• Bush School organizers say similar events are in the works

• “We would like to offer our sincere appreciation for the support and leadership of Donald Zale ’55 and Gerald Ray ’54. “Syria at a Crossroads” fostered exchanges of ideas that could lead to real, meaningful change. We have them to thank for the good that comes out of this event.” – John B. Sherman ’92, dean of The Bush School of Government and Public Service

View Remarks by The Honourable Mohammed Abdul Rahman Turko, PhD

BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION, TX – The first of what promises to be a series of Texas A&M University conferences exploring seemingly intractable world issues is concluded. Panels for the Sept. 16 conference on Syria’s future drew standing-room-only audiences. Students and other audience members heard impassioned, sometimes-contentious debates on life-and-death situations playing out in the country, where rebels overthrew a dictatorial regime last year and now control the government – the kinds of high-stakes, high-temperature arguments that mirror real-life diplomacy. Yet the conference speakers delved into these topics in respectful exchanges, reflecting the conference’s goal of fostering cooperation and solutions. It was a day of positive, in-depth interactions. The conference also displayed declassified documents from the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum about the engagement with Syrian leaders by the former president and his national security advisor, Brent Scowcroft, namesake of the Scowcroft Institute for International Affairs, which cohosted the conference. In addition, many viewers perused art exhibits on Syria demonstrating that civil discourse is happening in many different ways. The exhibits, speakers, audience engagement and overall tone made the conference not just about issues, but the humanity behind them.

The event was possible through the leadership, vision and support of Donald Zale and Gerald Ray. Their commitment to fostering interfaith and international dialogue was instrumental in bringing together the scholars, students, policymakers, faith leaders, global affairs experts and Aggie communities. Their leadership made the gathering a meaningful platform for respectful conversation, deeper understanding and the exchange of ideas around one of the world’s most pressing humanitarian and geopolitical challenges.

“We would like to offer our sincere thanks to Donald Zale and Gerald Ray,” Bush School Dean John B. Sherman said. ““Syria at a Crossroads” fostered exchanges of ideas that could lead to real, meaningful change. We have them to thank for the good that comes out of this event.”

More such events are in the works at The Bush School of Government and Public Service. Former ambassador John Hennessey-Niland, director of the Scowcroft Institute, said a number of events are planned for the coming months, including one focused on the Korean Peninsula. Preparations for another conference, on protecting supply chains of critical medicines, is also underway Hennessey-Niland said. A third, on the geopolitical challenges of the Indo-Pacific region, is also in the works.

With “Syria at a Crossroads” now successfully finished, Hennessey-Niland took a few minutes to reflect on the event and what comes next. (Answers have been lightly edited for clarity):

Q: Overall, how did the conference go?
A: It went very well, judging from the positive comments we have received during and after the conference.  The “Syria at a Crossroads” conference was both timely and important. These are tough issues. The challenges in the region have not been resolved for centuries. But it’s the type of conference that the Scowcroft Institute and the Bush School are perhaps uniquely able to host. We’re fortunate that we have great expertise, both here and at the Bush School DC teaching site, particularly with Amy Austin Holmes, who is an expert on Syria. We brought in experts not just from Texas A&M but from around the world, including people who traveled from Syria.

Q: Why Syria?
A: Syria is really a key piece of that mosaic that makes up the Middle East. There has been much focus on Israel and Palestine, which have dominated the headlines. But with the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, it really is a special moment. Syria isn’t just historically a crossroads in the Middle East; it is currently at a crossroads in terms of its own future. Discussing Syria at a conference like this is a way to consider and have a dialogue on larger challenges we face in the Middle East and globally.

Q: Can you give, say, three overarching takeaways?

A: Everyone there wanted to hear from everyone else. That’s important. Sometimes the passion that people bring to important matters can drown out learning and listening. I’m not trying to discount that there were heated moments and difficult questions. That’s part of diplomacy. But the conference was conducted with courtesy and civility and it was a positive learning environment.

Sometimes people think we can only do such events in Washington. I would push back against that notion. Sometimes more progress is made away from capitals, out of the glare and the spotlight in a capital city.

A unique moment, for example, in this conference was that we had a former Israeli ambassador to the United States posing a question to a former Iraqi interrogator who has worked closely with the U.S. government on combating extremism. 

The conference’s first session, on extremism in Syria, dealt with a particularly thorny question: should people who resorted to extremism and violence against a corrupt regime, such as that of former Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, be allowed to serve in a new government? If not, are they being marginalized and essentially encouraged to return to their old ways? Col. Samer al-Bayati, who in 2003 founded Iraq’s counterterrorism unit, told the audience that he believes that extremists will continue to exhibit extremist tendencies even in respectable positions of authority, which can imbue those tendencies with power and legitimacy. During a question-and-answer session, former Israeli ambassador to the United States Itamar Rabinovich said that the longstanding tensions between the Israel’s Jewish and Palestinian populations – and the current crisis in Israel – led him to believe extremists will remain extremists. Thus, the former ambassador of a Jewish state and the former head of the counterterrorism unit of a majority-Muslim country that openly supports the Palestinian cause agreed. Those kinds of conversations don’t often take place, but they did at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center, Hennessey-Niland said.

Q: Any other highlights?
A: This was real. It wasn’t theory. This was statecraft in action. At times, there was real disagreement, yet people were willing to talk to each other even when they disagreed. I think that’s educational for everyone, to understand just how complex and charged many of these debates are. Sometimes the discussion was intense. But it was always civil. That’s a unique strength of this university in terms of our principles and values. Respect, civility, we have that here at Texas A&M. And I think the conference demonstrated that the Scowcroft Institute can play a positive role on topics as complicated as Syria and the future of the Middle East.

Syrian Education Minister Dr. Mohammed Abdul Rahman Turko had to leave before giving his keynote address but said that he enjoyed his time at Texas A&M and provided a copy of his prepared remarks.

Q: Speaking of which: are other such conferences in the works?
A: The goal is to host a number of similar types of conferences. We want to keep the conversations going. I am confident that we will be able to continue to have an ability to bring together people to talk through tough issues. It would be fantastic if the Bush School, the Scowcroft Institute, Texas A&M become a center for studying crisis and conflict. And I hope that we can make a positive difference, help educate our students and share with them both the challenges, but perhaps also the opportunities to help manage, if not resolve, these difficult issues.