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Iraq Forum 2008- Panel IV

The Best Way Forward

SUMMARY: Beth Ferris of the Brookings Institute moderates the final panel. The Panel begins with Bill Frelick of Human Rights Watch who details the limited options for those fleeing Iraq. Dina Rizk Khoury of George Washington University seeks to explain “the present in terms of the past,”when discussing the politics and social dynamics of refugees. Deputy Assistant AdministratorGregory Gottlieb of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) attests to the contributions being made to rebuild and sustain Iraq’s infrastructure and the challenges that arise in helping internally displaced persons. Dr. Heather Hanson of Mercy Corps concludes the panel with an assessment of options for U.S. actions within Iraq. Finally, the panel takes questions from the audience.

Bill Frelick & Dina Khoury (32:10)

Elizabeth (Beth) Ferris, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Florida, is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute and Co-Director of the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement. She focuses on the international community’s response to humanitarian crises, with a particular emphasis on the human rights of internally displaced persons. Her past work has included Diakonia and Solidarity, World Council of Churches, Director for Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program and Research Director for the Life & Peace Institute.

Bill Frelick is the Director of Refugee Policy for Human Rights Watch in Washington D.C. Previously he was the director of Amnesty International USA’s Refugee Program and, prior to his work with Amnesty International, Mr. Frelick was director of the U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR). He has traveled to refugee sites throughout the world and is widely published in global media, academic publications, law journals, and has contributed chapters to numerous books. In addition, Frelick was the editor of USCR’s annual World Refugee Survey and monthly Refugee Reports.

Dina Rizk Khoury is an Associate Professor of History and International Affairs at theGeorge Washington University. Dr. Khoury, who specializes in Ottoman and Modern Middle East history, has written on the Iraqi provinces of the Ottoman Empire in the early modern period. Her previous research focused on the social history and political culture of the Ottoman provinces with particular emphasis on urban rebellions and Islamic reform agendas. Currently Dr. Khoury’s research interests include the relationship of memory to identity and how the violence stemming from this correlation impacts Middle Eastern societies. At present she is using her research to write a book called “Postponed Lives: War and Remembrance in Iraq”.

Greg Gottlieb & Heather Hanson (25:44)

Gregory C. Gottlieb is the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance. He recently served for three years as the Deputy Director of the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and prior to that as the Deputy Director of USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI). Mr. Gottlieb holds a JD from Loyola Law School and a Masters of Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Dr. Heather Hanson, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of California Davis, is the Director of Public Affairs at MercyCorps, an international NGO that provides humanitarian and development assistance to vulnerable people and countries around the world. Hanson has 15 years of outreach experience in international development, civil society strengthening, human rights protection, poverty alleviation and conflict resolution. Previously Hanson was executive director of the U.S. Office on Colombia. She has also worked with the International Development Exchange, the Ford Foundation, the Institute of International Studies, the World Bank and the Natural Heritage Institute.

Question and Answer with Panel (30:52)