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Stuart J. D. Schwartzstein
Independent Consultant
(Today)
Tuesday, March 31st
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
At the RUMI Forum
1150 17th Street NW, Suite 408, Washington D.C.
www.rumiforum.org
Free and open to the public (registration required)
Light lunch will be served
Both during the campaign and just after the election, there was considerable speculation about how the Obama Administration's foreign policy would differ from that of the Bush Administration and what shape his foreign policy would take. Just in the choices alone of those appointed to cabinet and sub-cabinet positions dealing with foreign and international affairs we now have a considerably better sense of the kinds of policies the Obama Administration will pursue. And we now have a good idea of how certain problems and situations are likely to be dealt with. But, of course, the administration is still young and, confronted with certain kinds of situations, there may well be surprises from the administration. But, overall, can we now say that it is likely that what was predicted before Obama took office is what we will see?
Stuart J. D. Schwartzstein has worked as a foreign-affairs professional for more than 30 years, having served in the Defense and State Departments in a wide range of capacities, including as a diplomat, an analyst, negotiator, advisor and planner. He has also held positions in several think-tanks, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies(CSIS) in Washington D.C. His work has ranged broadly, both geographically and in subject matter, including defense industrial cooperation with European allies, technology transfer and export control issues, "information revolution" issues, encryption policy, international science and technology policy, chemical and biological weapons issues, refugee policy, Horn of Africa issues, relations with European allies, ASEAN countries and the Middle East. While at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (1992-96), he did a good deal of work on Iraq issues, particularly focusing on human rights violations by Saddam Hussein and his regime. In 2004, he served in the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad as an advisor to the Minister for Science & Technology and to the president of the Iraqi National Academy of Sciences. He has continued to follow events in Iraq and has maintained contact with a number of Iraqi friends, including several in senior Iraqi government positions, as well as officials and experts in the US. Mr Schwartzstein is currently an independent consultant based in Washington, D.C.
Moderator :
 Mr. Tariq Shafi, CPA, has over twenty-five years of accounting and tax experience in the Washington metro area and London, England. He was a tax and accounting manager for six years at a prestigious firm in Old Town Alexandria before venturing out on his own in 1995. Since then, his practice has grown steadily as word has spread about his firm's high reputation for quality service at a reasonable cost. Mr. Shafi and his staff believe strongly that building ties with the community involve giving their time and effort to worthwhile causes and they are active participants in local charitable and educational institutions.
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