March 3, 2022
Join Oakland University’s Center for Civic Engagement and Cis Maisel Center for Judaic Studies and Community Engagement for a conversation with two former U.S. Ambassadors about prospects for peace in the Middle East.
The event, titled “The Abraham Accords: Will They Bring Peace to the Middle East?”, will take place from 7-8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29 in Ballrooms A & B inside the Oakland Center.
“The complex politics of the Middle East, especially those with Israel and its neighbors, are important to understand,” said Michael Pytlik, director of Jewish Studies at Oakland University. “We are fortunate to have two former ambassadors in our community who will help us understand the Abraham Accords.”
The Abraham Accords are a series of treaties normalizing diplomatic relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, facilitated by the U.S. Administration between August and December 2020. In the span of five short months, these four Arab states joined Egypt and Jordan in making peace with Israel.
“The Accords have produced peace between Israel and some Gulf states and this process has extended to improved relations and ties between Morocco and Sudan with Israel,” Pytlik said. “In areas of politics and economics and trade, the Accords have provided a roadmap toward further implementation.”
David T. Fischer, former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, and John Rakolta, Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, will visit Oakland University to discuss how the agreements came about, what they have meant for the peace process and what the future may hold in the region.
“I look forward to the insights of these experts on these topics,” Pytlik said.
The discussion will be moderated by Carol Cain from WWJ-TV and the Detroit Free Press. In addition, all attendees will have an opportunity to submit a question for the Ambassadors.
The event is free, but registration is required.
About the Center for Civic Engagement
The Oakland University Center for Civic Engagement takes important issues of public concern and public policy out of the classroom and actively engages many different stakeholders in non-partisan, deliberative and productive dialogue.
About the Cis Maisel Center for Judaic Studies and Community Engagement
The Oakland University Cis Maisel Center for Judaic Studies and Community Engagement focuses on the study of Judaism and Jewish culture from an academic standpoint and provides an important space for research that enhances the understanding of the rich traditions of Judaism from around the world.