As part of its Conversation Series, Concordia held a roundtable discussion on Thursday, July 23, 2015 with General (Ret) David H. Petraeus, U.S. military strategist and mid-east expert. Following remarks by Kevin Kajiwara, Managing Director of Teneo Intelligence, who expressed enthusiasm for Concordia and Teneo Holdings’ continual partnership, Concordia Co-Founders, Matthew Swift and Nicholas Logothetis opened the conversation by asking for General Petraeus’ assessment of the security situation in the Middle East.
Gen. Petraeus provided a brief overview of the major challenges to security and stability in the region and also fielded questions on the Iranian Nuclear Deal, ISIL’s activity in both Iraq and Syria, the future of Afghanistan, and Cybersecurity, among other salient topics in U.S. foreign policy. Having served as Commander of Coalition Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, Commander of CENTCOM, as well as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Gen. Petraeus offered his expert viewpoints on the interconnectedness of security, energy policy, and regional dynamics in international relations.
Gen. Petraeus’ insights and engagement with Concordia members in attendance inspired a stimulating discussion on the many issues related to international security. Gen. Petraeus closed with his advice to the future President on the best direction for further U.S. engagement in the Middle East in the coming years and lastly, lauded Concordia’s efforts to reframe the dialogue on counter-extremism, terrorism, and U.S. foreign policy through its pre-summit and 2015 Summit programming.
