Two experts in Middle East issues—veteran journalist Lawrence Pintak and retired ambassador Ryan C. Crocker—discussed important events and culture of this critical global region in a conversation on Sept. 9, 2009, at Mirabella in Seattle.

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to hear their views about the 2009 elections in Iran and Afghanistan and their thoughts about the best ways the United States can achieve its stated goals of helping Iraqis build a unified, stable, and prosperous country.

Dean Pintak, whose 30-year career in journalism spans four continents, has contributed to many of the world's leading news organizations. As Middle East correspondent for CBS News in the 1980s, he covered the Iran-Iraq War, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the rise of Hezbollah, and the birth of suicide bombing—including the 1983 destruction of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut. Dr. Pintak became dean of the Murrow College in August 2009 after serving four years as director of the Kamal Adham Center for Journalism Training and Research at The American University in Cairo.

Ambassador Crocker retired from the Foreign Service in 2009 after a career that spanned more than 37 years and included ambassadorships in Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, and Lebanon. He served as ambassador to Iraq from 2007 to April 2009. A native of Spokane, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian award, in January 2009. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton honored him later that year by establishing the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Achievement in Expeditionary Diplomacy and naming him its first recipient.

• What will it take to renew progress toward a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians?
• Which approaches are most effective against terrorism and its state sponsors?
• How can we curb the spread of weapons of mass destruction and support economic and political reform in the region?
• Is America on the right track?
• What are the greatest threats and signs of promise?