The opening day of GNSI Tampa Summit 4, featuring the 10th Great Power Competition Conference, dawned sunny, warm and beautiful.
Unfortunately, that idyllic environment didn't last as the approaching of Hurricane
Helene forced the cancellation of Day 2 of the Summit. Nevertheless, the conference's
central tenet, Untying the Gordian Knot: Envisioning Peace in the Middle East, sprang to life on the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida.
The dream of a lasting peace in the Middle East has been passed from generation to
generation, each new cohort determined to succeed where others have fallen short.
The solution has proven elusive to world leaders, governments and the global community.
Some of the world's leading voices were brought together at the Marshall Student Center
this week, as they sought to develop new ideas and new strategies for the region.
A few of the featured speakers:
- GNSI Executive Director and retired U.S. Marine Corps General, Frank McKenzie
- Retired Ambassador Greta Holtz, CEO of Amideast and former ambassador to Oman
- Retired Ambassador Gerald Feierstein, former ambassador to Yemen
- Ambassador Shaikh Abdullah bin Al Khalifa, Bahraini ambassador to the United States
- Merissa Khurma, Director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center
- Negar Mortazavi, Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy and host of "The Iran Podcast"
- Major General Brandon Tegtmeier, Chief of Staff, United States Central Command
General McKenzie talked about security in the region during his keynote remarks, focusing on the insights and experiences from his tenure as commander of the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM). The current Chief of Staff at USCENTCOM, Major General Tegtmeier, addressed the co-com's role in the region's future. The crowd watched a video recorded by Ambassador Khalifa, who spoke of Bahrain's role in the Abraham Accords and in a prosperous future for the region. Ambassador Holtz moderated a panel discussion on what a peaceful Middle East might look like in the future and Khurma moderated a panel discussion focused on the Abraham Accords.
The videos from GNSI Tampa Summit 4 will soon be available on our YouTube channel.
