Scholars To Discuss Ongoing Challenge of Confronting ISIS October 2

On Thursday, October 2, 2014, the Washington College chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society will host a debate titled “Iraq and Syria: Debating the Past and Planning for the Future.” Two scholars with expertise in Middle Eastern affairs—Michael Rubin, a resident scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, and Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress—will discuss the rise of ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) in the region, the policies that led to it, and how to move forward. The event will begin at 6:00 p.m in Hynson Lounge, Hodson Hall, on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue.

Michael Rubin

Michael Rubin is a former Pentagon official and political advisor whose major research areas are the Middle East, Turkey, Iran and diplomacy. He instructs senior military officers deploying to the Middle East and Afghanistan on regional politics, and teaches classes regarding Iran, terrorism, and Arab politics on board deploying U.S. aircraft carriers. Rubin has lived in post-revolution Iran and Yemen and both pre- and post-war Iraq, and spent time with the Taliban before the 9/11 terrorist events. His newest book, Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes, examines a half-century of U.S. diplomacy with rogue regimes and terrorist groups.

Brian Katulis

Brian Katulis focuses his research and analysis on U.S. policy in the Middle East and South Asia. He has consulted with government agencies, corporations and organizations on projects that span more than two dozen countries, including Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Egypt. He spent three years (1995-1998) in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Egypt working for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs.

Washington College professor Joseph Prud’homme, director of the Institute for Religion, Politics, and Culture, will moderate the discussion.

The Alexander Hamilton Society defines itself as an “independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting constructive debate on basic principles and contemporary issues in foreign, economic, and national security policy.”