Forthcoming Events

The Middle East Forum sponsors speaking events in Philadelphia and New York City. Each of these provides a non-partisan platform to consider the controversial issues of a volatile region from the perspective of a leading actor or respected analyst. Recent speakers include Steven Emerson, Steven J. Rosen, Andrew C. McCarthy, Ronen Bergman and Douglas J. Feith. Our goal is to discuss a current event or situation by delving deeper than what is offered by the media. Lecture topics span a wide spectrum but consistently look at the Middle East with a pragmatic eye and from the vantage point of American interests. Audio recordings and written summaries of past lectures are also available.

George Gilder

Acing the "Israel Test"

Date: Tuesday, March 23, 2010   12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
City: New York, NY
Cost: $50 per person (lunch included)
Complimentary for current MEF donors of $500 or more.

Israeli engineers develop vaccines to improve the lives of millions even as Palestinian engineers develop rockets to murder innocent Israelis. What drives some to create and others to destroy? And why are so many of those destructive efforts — most notoriously, the Iranian nuclear project — aimed at the Jewish state?

George Gilder, cofounder of the Discovery Institute and a prolific writer, offers an intriguing hypothesis: Israel is targeted because it is a successful representative of modernity and democracy in an otherwise retrograde Middle East.

"Israel, like the Jews throughout history, is hated not for her vices but her virtues," explains Gilder in his new book, The Israel Test. "Israel is hated, as the United States is hated, because Israel is successful, because Israel is free, and because Israel is good."

Whether people respond with envy or emulation is at the heart of Gilder's "Israel test": "What is your attitude toward people who excel you in the creation of wealth or in other accomplishments? Do you aspire to their excellence or do you seethe at it?"

Israel's Arab and Muslim neighbors have responded, of course, by scapegoating Israel for their own self-inflicted problems and devoting their energies to megalomaniacal and nihilistic fantasies — most of them culminating in the destruction of Israel.

The Middle East Forum is pleased to present George Gilder to explain how the "Israel test" shapes the Middle East and what Israel can teach those who value excellence.

Business attire. Limited capacity. Picture I.D. required to enter the building.
RSVP online by Mar 16, or via e-mail (prosser@meforum.org), fax (215-546-5409) or phone (215-546-5406 ex.13).

Lee Smith

Strong-Horse Politics and America's Failure

Date: Thursday, April 8, 2010   12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
City: New York, NY
Cost: $50 per person (lunch included)
Complimentary for current MEF donors of $500 or more.

According to Osama bin Laden "When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature they will like the strong horse." In common with all jihadists, then, bin Laden believes that power attracts followers and support, leading to more power. Nor are Islamists alone in the Middle East to hold this view: monarchists, dictators, sheikhs, and revolutionaries all agree that crude power is the ultimate arbitrator.

Outsiders to the region ignore this reality at their peril. But ignore it is precisely what American leaders do.

The Middle East Forum has invited Lee Smith, visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute, to discuss his just-published book, The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations, which Daniel Pipes calls "an entertaining yet deep and important analysis."

According to Smith, America's experiences and psychological makeup have disabled it from understanding the tenacity of strong-horse politics. While "violence is central to the politics, society and culture of the Arabic-speaking Middle East," the United States "is now led by a president who has expressed his discomfort with power."

If Washington does not soon participate, he predicts, any number of unexpected scenarios are likely to emerge — such as Arabs feeling that "they need to count on Israel since they can no longer depend on the U.S. for protection."

Copies of The Strong Horse will be available for purchase and signing. For more insights, see here for a recent interview with Mr. Smith.

Business attire. Limited capacity. Picture I.D. required to enter the building.
RSVP online by Apr 1, or via e-mail (prosser@meforum.org), fax (215-546-5409) or phone (215-546-5406 ex.13).