Intelligence Squared U.S. Launches Spring Season with Middle East Debate, Taping January 14

Joe Biden's approach to the Middle East will likely be very different than Donald Trump's. But should it be? For some, Trump's transactional style was the right approach, normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab states while being selectively aggressive. But others, including many prominent members of Biden's transition team, argue that Trump's personalized approach to the Middle East eroded America's moral agency and gave cover to authoritarian leaders, while his staunch support for Israeli interests isolated American allies and undermined the Palestinians. On Thursday, January 14, Intelligence Squared U.S. kicks off their spring season with a debate on the motion "For the Last Four Years, America Got The Middle East Right."

Arguing in favor of the motion are Mary Beth Long, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in the Bush administration, and Danny Danon, former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. Arguing against the motion are Michael Ware, Time Baghdad Bureau Chief in the 2000s, and Justine Rosenthal, former Director of the Council on Global Terrorism and Newsweek Executive Editor. Audience vote will determine the winner, based on which side's numbers improve the most between pre- and post-debate votes.

The debate will tape at 4:00 PM ET on Thursday, January 14, before airing on public radio and the Intelligence Squared U.S. podcast on Friday, January 29. Tickets to the virtual live taping are $10 ($5 for students) here: https://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/did-trump-get-middle-east-right

FOR THE MOTION - BIOS

* Mary Beth Long: U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Mary Beth Long is an attorney, political advisor, and former government official. She was the first woman to be confirmed by the Senate as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and spent more than a decade as a CIA officer. She has also served as a senior advisor to the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and chaired NATO's High-Level Group responsible for nuclear policy. Long is the founder of M B Long & Associates.

* Danny Danon: Former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations
Danon was Israel's 17th Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and is the nation's former Deputy Minister of Defense. He is currently Chairman of the World Likud, a global organization dedicated to combating anti-Semitism and conducting pro-Israel advocacy activities.

AGAINST THE MOTION - BIOS

* Dr. Justine A. Rosenthal: Former editor-in-chief of The National Interest and Executive Editor of Newsweek Magazine
Rosenthal served as Director of the Council on Global Terrorism and is a former Director at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Brookings Research Fellow and Special Assistant to former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. Her areas of expertise include international terrorism, counter-terrorism strategies, nuclear proliferation, civil warfare and East Asian security. She recently produced several international current-affairs documentaries for National Geographic and the Emmy-nominated HBO film, entitled Only the Dead See the End of War.

* Michael Ware: Former Time Magazine Baghdad Bureau Chief and CNN Correspondent
Ware is a journalist and documentary filmmaker. He served as Time Baghdad bureau chief before moving to CNN. There, Ware was the chief primetime foreign correspondent, reporting from across the region. He was one of the few Western journalists to live full-time in Iraq during the war, having embedded with U.S. forces, insurgents and terrorists. He is the writer/director of the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary "Only the Dead See the End of War."

ABOUT INTELLIGENCE SQUARED U.S. DEBATES (IQ2US)
A non-partisan, non-profit organization, Intelligence Squared U.S. was founded to address a fundamental problem in America: the extreme polarization of our nation and our politics. Their mission is to restore critical thinking, facts, reason, and civility to American public discourse. The award-winning debate series reaches millions of viewers and listeners through multi-platform distribution, including public radio, podcasts, live streaming, newsletters, interactive digital content, and on-demand apps including Roku and Apple TV. With over 180 debates and counting, Intelligence Squared U.S. has encouraged the public to "think twice" on a wide range of provocative topics. Author and ABC News correspondent John Donvan has moderated IQ2US since 2008.

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