Former U.S. ambassador to speak tonight

A former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel will speak tonight as part of International Week in Wilson Hall at 7:30 p.m.

Ambassador Edward Walker is the President and CEO of the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank on Middle East policy. Before beginning his current position in 2001, Ambassador Walker worked with Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

As the former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel, Walker advocated for a return to the peace negotiations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.

"We thought International Week would be a wonderful opportunity for Walker to speak at JMU, especially in light of this year’s theme," said Thomas Lavenir, assistant director of international programs with the Center for Multicultural and International Student Services (CMISS). This year’s theme is "Explore the World: Crossroads to Understanding."

The Office of International Programs, CMISS and Hillel brought Walker to JMU to speak about the current situation in the Middle East.

Ambassador Walker intervened to establish dialogue in Israeli and Palestinian regions, according to Lavenir.

Hillel, JMU’s Jewish student organization, looked to bring someone to speak about Israel’s side of the conflict in response to pro-Palestinian speakers at JMU in the past, according to junior Daniel Teweles, Hillel president.

"[Hillel] thought the best way to respond was to bring an official speaker with an insider’s perspective, rather than someone who would just focus on Israel," Teweles said.

Sophomore Katie Kindig said, "I think that it is opportunities like this that enable [Americans] to have a better understanding of other cultures."

Ambassador Walker’s speech is one of the many events celebrating diversity at JMU this week.
"We live in a global village whether we want to or not, both on and off this campus," Lavenir said. "It is a matter of knowing how to best learn more about the world we live in."