In the “Exiting Iraq” panel of the Middle East Institute’s 60th Annual Conference, Jay Garner, Brian Katulis, David Satterfield, Qubad Talabani and moderator Bing West discussed various ways to improve the situation in Iraq and to find a comprehensive and successful way out of the current quagmire for US forces.

Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs John Hillen laid out a new security architecture for US relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council. He stressed the need for multilateral cooperation in seven key areas in order to face new challenges involving Iraq and Iran.

Gary Sick, Senior Research scholar at SIPA's Middle East Institute, Columbia University
Hooshang Amirahmadi, Founder and President, American Iranian Council (AIC)
John Limbert, U.S. Naval Academy, former 14 month hostage in Iran
Kenneth Pollack, Brookings Institution

Views from Kuwait, UAE and Saudi Arabia

Sami Al-Faraj, President of the Kuwait Centre for Strategic Studies
Ibtisam Al-Kitbi, UAE University
Wahid Hashim, King Abdul Aziz University - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Barbara Slavin, Senior Diplomatic Reporter for USA Today, USIP

Views from Jordan, Syria and Lebanon

Fares Braizat, Director and Senior Researcher of University of Jordan's Centre for Strategic Studies
Murhaf Jouejati, National Defense University, Former Advisor to the Syrian delegation during the Middle East peace talks
Judith P. Harik, President of Matn University, Beirut and leading expert on Hezbollah
Trita Parsi, National Iranian American Council (NIAC)

Patrick Clawson, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Hillary Mann Leverett, former National Security Council director for Iran and Persian Gulf Affairs
Ray Takeyh, Council on Foreign Relations
David Mack, Middle East Institute

Ibrahim Aboukhazam, Rector, Nasser University
Ronald Bruce St. John, Historian of US-Libyan Relations
Ali Abdussalam Triki, Deputy Secretary General For Foreign liaisons and international Cooperation in charge of African Affairs
Daniel Yergin, Chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA)
Moderator: Charles O. Cecil, former US Ambassador to Niger and recent US Chargé in Libya

J. Stephen Morrison, Director, Africa Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)
Ali Richi, Deputy Secretary General of Foreign liaisons and international Cooperation in charge of Migration.
Miloud Mehadabi, Director of International affairs, Green Book Centre
Moderator: Herman Cohen, Cohen and Woods International and former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs