The assassination of General Soleimani of Iran by the United States certainly gained the attention of much of the American
public, at least temporarily, on the forty year effort of Iran to eject the United States from the region and Iran’s quest for
regional hegemony in competition with the Gulf States. Necessarily, one is reminded of the regional context in which Iran
issues exist: ISIS, the Taliban, and costly Afghanistan; Sunni-Shia rivalry; ongoing American commitments in Iraq; dangers
of proliferation of nuclear weapons; the Arab-Israeli conflict; deep friendship with Israel; Turkey’s ambitions; Kurdish
nationalism; the Syrian Civil war with thousands of deaths and millions of refugees with extensive geopolitical consequences;
the expansion of Russia’s regional influence; China’s political and economic inroads via the Belt and Road initiative; and
domestic calls for America’s role to be much reduced or even ended. As we seek a coherent understanding of the region and
American policies, we are fortunate to be joined by Dr. John Duke Anthony, who has been a student of the region and an
extraordinary practical participant for half a century.
Dr. Anthony is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute. His M.S. degree in Foreign Service is from Georgetown
University’s School of Foreign Service; and his Ph.D. is in International Relations and Middle East Studies from Johns
Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He has authored significant books and written hundreds of articles on the
region. He has lectured at the State and Defense Departments and has been visiting or adjunct professor at ten notable
institutions of higher education in the United States and abroad.
He is the only American to be invited to each of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Ministerial and Heads of State Summits
since the GCC’s inception in 1981. He has accompanied over 200 senior diplomats and military officers on fact finding
missions to the Arab World.
He is the founding President of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; and has been a founder, president, or trustee of
a number of additional organizations dedicated to enhancing Arab-American relations. He has received high honors from the
United States government, foreign governments, and private organizations.
He knows the Gulf States, the Middle East, and United States policies. We can count on an illuminating evening.
It is a pleasure and honor to welcome Dr. John Duke Anthony to the Council.