Book Talk | America’s Middle East: The Ruination of a Region

For more than 30 years, the Middle East has played a pivotal role in U.S. foreign policy, including the regional Gulf War and conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and beyond. Despite promises to bring stability to the region, American interventions have too often created and deepened instability and humanitarian crises. In his new book, America’s Middle East: The Ruination of a Region, Marc Lynch examines the impact that Washington has had in the region.

Join Perry World House for this timely discussion on the legacy of American foreign policy in the Middle East and the lessons to learn that would shape a different future.

Speaker

Marc Lynch is professor of political science at the George Washington University and director of the Project on Middle East Political Science. He runs the popular blog and podcast Abu Aardrark’s MENA Academy, and publishes frequently on the politics of the Middle East. His recent books include America’s Middle East: The Ruination of a Region, What is the Middle East? The Theory and Practice of Regions, and Making Sense of the Arab State.

Moderator

Marie Harf comes to Penn with two decades of varied experience in the U.S. federal government, higher education, media, and politics. Previously she worked as senior advisor for strategic communications to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and deputy spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, as the foreign policy director on Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, and as a Middle East analyst and spokesperson at the Central Intelligence Agency. She has also held senior roles at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and for Congressman Seth Moulton’s political organization. Since 2017, Harf has been an on-air commentator for Fox News. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Indiana University with concentrations in Jewish Studies and Russian and Eastern European Studies, and a master’s degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia.