Conference description: Arab Center Washington DC’s 9th Annual Conference is dedicated to discussing the 2024 presidential elections in the United States amid US policy toward the Gaza war. Experts will assess the current state and future of US democracy, explore the impact of the election results on US foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and examine the potential changes in US global power and influence in light of US policy toward Israel’s war on Gaza. The various conference sessions will also address the implications of the election outcomes for democracy and human rights in MENA, international law and the global law-based order, regional geopolitics and shifting alliances, and the future of US foreign policy.
Topics to be addressed:
- Polling and predictions for election outcomes
- The impact of the Gaza war on election results
- The role of Arab/Muslim American and young/progressive voters in the elections
- US democracy at risk (limiting freedoms/protests, Trump’s fascism, etc.)
- Impact of election results on democracy and human rights in MENA
- Evolving US policy in MENA and shifting alliances: Biden vs. Trump
- US foreign policy and global standing after Gaza
- The global political, legal, and humanitarian impacts of US Role in the Gaza war.
Panel titles:
- The Future of US Foreign Policy in a Changing World: Challenges, Prospects, and Recommendations
- The Outcome of the US Presidential Election: Polling, Predictions, and the Impact of the Gaza War
- Threats to Democracy at Home and Abroad: Human Rights and Freedoms in US Domestic and Foreign Policy
- The Gaza War and the Role of the International Community: Global Political, Legal, and Humanitarian Implications
- US Global Influence amidst the Gaza War: Implications for US Foreign Policy and the International Law-Based Order
Speakers:
- Martin Griffith, Former Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations
- Jeffrey D. Sachs, Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University; President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
- Lana Baydas, Program Director, Center for Human Rights, American Bar Association
- Phyllis Bennis, Fellow and Director of the New Internationalism Project, Institute for Policy Studies
- Matthew Duss, Executive Vice President, Center for International Policy
- Layla Elabed, Organizer, We the People Action Fund; Campaign Manager, Listen to Michigan
- H. A. Hellyer, Senior Associate Fellow in International Security Studies, The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI); Non-resident Scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Osama Abu Irshaid, Executive Director and Board Member, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
- Dalia Mogahed, Scholar and Former Director of Research, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
- Kenneth Roth, Charles & Marie Robertson Visiting Professor, Princeton School for Public and International Affairs; Former Executive Director, Human Rights Watch
- Wadie E. Said, Professor of Law and Dean’s Faculty Fellow, University of Colorado
- Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
- Sarah Yager, Washington Director, Human Rights Watch
- James J. Zogby, Co-founder and President, Arab American Institute (AAI); Director, Zogby Research Services
Moderators:
- Khalil E. Jahshan, Executive Director, Arab Center Washington DC
- Tamara Kharroub, Deputy Executive Director & Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC
- Laurie King, Member of the Board of Directors, Arab Center Washington DC
- Yara M. Asi, Non-resident Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC
- Yousef Munayyer, Head of the Palestine/Israel Program and Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC
