This Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 7 pm in Monroe 346, UMW will host a lecture by Ambassador Lukman Faily, the Iraqi Ambassador to the United States. The ambassador’s lecture, entitled “Challenges of Iraqi Foreign Policy, Status and Prospective,” will outline the new Iraqi government’s approach to foreign policy. Ambassador Faily will focus on Iraq-U.S. relations and regional cooperation to confront the threat of ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria). He also will offer an assessment of current developments in the Middle East and Iraq’s recent initiatives to foster security and stability with its neighbors.

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and speak with Ambassador Faily during a brief reception immediately following the program. The event is free and open to the public.

Ambassador Faily has held the position of Iraq’s ambassador to the United States since July 2013, and previously served as Iraq’s ambassador to Japan for three years. Prior to joining the diplomatic corps, Ambassador Faily spent 20 years working in the Information Technology sector for several transnational companies while living in the United Kingdom. Ambassador Faily was an active leader within the large Iraqi exile community in the U.K., and served as a trustee for several non-governmental Iraqi organizations. He also played an active role in opposing Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, and advocated for democracy and the rule of law in Iraq.

This event will be sponsored by the departments of History and American Studies, Political Science and International Affairs, and Geography, the Leidecker Center for Asian Studies, and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

For more information, please see the university press release here.