Public Diplomacy and Dialogue with the Arab and Islamic World
Featuring:
As the Bush Administration looks for ways to improve public diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim world, the Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Ambassador Gunter Mulack, the German Commissioner for the Dialogue with the Islamic World, to provide insights on how the German government has approached this critical objective following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The Commissioner for the Dialogue with Islam and his task force were established in the spring 2002 in response to the shock felt by Germans after discovering that many of the 9/11 perpetrators had been living among them. It was agreed that fighting threats of such a global dimension is not enough—the root causes of Islamist terrorism had to be examined. Islamist terrorism emanating from the greater Middle East is of special concern to Germany, given the geographical proximity of the region to Europe. Relations with the Muslim world are thus at the top of Germany’s foreign policy agenda.
Ambassador Gulack earned his PhD in International Law from Göttingen University. A fluent Arabic speaker, he entered the German Foreign Service in 1971, rising through the ranks to become German Ambassador in Kuwait and Bahrain (1991-1994). Ambassador Mulack also served as German Ambassador in Damascus, Syria (1999-2002).
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-- MEI Mission Statement
