Sarasota World Affairs to Sponsor a Lecture on the Middle East
Professor Derek Harvey, Director of the Global Initiative for Civil Society and Conflict at the University of South Florida, Tampa, will discuss "Beyond Crisis and Conflict: Toward a Deeper Understanding of the Middle East," at a program sponsored by the Sarasota World Affairs on January 15, at 6:30 p.m., in the MIldred Sainer Pavilion on the campus of the New College of Florida, 5313 Bay Shore Road.
Professor Harvey is an internationally renowned analyst of social, cultural, political and conflict issues, with more than 20 years' experience in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. A former U.S. Army Colonel and Senior Executive for the Defense Intelligence Agency, he served numerous tours in Iraq, to include the Special Advisor for the Intelligence and Policy to Generals David Petraeus and current Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno. He is credited for practically ingle-handedly re-shaping intelligence - from policy to tactical levels - for the contempary challenges of modern conflict. He sounded the alarm on the growing insurgency in Iraq in 2003, despite optimistic assessments by senior U.S. officials. Deeply independent in his analysis, he is respected across the political spectrum and is featured in Bob Woodward's The War Within, which describes how he effectively moved among the tribes of Iraq and developed the deep cultural and social understanding so lacking in much of government and even academic discipline.
Professor Harvey is a frequent contributor to the PBS News Hour, National Public Radio, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and Al Jazeera. He has briefed Cognress and the Executive Branch, including the President and National Security Council Principals, on Middle East issues. Professor Harvey was the Army Senior Fellow to the U.S. State Department and attended Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, Intelligence and Policy Program, as well as L'Ecole e'Etat Majeur, the Moroccan Staff College. His U.S. Military education includes the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the Foreign Area Officer Course - MIddle East/ North Africa.
The lecture is free for the general public. Since seating is limited, call 941-487-4603 or email info@sarasotawac.org for reservations. A reception with the speaker will follow for SWAC members at College Hall on the New College bayfront.
For more information:
Professor David Harvey: www.cas.usf.edu/news/s/546