Ambassador to discuss ‘Middle East Meltdown’

Ambassador Ryan Crocker will present “Middle East Meltdown: Causes and Consequences” at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 5, in the Atkins Library, Halton Reading Room, as part of the fall 2018 International Speaker Series.

Crocker, was the diplomat-in-residence at the Woodward Wilson School, Princeton University, for the 2017-18 academic year. He served as U.S ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait and Lebanon. In recognition of his work, Crocker has received numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, in 2009 for his extensive career and work in both foreign relations and policy.

In September 2004, President Bush conferred on Crocker the personal rank of career ambassador, the highest in the U.S. Foreign Service. In May 2009, Secretary of the State Hilary Clinton announced the establishment of the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Achievement in Expeditionary Diplomacy.

In his Sept. 5 talk, Crocker will summarize what he has found to be the causes and consequences of the “Middle East Meltdown.”

The Office of International Programs, in conjunction with the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, Atkins Library and the Department of Global Studies, sponsors the International Speaker Series.

Faculty are encouraged to reserve space to attend with their classes and/or arrange for an extra-credit sign-in sheet for students; email globaleducation@uncc.edu. Individual RSVPs are requested, too.