Panel on Israel-US relations: Robert Lieber (Georgetown, moderator) David Makovsky (Washington Istitute for Near East Policy) Robert Wexler (S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace) Nathan Guttman (The Jewish Daily Forward) --- A conference examining the upcoming general election in Israel, scheduled for January 22, 2013. Experts discuss the issues that will be factors influencing Israelis as they prepare to go cast their ballots. This all-day conference featured three panels examining domestic politics, regional politics, and Israel-US relations. --- David Makovsky -- the Ziegler distinguished fellow and director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at The Washington Institute. He is also an adjunct professor in Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Author of numerous Washington Institute monographs and essays on issues related to the Middle East Peace Process and the Arab-Israeli conflict, he is also coauthor, with Dennis Ross, of the 2009 Washington Post bestseller Myths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East (Viking/Penguin). His 2011 maps on alternative territorial solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were reprinted by the New York Times in the paper's first interactive treatment of an op-ed. His widely acclaimed September 2012 New Yorker essay, "The Silent Strike," focused on the U.S.-Israel dynamics leading up to the 2007 Israeli attack on Syrian nuclear facilities. - The Honorable Robert Wexler -- the President of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. He served as a Democratic member of Congress for seven terms, representing Florida's 19th district in the U.S. House of Representatives before retiring in January 2010 to lead the Center. Wexler was named one of the "50 Most Effective Legislators in Congress" by Congressional Quarterly and in 2008 was named to the Forward 50 list as one of the most influential leaders in the American Jewish community. In 2008, Congressman Wexler served as an advisor on Middle East and Israel issues to President Barack Obama during his presidential campaign. Throughout his tenure in Congress, Congressman Wexler has been an outspoken advocate for the unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel, and a leading proponent of Israel's right to self-defense and the need for a just and comprehensive resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. He has traveled on numerous congressional delegations to the Middle East and met with the leaders of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait, Turkey, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Morocco, and Oman. At President Clinton's invitation, he was the only member of the House of Representatives present during the signing of the Wye River Peace Agreement. In addition, Wexler was one of two Congressmen to travel to the International Court of Justice at the Hague to oppose the Palestinian case against Israel's construction of a security barrier. Congressman Wexler served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and as a member of the Middle East Subcommittee. Wexler worked to strengthen the transatlantic alliance, build security and economic bonds with the European Union and the nations of Europe, and help guide the economic and political development of the former Soviet States. Wexler served as an American representative to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and was the co-founder of the Caucus on U.S.-Turkish Relations, the Taiwan Caucus, and the Indonesia Caucus. - Nathan Guttman -- The Jewish Daily Forward's Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Haaretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. - Dr. Robert Lieber -- Professor of Government and International Affairs at Georgetown University, where he has previously served as Chair of the Government Department and Interim Chair of Psychology. He is an authority on American foreign policy and U.S. relations with the Middle East and Europe. He was born and raised in Chicago, received his undergraduate education at the University of Wisconsin and his Ph.D. at Harvard. Professor Lieber's latest book entitled, Power and Willpower in The American Future: Why the US is Not Destined to Decline, was published in Spring 2012 by Cambridge University Press. His most recent book prior to this was The American Era: Power and Strategy for the 21st Century (Cambridge University Press, 2007). As one reviewer has described it, "This may be the best book on American foreign policy written since September 11." In addition, Lieber is author or editor of fourteen other books on international relations, US foreign policy and energy security.

• published: 17 Jan 2013
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