with NBC News.
Throughout the day, speakers and panels focused on some of the most significant issues facing the Middle East, ranging from weapons of mass destruction and terrorism to religion and solutions for achieving peace.
Ritter kicked off the day by sharing his experiences as a weapons inspector in Iraq, offering comments on the current conflict in Iran and calling for attendees to be engaged in their government.
“As American citizens, we have a duty and responsibility to demand from our government that they share information,” Ritter said. “Don’t sit there and become a prisoner of the government.”
During the question-and-answer session that followed, Ritter challenged the audience to search for facts and make their opinions known to their elected officials.
“Citizenship is not easy,” added Ritter. “Democracy has to come from within.”
In the panel discussion featuring religious leaders, Imam Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, said “We have to compromise and see the humanity in the other.”
In his daytime keynote address, Garner said that the three biggest challenges younger generations will face while running this world are Iraq, the radical Islamic movement and nuclear proliferation.
“We are witnessing the spread of nuclear weapons to really unstable states,” he said.
Garner stressed the importance of electing strong leaders “who will restore our moral capital.”
“There is no substitute for patience and diplomacy,” said Garner. “To sit down and talk to people is how you solve problems.
In her evening keynote address, Myers discussed domestic and foreign issues that the new president will face. Listing the variety of problems facing the country — the financial crisis, soaring health care costs, Iraq and Iran, among others — she said that “getting elected may be the easy part” for John McCain or Barack Obama. The most pressing problem, she said, is the potential for someone from Al-Qaida or a likeminded group to gain access to a nuclear weapon. While it once took a nation to threaten our country, a few terrorists can do that now.
Traditional Middle East issues, such as the Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts, have hardly been mentioned in this campaign, Myers said. Despite the efforts of Secretary of State Condolezza Rice, the Bush years likely will end without a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians, and that is not likely to be a priority in the next president’s early years because of the pressures in Iran, Iraq, North Korea and elsewhere.
Other speakers at the symposium included representatives from The American Security Project, Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, Washington Kurdish Institute and Rollins College. Several UCF faculty members served as moderators throughout the day.
The Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government is a nonpartisan organization housed in the UCF Department of Political Science. The institute promotes civic education and engagement, particularly among young people. Institute programs encourage informed discussion of issues from diverse viewpoints, stimulate participation in the political process and support research on politics and policy. Visit www.loufrey.org for more information.
Co-sponsors of the fall symposium include Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A.; The United States Association of Former Members of Congress; the UCF Global Perspectives Office; the UCF Department of Political Science; Industrial Enterprises of America; the U.S. Department of Education; the UCF College of Sciences; the UCF Middle Eastern Studies Program, the UCF Kurdish Political Studies Initiative; the UCF Terrorism Studies Program; and the Global Connections Foundation.
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