Can Trump's 'America First' Approach Redefine Peace in The Middle East?

Event Description: Join Edward Djerejian, former U.S. ambassador to Israel and Syria, and Omar Rahman, a fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, as they discuss the prospects of Trump's Middle East policy and its potential impact on shaping a new reality—particularly regarding the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.

Moderated by Carr Center Faculty Director, Mathias Risse, and Carr Center Middle East Programming Associate, Khaled Emam.

This event is only open to HUID holders. Preregistration for this event is required. Please note that registration does not guarantee admission -- we will seat attendees on a first come first served basis.

Speaker Bios:

Ambassador (Ret.) Edward P. Djerejian joins Harvard Kennedy School's Middle East Initiative as a residential Senior Fellow following his almost 30-year tenure as founding director of Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy (1994 to 2022). 

Djerejian joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1962 after his service in the Army in Korea (1961-1962). His 32-year diplomatic career spanned eight presidential administrations from John F. Kennedy to William J. Clinton. Djerejian is a leading expert on national security, foreign policy, public diplomacy, and the complex political, security, economic, religious, and ethnic issues of the broader Middle East. He has played key roles in the Arab-Israeli peace process and regional conflict resolution. He is the author of Danger and Opportunity: An American Ambassador's Journey Through the Middle East.

Omar H. Rahman is a fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, where he focuses on Palestine, Middle East geopolitics, and American foreign policy in the region. He is the Editor of Afkār, the Council’s online publication providing insights and analysis on current events in the region.

Rahman was previously a non-resident fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center, where he researched and wrote about Palestine-Israel, the Arab Gulf, and the intersection between the two. Prior to this, Rahman was a research analyst at the Arab Gulf States Institute, where he focused on the political economy of the Gulf states.

Rahman established his career as a journalist based in the U.S. and the Middle East, including three years in Palestine where he was a columnist for +972 Magazine. Rahman was also an associate editor at World Politics Review in New York, as well as an editor and senior Middle East correspondent at Argus Media. His writing has been published in The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The National Interest, Lawfare, VICE, PBS NewsHour, Quartz, Al-Jazeera English, and The National, among other outlets.

Rahman’s other work includes peer-reviewed policy papers. academic articles, and book chapters including in the recently-published volume: What is Israel/Palestine? (Routledge, 2022). He is currently working on a book about Palestinian de-fragmentation in the post-Oslo era. Rahman is also a frequent speaker on panels, at conferences, and in the media.