Ambassador's Forum: 2006 Middle East Outlook: Terrorism, War, Peace?

Ambassador Wilcox at podium, Professor Yonah Alexander, Ambassador Logoglu, and Professor Edgar Brenner.

December 20, 2005

News Release

Arlington, VA – On Monday the Potomac Institute provided a forum for the Ambassador of Turkey, Dr. O. Faruk Logoglu, and Ambassdor Philip C. Wilcox, Jr. (Ret.) to share their outlooks on the Middle East for the coming year. About 75 people were in attendance at the two-hour forum that was later broadcast on C-SPAN.

Dr. Logoglu was hopeful about the conflict in Iraq, especially after the recent elections. “Democracy is a generational commitment,” he said, “the crucial thing is to keep moving.”

Democracy is the vehicle for progress and its propagation will strengthen the role of women, allowing for more awareness of the need for gender equality. Ambassador Logoglu also promoted a separation of the state and religion and said that the rule of law and respect for human rights should be supreme.

Speaking about Iran, the Ambassador explained that the development of nuclear weapons in Iran will pose a serious threat to security in the Middle East region. The effort by the European Union has not been successful and the Iranians are bent on having nuclear weapons. The United States must promote direct engagement and talks with Iran to deter the advancement of its weapon systems.

There are no significant factors to assume that terrorism in the region will increase but “there will always be terrorist attacks,” said Ambassador Logoglu. No strategy can eliminate terrorism completely; however, “democracy and reform lead to less and less space for terrorists.”

Ambassador Wilcox warned at the U.S. administration must be wary of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine and “the mission is to define ultimate borders between” the two countries. The leaders must be decisive, courageous, and use political skill to solve the conflict, however, winning “the minds of the people is most important.”

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