Twenty Years After Madrid
Lessons Learned and the Way Forward for Arab-Israeli Peacemaking

The Madrid Peace Conference was a watershed moment for American diplomacy, but the two decades since have witnessed a region facing substantial challenges and instability, with major uncertainty regarding the future of efforts toward peace.
With the recent developments at the United Nations and the Quartet's latest proposal, this conference drew on lessons from the past, assessed the current state-of-play, and explored new ideas for moving forward.
Program highlights included:
- Video address by President George H.W. Bush
Watch the interview (Baker Institute)
- The Honorable James A. Baker, III, Keynote Speaker
Read the Secretary's remarks as prepared (pdf)
- Audio | Panel IV: The Impact of U.S. Diplomacy Since Madrid
Moderated by Margaret Warner, PBS
Listen to the panel discussion
See all multimedia from the conference
Event Recap:
- The Arab Spring and Mideast Peace
News Feature by Thomas Omestad | November 8, 2011 - The Arab-Israeli Peace Process: Why It’s Failed Thus Far
News Feature | November 8, 2011
A detailed agenda of the even can be found below.
Agenda
9:00a - 10:05a: Opening Session
- Ambassador Richard Solomon
President, USIP; former Director of Policy Planning and Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State - Ambassador Edward Djerejian
Founding Director, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy; former U.S. Ambassador to Syria and Israel, former Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, U.S. Department of State - Former President George H.W. Bush (via video address)
- The Honorable James A. Baker, III (Keynote)
Former United States Secretary of State
10:20a - 11:50a: Plenary Session: Lessons from Madrid and the Way Forward for Arab-Israeli Peacemaking
Moderated by Ambassador Edward Djerejian, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
- His Royal Highness Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia
Former Head of Intelligence and Ambassador to the United States - His Excellency Eytan Ben-Tsur, Israel
Former Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Dr. Nimrod Novik, Israel
Former Peace Negotiator, leading businessman - Nabil Sha'ath, Palestine
Former Chief Negotiator; International Co-operation Minister, Palestinian National Authority
12:00p - 1:30p: Lunch Address
- Deputy Secretary of State William Burns
1:45p - 3:15p: First Session of Panels
Panel I: Mapping Peace Between Israelis and Palestinians: Borders and Security; Sovereignty and Recognition
Moderated by Greg Myre, NPR (invited)
Dr. Samih al-Abed
Sabbagh Fellow in Middle Eastern Studies, James A. Baker III Institute; former Palestinian Peace Negotiator, consultant for the Palestine Investment Fund
Ghaith al-Omari
Executive Director, American Task Force on Palestine; former Advisor to the Palestinian Negotiating Team, Advisor to the Palestinian Prime Minister
Dr. Yair Hirschfeld
Rabin Fellow for Peace and Security in the Middle East, James A. Baker III Institute; Economic Cooperation Foundation, Executive Director; Co-creator of the "Oslo channel"
Robert Malley
Program Director for Middle East and North Africa, International Crisis Group; former Middle East Advisor to President Bill Clinton
Panel II: Economy of Peace: The Impacts of Private Investment, Development Aid, and Economic Reforms on Arab-Israeli Peacemaking
Moderated by David Sanger, New York Times and USIP Writer-in-Residence
Daniel Lubetzky
Founder and Chairman, Peace Works; leading social entrepreneur
Dr. Mohammad Mustafa
Chairman and CEO, The Palestine Investment Fund (PIF)
Dr. Nimrod Novik
Chairman, Economic Cooperation Foundation
Toni Verstandig
Executive Vice President, S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace
Panel III: Identity Politics, Public Opinion, and the Peace Process: The Challenges and Opportunities for Bringing Publics on Board
Moderated by Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen, USIP
Dr. Craig Charney
President, Charney Research
Todd Deatherage
Executive Director and Co-Founder, Telos Group; former senior Senate staffer and State Department Official
Dr. Alick Isaacs
Co-Director, Talking Peace Project; author of the newly released "A Prophetic Peace" (Indiana University Press, 2011)
Dr. S. Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana
Georgetown University; leading expert on religion and conflict resolution
Dr. Dov Waxman
Baruch College; co-author of the newly released "Israel's Palestinians: The Conflict Within" (Cambridge, 2011)
Panel IV: The Impact of U.S. Diplomacy Since Madrid [Listen to the audio]
Moderated by Margaret Warner, PBS
Ambassador Dan Kurtzer
S. Daniel Abraham Professor in Middle Eastern Policy Studies, Princeton University; senior member of the U.S. delegation to the Madrid Conference; former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt and Israel; co-author of the forthcoming book, "The Peace Puzzle: America's Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace" (forthcoming 2012)
Ambassador Sam Lewis
Former United States Ambassador to Israel; former director of State Department Policy Planning Staff; former USIP President
Dr. Aaron David Miller
Public Policy Scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; senior member of the U.S. delegation to the Madrid Conference; former Advisor to Republican and Democratic U.S. Secretaries of State
Dr. Shibley Telhami
Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, University of Maryland; co-author of the forthcoming book, "The Peace Puzzle: America's Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace" (forthcoming 2012)
3:30p - 5:00p: Second Session of Panels
Panel V: Arab World Transitions: The Impact on the Arab-Israeli Conflict and Prospects for Peace
Moderated by Kate Seelye, Middle East Institute
Dr. Graeme Bannerman
Scholar, Middle East Institute
Nadia Bilbassy-Charters
Senior Correspondent, MBC
Dr. Daniel Brumberg
Senior Adviser, USIP
Dr. Robert Satloff
Executive Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy; leading expert on Arab politics and U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East
Dr. Yair Hirschfeld
Rabin Fellow for Peace and Security in the Middle East, James A. Baker III Institute; Economic Cooperation Foundation, Executive Director; co-creator of the "Oslo channel"
Panel VI: Uprising in Syria: How will it End and What Does it Mean for Middle East Peace?
Moderated by Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal
Ambassador Ted Kattouf
President, AMIDEAST; former U.S. Ambassador to Syria
Mike Singh
Managing Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy; former Senior Director for Middle East Affairs, National Security Council
Mona Yacoubian
The Stimson Center; leading expert on Lebanon; former State Department analyst
Panel VII: Security and Peace: What Can be Done to Overcome Spoilers and Prevent Violence?
Moderated by Jennifer Griffin, Fox News
Ronit Avni, Just Vision, Founder
Producer of the award-winning film Budrus
Neil Kritz
Senior Scholar-in-Residence, USIP; Advisor to the Office of the Quartet Representative in Jerusalem, leading expert on the Palestinian justice system
Dr. Howard Sumka
CEO, OneVoice; former USAID West Bank/Gaza Mission Director
Dr. Yoram Peri
Abraham S. and Jack Kay Chair in Israel Studies, University of Maryland; Director of the Joseph and Alma Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies
5:15p – 6:00p: Concluding Session: Arab-Israeli Peacemaking and a Changing Middle East: Questions for the United States
- Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski
Counselor and Trustee, Center for Strategic and International Studies; former National Security Advisor - Stephen Hadley
Senior Advisor for International Affairs, USIP; former National Security Advisor
Location
U.S. Institute of Peace
2301 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
Inquiries
Please contact Britt Manzo at bmanzo@usip.org with any questions about this event.
Media
Journalists should contact Allison Sturma in the Office of Public Affairs and Communications.
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