This week Cornell University was graced by two esteemed experts on Middle Eastern foreign policy, who gave talks regarding different elements of that field. Following General Anthony Zinni’s talk on the prospects for peace in the bitter and bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Prince Turki al-Faisil, member of the al-Faisil royal family of Saudi Arabia and former ambassador to the United States, gave a talk on what recommendations he would make to the Obama administration regarding Middle Eastern policy in this particularly sensitive time in the region.
Unlike Zinni’s talk, which basically focused on his ideas for the direction of foreign policy in America and gauging their chances at success, the prince’s talk was part history lesson, and part “indirect advising session” for President Obama. Al-Faisil explained how understanding the history of the United States and Arabia’s relationship is vital to any foreign policy dialogue between the two nations today, and curiously proposed that the US take a more active role in the peace process. This stands in direct contrast to Zinni’s hands-off approach, recommending that the United States merely intervene when it has to.
The prince concluded with his input on such diverse Middle-Eastern issues as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the aforementioned peace process between the Israeli’s and the Palestinians. All in all, the talk was an intriguing and understandable look into the potential future of Middle Eastern foreign policy, told very knowledgeably by Prince al-Faisil.
Full Analysis of the Prince’s speech will be available in the next issue of the Cornell Review. So be there, or be square. Photos by Oliver Renick:
