The Wages of Dysfunction

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Commentary

Diwan

The Wages of Dysfunction

Carnegie President William J. Burns discusses the Middle East and what the future may hold for a troubled region.

By Blair Scott

Published on Aug 6, 2018

William J. Burns is president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He served in numerous posts in the State Department in a career spanning more than 30 years. Burns was deputy secretary of state from 2011 until 2014, and before that assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs from 2001 until 2005. He was ambassador to Jordan from 1998 until 2001 and served as ambassador to Russia between 2005 and 2008. Burns became president of Carnegie in February 2015. In late July, Diwan sat with him to get his perspective on a wide variety of Middle Eastern issues, including the U.S. role in the region, the Iranian nuclear deal, Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, and what Burns views as the most significant long-term threats to regional stability.

About the Author

Blair Scott

Former Program Coordinator, Middle East Program

Political Reform Middle East North Africa

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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