Zamir Akram, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, delivered remarks at the Middle East Institute regarding relations between Pakistan and the United States on the War on Terror. His comments covered a brief history of the relations between the two countries, emphasizing a “trust deficit” that has developed over the past 30 years. According to Akram, the future of this relationship should lie in a more substance-based strategic relationship built on long-term interests.

Jared Cohen, a Rhodes Scholar, received his B.A. from Stanford University and his Master's in International Relations from Oxford University. He is also author of the book One Hundred Days of Silence: America and the Rwanda Genocide (Rowman & Littlefield). Since writing this book, he joined the U.S. Department of State.

In this episode, Cohen discusses his new book, "Children of Jihad."

Middle East Institute is honored to host MK Ephraim Sneh, former Deputy Defense Minister of Israel. Minister Sneh has served in the Knesset since 1982 and as Minister of Health (1993-1996), Deputy Minister of Defense (1999-2001), and Minister of Transportation (2001-2002). In March 2006, he was re-elected to the Knesset and served as Chairman of the Labor Parliamentary Faction. In October 2006, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense for the second time.

For three decades, Mr. Cole has sought to put the relationship of the West and the Muslim world in historical context, and his most recent book is Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007). He also writes on current events, and his articles on contemporary Sunni radicalism include "Muslim Religious Extremism in Egypt" in Middle East Historiographies (University of Washington Press, 2006) and "The Taliban, Women, and the Hegelian Private Sphere," Social Research (Fall 2003).

Roy Gutman, a former senior fellow at the United States Institute of Peace (2002-2003), is an award-winning journalist who has reported on international affairs for more than three decades. He is currently foreign editor at the McClatchy Washington bureau. His new book, "How We Missed the Story; Osama Bin Laden, the Taliban, and the Hijacking of Afghanistan," is a narrative that exposes how and why the U.S. government, the United Nations, and the Western media "missed the story" in the leadup to 9/11.

Middle East Institute is honored to host Ambassador David Satterfield to give an update on the situation in Iraq following the President and Secretary of State's trip to the Middle East region, including provincial and national leadership, and the diplomatic activities on a regional level.

Middle East Institute and Israel Policy Forum are proud to co-host Alon Liel, Chairman of the Israel-Syria Peace Society and former Director General of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Liel has served in several foreign ministry posts and has spearheaded unofficial talks with prominent Syrians on a Syrian-Israeli peace treaty. Dr. Liel now lectures at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, and the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya.

Danny Seidemann is an Israeli lawyer and legal counsel to Ir Amim, an Israeli NGO concerned with the future of Jerusalem. He is a leading expert on Jerusalem's municipal operations, planning, and residency rights. Ir Amim has been an invaluable resource for policy makers, diplomats and journalists. Seidemann has appeared frequently before the Supreme Court of Israel on Jerusalem-related issues.

The Middle East Institute is honored to present Michael M. Gunter to discuss his new book, “The Kurds Ascending; The Evolving Solution to the Kurdish Problem in Iraq and Turkey,” a narrative that exposes the prospects of a positive future for the the Kurds in Iraq and Turkey.

Marking the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Middle East Institute & Foundation for Middle East Peace are honored to present Dalia Mogahed to discuss her timely new book, co-authored with John L. Esposito, "Who Speaks For Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think," the result of six years of research and more than 50,000 interviews representing 1.3 billion Muslims who reside in more than 35 nations that are predominantly Muslim or have sizable Muslim populations.

Middle East Institute is honored to host Michael Ware, to discuss the "Situtation on the Ground in Iraq." Ware is a CNN correspondent based in the international news network’s Baghdad bureau.

Ware joined CNN in June 2006 and quickly established himself as one of the foremost on air experts on Iraq, providing in-depth analysis and reports across all CNN networks.

Since joining CNN, Ware has also reported from Lebanon where he was involved in the network’s coverage of the Israel-Hezbollah crisis in the summer of 2006.

Middle East Institute is honored to host Dr. Ebrahim Yazdi to discuss the "Situation in Iran."

Ebrahim Yazdi lives in Tehran with his wife, and presently serves as Secretary-General of the Freedom Movement of Iran.

Middle East Institute is honored to host Aram Roston, to discuss his new book,"THE MAN WHO PUSHED AMERICA TO WAR: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE, ADVENTURES AND OBSESSIONS OF AHMAD CHALABI," an explosive biography that tells the untold story of the man who is largely responsible for the war in Iraq.

Middle East Institute & Israel Policy Forum are honored to co-host Aaron David Miller to discuss his new book "The Much Too Promised Land: America's Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace." For nearly twenty years, Miller has played a central role in U.S. efforts to broker Arab-Israeli peace. His position as an advisor to presidents, secretaries of state, and national security advisors has given him a unique perspective on a problem that American leaders have wrestled with for more than half a century.

MEI's May 12th publication of "Viewpoints Special Edition - Israel: Growing Pains at 60" included a contribution from Dr. Menachem Klein, senior lecturer at Bar Ilan University. In this episode of the MEI Podcast, Klein offers further comments on his Viepoints article, "Historical Success in Danger."

MEI is honored to host Osama Al-Kurdi, distinguished member of the Majlis Al-Shura (Consultative Council)of Saudi Arabia since 2001, to discuss "Developments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

The Middle East Institute is honored to host Richard Clarke, new Member of the MEI Board of Governors, to present his new book, "Your Government Failed You: Breaking the Cycle of National Security Disasters."

Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin, President of the Middle East Institute, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 25, 2008. Her testimony concerned U.S. aid to Pakistan.