Ambassador Dennis Ross, who has had more than two decades of experience with Middle Eastern and Soviet policy, will speak at 6:30 p.m., April 11 in Whitley Auditorium.

Ross’ speech, entitled “Making Peace,” is the second lecture made

possible by the James. P. Elder lecture endowment. Ross’ lecture is free and open to the public.

During the Reagan administration, Ross served as director of Near East and South Asian Affairs on the National Security Council and was the Deputy Director of the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment.

It was during George H.W. Bush’s term that Ross gained prominence as a skilled international policy maker.

Ross served as Director of the State Department’s Policy Planning office, a position that made him a key player in shaping U.S. policy toward the former Soviet Union, the development of the Gulf War Coalition and the unification of Germany, and subsequent integration of Germany into NATO.

Ross served as the Special Middle East coordinator from 1988 to 2000, and was also instrumental in shaping United States involvement in the Middle East peace process.

He dealt directly with the likes of Yasser Arafat, Binyamin Netanyahu and Hafez Asad, as well as U.S. Secretaries of State James Baker, Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright.

Ross assisted the Israelis and Palestinians in reaching the 1995 Interim Agreement, brokered the 1997 Hebron Accord,

facilitated the Israeli-Jordan peace treaty and worked to bring Israel and Syria together.

Currently, Ross resides in Washington, D.C., where he is a Counselor and Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Ross is a Foreign Affairs Analyst for the Fox News Channel and frequently submits pieces to “The Washington Post,” “The Financial Times” and “U.S. News and World Report.”

He is also the first chairman of the Jerusalem-based think tank the Institute for Jewish People Policy Planning.

In 2004, Ross released his first book, entitled “The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace.” This professional memoir was praised as “an epic diplomat’s handbook” and “an essential reading for anyone interested in why we are where we are in the Middle East” by Publisher’s Weekly.

“The Missing Peace” led to controversy for Ross when former President Jimmy Carter released his book, “Palestine Peace, Not Apartheid,” for which he was accused of plagiarizing original political maps that Ross had developed for his own book.

Through his speeches, Ross seeks to shed light on the complex world of Middle Eastern policy and illustrate the integral role it will play in America’s future.

While the lecture holds obvious appeal for Political Science and International Studies majors, everyone on Elon’s campus can benefit in some way from Ross’ lessons.

“Whether or not you’re an International Studies major, international peace is important,” said Stefan Dolgert, adjunct instructor of International Relations. “If you want to live in a world without terrorism, work for an international corporation overseas, or be involved with the oil trade, [Ross’ insight is valuable].”

Dolgert added that business and communications students should definitely attend this lecture.

Reporter: Jessi Dexheimer - 04/05/07