Thursday, March 04, 2004

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Amy Hawthorne, associate fellow of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, will discuss “Reform in the Middle East” at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 16 in Cameron Hall Auditorium. This is part of the Great Decisions Discussion Program sponsored by the Political Science Department of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The lecture is free and open to the public, but seating is limited.

Hawthorne received her B.S. from Yale University and her M.A. from the University of Michigan. She is a Middle East specialist with expertise in domestic Arab politics, human rights and the possibility of democratic change in the Arab world. She is the editor of Carnegie’s Arab Reform Bulletin. Additionally, she is also a team member of the Council of Foreign Relations. Prior to joining the Carnegie Endowment, Hawthorne was a research fellow in Arab politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. From 1996 to 2000 she was a senior program officer for the Middle East at the International Foundation for Election Systems. Her publications include “Can the U.S. Promote Democracy in the Middle East?” in Current History (January 2003), and “Democracy Deficit: U.S. Democracy Promotion Effort in the Arab World” (Washington Institute for Near East Policy, forthcoming).

Sponsored by the Political Science Department at UNCW and developed by the Foreign Policy Association, the Great Decisions Discussion Program is the longest-standing and largest grassroots world affairs educational program of its kind. It is the core of FPA's civic education outreach efforts, bringing millions of Americans together in communities across the country to discover, discuss and decide their opinions on foreign policy issues.

Other speakers expected in the series include Walter Andrusyszyn discussing public diplomacy on Tuesday, March 23 and Dr. Ole Holsti of Duke University discussing media and foreign policy on Tuesday, March 30. Interested individuals should check the event website (http://www.greatdecisions2004.com) for the most current information on upcoming speakers, or they can contact Dr. Remonda Kleinberg, advisor for the UNCW Great Decisions Discussion Program, at 910/962-4254 or e-mail kleinbergr@uncw.edu.

Media Contact: For information, contact the advisor of the UNCW Great Decisions Discussion Program Dr. Remonda Kleinberg at 910/962-4254 or e-mail kleinbergr@uncw.edu