 Senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Walid Phares and Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem & Democratic super delegate
from Third Rail's Podcast
June 17, 2008
Dr. Walid Phares is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies where he focuses on Middle East history and politics, global terrorist movements, democratization and human rights. Dr. Phares also leads the foundation's Future of Terrorism Project, which considers how the Jihadi-Islamist threat will mutate over time and what can be done to defend against new, more deadly strains of terrorism. Dr. Phares is the author of ten books on terrorism and the Middle East. His latest book, The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad was published in 2008, War of Ideas: Jihadism Against Democracy was published April, 2007. His book, Future Jihad, Terrorist Strategies Against America, has been listed on Foreign Policy magazine's best selling titles for three months. In addition, Dr. Phares serves as a Fox News Channel Middle East Contributor. A fluent English, French, and Arabic speaker, he is a frequent guest on Fox News Channel, CNN, the BCC, al-Jazeera, al Hurra, al-Arabiya, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CTV, Global TV, and hundreds of radio programs. Previously Dr. Phares served as a terrorism analyst for MSNBC. He writes frequently for academic publications and newspapers, including Global Affairs, Middle East Quarterly, International Journal of Security Studies, Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Philadelphia Inquirer, National Review, and Chicago Sun Times. A frequently consulted expert, for more than two decades Dr. Phares has been called upon by European Commissioners, European Parliament members, as well as French, British, Belgian, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, and Cypriot legislators, officials and Diplomats. He has served as an expert for the Dutch Government on Terrorism. He has also testified to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on the Middle East and South East Asia, the House committees on international relations and Homeland Security and regularly conducts congressional, State Department, Department of Defense, and Department of Justice briefings. Dr. Phares is also a senior fellow at the European Foundation for Democracy, a policy institute based in Brussels that is dedicated to defending democratic values, promoting freedom and addressing the ideologies of terrorism. Dr. Phares is an Adjunct Professor at National Defense University School for National Security Executive Education (SNSEE). From 1993 to 2006, Dr. Phares was a professor of Middle East Studies at Florida Atlantic University. He has also held teaching positions at Florida International University and the University of Miami. He holds degrees in law and political science from Saint Joseph and the Lebanese Universities in Beirut, a Masters in international law from the Universite de Lyons in France, and a Ph.D. in international relations and strategic studies from the University of Miami in the United States. Susan Burgess, a Democrat, is an At Large Representative on Charlotte City Council and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem. She chairs Council's Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee and is a member of the Government Affairs, Transportation, Environment, and Planning Liaison committees. She is Council Representative to the Centralina Council of Governments (COG) and an alternate to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO). Burgess is President of the North Carolina League of Municipalities. She Chairs the National Democratic Municipal Officials (DMO) Conference and in this capacity is a member of the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and in this capacity, serves on the executive committee of the Democratic National committee and is a superdelegate. She is a recipient of a platinum award from the Leadership Training Institute of the National League of Cities. She is president-elect of Women in Municipal Government. She received her master's degree in Public Health from the University of Alabama - Birmingham and her bachelor's degree in health Science, with highest honors, from Florida International University. She is a graduate of Leadership Charlotte Class VIII. Burgess is on the board and executive committee of Women in Municipal Government and a former member of the Council of the Institute of Youth, Education and Families and the Democratic Governance Panel. she served on Charlotte Board of Education from 1990 to 1997 and as chair from 1995 to 1997. Other public service includes Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, Democratic Leadership Council - Local Elected Officials Network, and Women's Political Caucus. Her community service activities include Girl Scouts - Hornets Nest Council, Drug Education Center, League of Women voters, Women's Political Caucus, Sister to Sister Women's Heart Health Fair, and the American heart Association's Charlotte Goes Red for Women. She is the founder of Smoke Free Charlotte. She has received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the state's highest citizens' award, and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Keeper of the Dream Award.
|
