At a time of global strife, Neil Lazarus emphasized the importance of international political awareness, especially regarding the conflict in the Middle East, in his speech Friday.
Lazarus, whose organization Awesome Seminars trains diplomats, was invited by Duke Friends of Israel to speak on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. About 20 students came to tthe event in a classroom in the Social Sciences building.
In his presentation, Lazarus stressed the significance of the current political climate in the Middle East.
“What is happening today is something important. Today we witness a situation where America cannot afford to have the foreign policy it has had,” Lazarus said. “If [Islamic nations] gets nuclear weapons it will throw off the balance of the Middle East and threaten the West and the world at large.”
Lazarus cited an increase in the number of troops in Afghanistan, weekly bombings in Pakistan that go unnoticed by most Americans, and a stronger Iran due to a weaker Iraq as evidence that the Western world has entered a period he called “the rise of the green flag of Islam.”
Throughout his speech, Lazarus encouraged all students to educate themselves about the details of the Middle Eastern conflict and explained that understanding is the first step toward ending the conflict.
Nuclear terrorism is an imminent threat, Lazarus said. To help prevent it, one must be adept in numerous areas of knowledge, including geography, politics, history, religion, economics and diplomacy, he said.
One student questioned America’s role in resolving the Middle Eastern conflict after Lazarus showed a clip of President Barack Obama’s speech at Cairo University. In the speech, Obama spoke about the administration’s desire to forge a healthy relationship between Americans and Muslims worldwide.
“Obama I think is important for one simple reason—you can’t understand what is going on in the Middle East without understanding American foreign policy,” Lazarus responded. “America fights Iran like they’ve always fought them: If you can’t beat them, surround them. What is that? Cold War containment.”
However, Lazarus added, one must also understand Israeli geography and economics to realize that if the country were to attack Iran, as some propose it should, Iran could simply block the major strait that facilitates some of Israel’s trade. Lazarus claimed this course of action could trigger a regional war.
In an attempt to relate the speech to Coming Out Day, which was also Friday, Lazarus said he believed anyone who is liberal should support Israel during the crisis, because it is the most progressive nation in the Middle East. He noted that Israel has five gay pride parades a year and openly gay soldiers in the army.
Lazarus concluded his speech by reminding his audience of his main purpose for being there—to speak the truth and discuss facts.
“People don’t like to talk, they like to heckle,” he added. “In my profession we have had to get pretty good at ducking shoes and that is sad.”
Also in attendance was Shelley Castaldi, director of Academic and Cultural Affairs at the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta. The consulate works to facilitate communication between America and Israel in the fields of medicine, academics, law and culture.
“It is important to listen to renowned speakers such as Mr. Lazarus,” she said. “However, I want to try and show that Israel is so much more than the conflict.”
Sophomore Samantha Tropper, DFI vice president for membership, said one of the organization’s goals behind Lazarus’s presentation was to separate Israeli culture from Judaism. She said people do not need to be Jewish in order to support Israel.
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