Press Release

The World Affairs Council Proudly Announces The Satell Center for Executive Development Will Sponsor "The Rapidly Changing Face of the Middle East and the Arab World" Conference in Philadelphia

March 11, 2011: PHILADELPHIA – The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia will host a unique half-day conference examining "The Rapidly Changing Face of the Middle East and the Arab World". An esteemed group of Middle East and Arab scholars, journalists and policy-makers will discuss the wide ranging implications of the recent unrest growing within Tunisia, Egypt, Iran and Libya and its potential impact on the surrounding region. The Satell Center for Executive Education, www.satellcenter.com, will sponsor this dynamic event.

The bitter realities of hunger, joblessness and oppression have created the perfect storm for revolution in the Middle East, fueling the anger of millions and bringing down long-standing autocratic powers in Tunisia and Egypt. As the world watches, the unrest continues to grow as others are emboldened to call for greater representation and democratic reform. The complexity and uncertainty of the political, social and religious issues facing the countries of the Middle East continue to vex U.S. political leaders as they attempt to integrate dreams of Western-style democracy into centuries-old customs and traditions.

The Satell Center, with its focus on cutting-edge information, sponsors numerous premier events for the World Affairs Council, bringing people in the region unparalleled access to top leaders and policymakers. The Satell Center for Executive Development and its vast digital content library provides specialized education to over 50,000 executives each year, including executives representing most of the Fortune 1000. It traces its roots to training, publishing, internet, audio conferencing and webinar learning businesses. One component of our history has remained the same for over 20 years – the dedication to executive training with a focus on improving organizational performance. It fills a void in the training market by providing courses and certificate programs that are 100% online, collaborative and focused only on developing the most critical competencies that improve individual and organizational effectiveness.

The Center's Founder, Ed Satell, will introduce keynote speaker Bob Simon of CBS' 60 Minutes, who spent 40 days in Iraqi captivity during the Gulf War. Featured speakers include The Hon. Stephen J. Hadley, National Security Advisor (2005-2009); H.E. Samir Sumaida'ie, Ambassador of Iraq to the United States; Bernard Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, one of the most influential postwar historians on Islam and the Middle East; Daniel Arbell, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Israel; Haleh Esfandiari, former Iran hostage and Director of the Middle East Program at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; and, Deborah Amos, Middle East correspondent, National Public Radio.

Esteemed panelists include: Daniel Kutner, Consul General of Israel; Salman Shaikh, Director, Brookings Doha Center; Trudy Rubin, Worldview columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer; Jerry Sorkin, Middle East and North African specialist and Founder of TunisUSA; and Edward A. Turzanski, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute and National security analyst, La Salle University.

The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia www.wacphila.org, is the region's leading forum for the discussion of the most significant issues of our time. A private, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, the Council presents over twenty speaker events a year to its members, education professionals, the business community, students and the general public. This year, the Council is focusing on regional and international challenges – like the rapidly changing face of the Middle East and the Arab World.

Additional Press Releases