Former US ambassador to Israel and to Syria available to discuss Sept. 11 anniversary

David Ruth
713-348-6327
druth@rice.edu   

Franz Brotzen
713-348-6775
franz.brotzen@rice.edu

Former US ambassador to Israel and to Syria available to discuss Sept. 11 anniversary

Former U.S. Ambassador Edward P. Djerejian, the founding director of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is available to comment on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Djerejian, who served as U.S. ambassador to Syria and to Israel and assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, is also the author of the book ”Danger and Opportunity: An American Ambassador’s Journey Through the Middle East.”

“Ten years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the struggle of ideas between the forces of moderation and extremism within the Muslim world continues,” he said. “The death of Osama bin Laden and the popular uprisings across the Arab world mark a new stage in this struggle and in the region’s history, which has direct consequences for the national security interests of the United States.”

After the Sept. 11 attacks, Djerejian was asked by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell to chair a congressionally mandated bipartisan Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim World. The group published its report in October 2003. The report outlined a strategic direction for the United States in the “struggle for ideas” in the Arab and Muslim world and defined diplomacy as the ability to “first listen and understand, and then inform, engage and influence foreign audiences.”

To view Djerejian’s bio, go to www.bakerinstitute.org/personnel/fellows-scholars/edjerejian.

Other Baker Institute experts available to speak to reporters are:

Richard Stoll, the Albert Thomas Chair in Political Science and Rice scholar at the Baker Institute. Stoll can speak on terrorism, international relations, U.S. national security policy and NATO’s missions in Afghanistan and Libya.

David Cook, associate professor of religious studies and Rice scholar at the Baker Institute. He is the author of “Understanding Jihad” and “Martyrdom in Islam.” Cook can speak on the origins and historical development of Islam, movements for radical social change in the Muslim world and the theme of martyrdom in Islam.

Joan Neuhaus Schaan, fellow in homeland security and terrorism at the Baker Institute and director of the Texas Security Forum. She can speak on transnational terrorist threats that have faced the United States for the last two decades, strides made in countering these threats and recent trends in activity.

To schedule an interview with Djerejian or other experts at the Baker Institute, contact David Ruth at druth@rice.edu or 713-348-6327.