Mars Hill University will host a lecture by Middle East expert
and former ambassador Edward W. Gnehm, Jr. on September 18 at 7 pm in Moore
Auditorium.
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Gnehm's lecture, titled, "The Middle East Cauldron,"
will touch on the chaos and turmoil in the region and examine how civil war,
sectarian brutality, and radical ideologies have undermined legitimate
governments and crushed the memories of the Arab Spring. Possible effects
of U.S. policies on the region will also be a point of scrutiny.
The event is part of Mars Hill's University and Performance
Series, which began last year.
Gnehm has a long and distinguished career as a former
ambassador to Jordan, Australia and Kuwait. He has also served as
Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Personnel for the
Department of State.
Ambassador Gnehm received the Presidential Distinguished
Service Award in 2000. In 2004 Secretary of State Colin Powell awarded
Ambassador Gnehm the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award for his
work in Jordan. He also received two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards in
1990 for his public service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, and in
1991, for his service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. During his career
he received a number of other State Department awards, including Superior Honor
Awards for his service in Kuwait and Riyadh, in Washington as Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State, and in Taif, Saudi Arabia, as Special Envoy to the Kuwaiti
Government, and Meritorious Honor Awards for his work in Damascus and Beirut.
Ambassador Gnehm was elected to the American Academy of
Diplomacy in 2005. He holds leadership positions in several organizations
including: the American-Kuwaiti Alliance, Chair of the Board of Directors of
ANERA (American Near East Refugees Aid), the Senior Living Foundation, the Middle
East Policy Council and the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce.
Since 2004, he has been a member of the faculty of the George
Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. He is
the Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs and the Director of
the Middle East Policy Forum.
Dr.
John Wells, executive vice president, said: “Mars Hill University is proud to
bring Ambassador Gnehm to campus. His expertise in affairs specifically
related to the politics of the Middle East could not be more timely.
We expect his remarks to lead to healthy conversation and debate on
campus.”
The Mars Hill University Lecture and Performance Series brings
distinguished and knowledgeable individuals to the university campus to lecture
on a wide range of topics which complement the university’s emphasis on the
liberal arts.
