“The Ambivalence of Islam in U.S. Foreign Policy”

Lecture by Dr. Peter Mandaville

Reflecting on his three years working at the State Department during the Obama administration, Dr. Mandaville will discuss the complex and at times contradictory approaches to Islam and Muslims that characterized U.S. foreign policy in the context of the 2009 Cairo speech, the Arab Uprisings and their aftermath, as well as efforts to address the rise of ISIS. He will also assess how the Trump administration is likely to approach these same issues.

About the speaker
Dr. Peter Mandaville is Professor of International Affairs in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. From 2015-2016 he served as Senior Adviser in the Secretary of State’s Office of Religion & Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of State where he led that office’s work on ISIS and sectarian conflict in the Middle East.