Dennis Ross, who played an integral role in shaping American involvement in successful Middle East peace talks during the 1990s, will deliver the second annual James P. Elder Lecture at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 11 in Whitley Auditorium. He will also hold a question-and-answer session with students in Whitley at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday. Details...
Ross served as Special Middle East Coordinator at the State Department from 1988 to 2000. He was the U.S. point man on the peace process in both the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations. He was instrumental in assisting the Israelis and Palestinians to reach the 1995 Interim Agreement. He successfully brokered the 1997 Hebron Accord, facilitated the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty and worked tirelessly to bring Israel and Syria together.
Ross has more than two decades of experience in Soviet and Middle East policy, working closely with Secretaries of State James Baker, Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright. Prior to his service as special Middle East coordinator under President Clinton, Ross served as director of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff in the first Bush administration. In that capacity, he played a prominent role in U.S. policy toward the former Soviet Union, the unification of Germany and its integration into NATO, arms control negotiations and the 1991 Gulf War coalition.
Ross currently serves as counselor and Ziegler distinguished fellow at The Washington Institute. He has published extensively on the former Soviet Union, arms control and the Middle East, and his 2004 book, “The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace,” offers personal insight into the Middle East peace process.
Ross’ lecture is free and open to the public.
The James P. Elder Lecture is Elon’s first endowed lecture series devoted to the exploration of critical scholarship and its impact in the public forum.
Elder graduated from Elon in 1960. He founded the Liberal Arts Forum as an undergraduate in 1958, and went on to serve on the history faculty at Elon from 1963 to 1973. As faculty advisor to the Liberal Arts Forum, he helped bring more than 150 distinguished lecturers from major universities to the Elon campus. He was instrumental in the creation of Elon’s study abroad program. Five times during his tenure, Elon students voted him as the college’s Outstanding Professor.