INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR TERRORISM STUDIES AT

POTOMAC INSTITUTE FOR POLICY STUDIES

“The Sunni-Shite Divide: 2016 Outlook and Beyond”

The newest friction in the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East is the intensifying sectarian Sunni-Shite tensions that contains grave implications for regional and global security concerns. Will the Saudi-Iranian crisis perhaps even drag the entire world to a brink of an unprecedented disaster? Alternatively, to what extent are the antagonists willing to dampen the passion of the strife and consequently promote conflict-resolution priorities?

The purpose of our special seminar was to assess the outlook of these challenges in 2016 and beyond.

Former U.S. officials and academics have focused on a wide-range of factors including political, legal, sociological, economic, diplomatic, strategic, and related issues.

 

Thursday, January 14, 2016

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
901 N. Stuart St., Suite 200
Arlington, VA 22203 

Moderator:
Professor Yonah Alexander
Director, Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies, and Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

Panel:
The Honorable Bijan R. Kian
Highest ranking Iranian-American to serve two U.S. presidents. He also held other senior government positions. In addition, he had a distinguished career in both business and academia

Scott Edelman
Former State Department advisor to U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command, in the Gulf

Issam Michael Saliba
Senior Foreign Law Specialist for the Middle East and North Africa, Law Library of Congress

Alex Vatanka
Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute and at the US Air Force Special Operations School (USAFSOS)

Professor Don Wallace, Jr.
Chairman, International Law Institute

Closing Remarks:
General Alfred Gray, USMC (Ret.)
Twenty-Ninth Commandant of the United States Marine Corps; Senior Fellow and Chairman of the Board of Regents, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

 

Watch full video here.