Former Ambassador Ryan Crocker talked about politics and history in the Middle East, as well as ways in which they shaped the war in Iraq. In his remarks he enumerated many challenges that face Middle Eastern countries as ethnic tensions between Arabs and Kurds remained and threatened future sectarian violence. He talked about obstacles to forming a stable democracy and the opportunities that lie ahead in Iraq. He credited the surge strategy and U.S. involvement in Iraq with relative success to date, but said there has been a three decade gap that the Obama administration needs to rectify. Crocker also spoke highly of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for inviting Iran to talks about the situation in Afghanistan, calling it “a good step.”

He was introduced by former President George H.W. Bush.