The Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU has announced Roby C. Barrett, a senior fellow with the Joint Special Operations University of U.S. Special Operations Command and a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., is scheduled to give a seminar on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, known as ISIS, and “The End of the National State in the Levant.”
The seminar is set for Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. in Minard 230. The lecture will be followed by a question and answer session. Parking is available in the T2 lot off Bolley Drive.
According to Dennis Cooley, professor of philosophy and ethics, the presentation will focus not only on the current crisis and its impacts, but Barrett also will place the events within a deeper context of the historical, political, economic and social experience of the region.
Barrett is an internationally recognized expert on the Middle East and provides policy and subject matter expertise to Special Operations, the intelligence community and foreign allied governments as well as commentary in the international press.
Barrett provides support for various government organizations, including the Office of Secretary of Defense and State Department. He is an instructor for applied intelligence at U.S. Special Operations Command and a briefer and subject matter expert with Special Operations – U.S. Central Command. He has more than 35 years experience in the Middle East and Africa. A former Foreign Service officer in the Middle East, Barrett also has an intelligence and special operations background. He is an expert on the cultural and political dynamics of the region and historical Islamic and political development as well as terrorism issues. His assignments included Tunisia, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Arabian Gulf and South and Southeast Asia.
He has been a featured speaker at U.S. Special Operations Command Headquarters on several Middle East topics, including Yemen, the Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia and Iran. He provides domestic and international media commentary on a range of issues from the Palestinian issues to nuclear proliferation, border security and challenges of Russian and Chinese policies in the Middle East.
Questions or requests for accommodation can be directed to John Helgeland, Northern Plains Ethics Institute director, at 701-231-7026.
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.