Syria Debacle

The Common Good hosted a special conference call with Ambassador Robert Ford, former US Ambassador to Syria. Ambassador Ford gave credible insights into the state of the dispute in Syria, and the future of the current state in the Middle East.

The Common Good was honored to offer members a fresh take on the Syria conflict in a conference call with former US Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford. Mr. Ford is a decorated diplomat who served as Ambassador to Syria under the Obama administration, with an extensive diplomatic tenure in Iraq as well as Northern Africa.

Ambassador Ford discussed many of the key proceedings taking place in Syria, including new developments such as the insertion of the Turkish military into the conflict. Mr. Ford has a decorated history of diplomacy in the Middle East. In 2012, he was rewarded by the John F. Kennedy library in Boston with the annual Profile in Courage Award for his defense of human rights in Syria. His expertise on these issues provided members with unique insights towards the ramifications of Turkey’s actions, such as potential consequences regarding NATO as well as the US relationship with the democracy supportive Kurds.

The Ambassador opened up the call to highly educated questions from informed members who shared his concerns on the conflict. His responses provided a plethora of distinct perspectives, unique to someone of his expertise.

Water Conference in Paris

The Common Good was proud to assemble a delegation to join the international Conference on Water in Paris in partnership with the Netanya Academic College with the cooperation of European Leadership Network (ELNET), France-Israel Foundation (FIF), French-American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) and Veolia Environment S.A.

The conference was dedicated to advancing cutting-edge technological water solutions through regional and global cooperation in scarce water environments with an emphasis on Middle East water cooperation and issues. This important conversation on solutions to the impending water crisis and discover the innovative ways to tackle this threat brought forth leading scientists, officials, and organizations who are on the frontlines of this issue.

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Special Screening of “Letters from Baghdad” and Panel Discussion

The Common Good was pleased to present a special screening of the film, “Letter from Baghdad,” followed by a panel discussion with moderator Alex Witt, MSNBC anchor, the film’s award-winning filmmakers, Sabine Krayenbühl & Zeva Oelbaum, and former Middle East bureau chief at Newsday, Mohamad Bazzi.

“Letter from Baghdad” is the story of a true original-Gertrude Bell- who was sometime called “female” Lawrence of Arabia. Bell shaped the modern Middle East after World War 1 in ways that still reverberate today. She was arguably the most powerful woman In the British empire in her day. The film is narrated and executive produced by Academy Award-winning actor Tilda Swinton.

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“Letters from Baghdad provides a sturdy, often exhilarating bridge between the present and a past that not only isn’t distant, but isn’t even really past. ”

— Washington Post

“Letters from Baghdad reaffirms Bell’s legacy as pivotal in the West’s understanding of the Middle East ”

— LA Times

Sabine Krayenbühl (Director/Editor) is an award winning editor with over 20 theatrical documentaries and narrative features to her credit, many of which have premiered at prestigious festivals around the world. Her work includes Oscar and Independent Spirit Award nominated My Architect for which she received an American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Award nomination. (1)

Zeva Oelbaum (Director/Producer) is an award winning producer and photographer. She recently produced Ahead of Time, a feature documentary about centenarian journalist Ruth Gruber which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before garnering six Best Documentary awards. Her photographs are in international public collections including the Bibliothèque nationale de France and The Brooklyn Museum and two monographs of her work have been published by Rizzoli Int’l Publishers. (1)

Mohamad Bazzi is adjunct senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is also an assistant professor of journalism at New York University, where he teaches international reporting. He was the 2007-2008 Edward R. Murrow press fellow at CFR. (2)

Alex Witt hosts the MSNBC show “MSNBC live with Alex Witt” on Saturday’s and Sundays. In the wake of the September 11th attacks on America, Witt broadcast from the world Trade Center and has continued to follow the war on terrorism in the Middle East and in Iraq. Alex was a Consultant on the third and final season of Aaron Sorkin “The Newsroom” on HBO.

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(1) Material from the Letters from Baghdad website.

(2) Material from the Council on Foreign Relations.

Syrian Civil War: End in Sight? : Ambassador Robert Ford

Ambassador Robert Ford provided an update on the Syrian Civil War, including current critical policy choices and possible outcomes. Ford discussed the roles of the various players, from Syrian President Bashar al- Assad and ISIS, to the U.S, Russia, Iran and Turkey, calling on his experience and his deep expertise in Arab politics and diplomacy. This event was hosted by Robert Pietrzak and Maureen White.

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Robert Ford is a distinguished career diplomat who left the U.S. department of State after thirty years of service in April 2014. His accomplishments were recognized with the Distinguished Service award, the State Department’s highest award, a Presidential Honor award in 2012 for his stewardship of the American Embassy in Damascus during a crisis period, and the Profile in Courage award in 2012 from the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston for human rights work. Ford served as the U.S. Ambassador to Syria (20121-2014), to Algeria (2006-2008) and also served as Deputy Ambassador of Iraq and Bahrain. Other foreign posts included in Egypt, Turkey, and Cameroon. He served in Morocco at the beginning of his career as a Peace Corp Volunteer. He is now a scholar at the Middle East Institute where he writes and speaks about Iraq, Syria and North Africa. He is also a fellow at Yale University Jackson institute where he teaches Arab politics and diplomacy.

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