November 17, 2004

Chief Middle East peace negotiator under two presidents, Ambassador Dennis Ross will be guest of the University of Louisville Kentucky Author Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 17. Ross is author of The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace (Farrar, Straus, Giroux).

Ross, serving under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, has long had bipartisan support in Congress and is recognized as a consummate expert on Middle Eastern conflict. Charged for over a decade with educating presidents and Congressional committees on all related matters, Ross became that rare international figure respected and trusted by both the right and the left, Palestinians and Israelis alike.

In The Missing Peace, Ross offers a comprehensive look at the Middle East peace process. Four former U.S. Secretaries of State, Madeleine Albright, Warren Christopher, George Shultz, and Henry Kissinger, praise the book as a definitive, behind-the-scenes account of efforts for peace in the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli disputes. Shultz calls the book a “a classic must-read…Dennis Ross was at the heart of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations for 12 momentous and tumultuous years.”

In the book, Ross gives a candid “inside” account that details the maneuverings of both sides, and of the United States as well; the back-room dealings and late-night negotiations, how each side saw the other behind closed doors and why the Israelis and Palestinians, and their Arab neighbors, see the world the way they do.

Ross currently is counselor and Ziegler distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. A highly skilled diplomat and scholar, Ross was this country’s point man on the peace process and instrumental in assisting Israelis and Palestinians in reaching the 1995 Interim Agreement. He also successfully brokered the Hebron Accord in 1997, facilitated the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty, and intensively worked to bring Israel and Syria together.

Prior to his service as special Middle East coordinator under President Clinton, Ross served as a director of the State Department’s Policy Planning Office in the first Bush administration. In that position, he played a prominent role in developing U.S. policy toward the former Soviet Union, the unification of Germany and its integration into NATO, arms control negotiations, and the development of the 1991 Gulf War coalition. During the Reagan administration, he served as director of Near East South Asian affairs on the National Security Council staff and as deputy director of the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment. He was awarded the Presidential Medal for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service by President Clinton, and Secretaries James Baker and Madeleine Albright presented him with the State Department’s highest award.

Jacki Lyden, award-winning foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, will interview Ross at the forum.

Event & Ticket Information

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

10 a.m. Discussion with Ambassador Dennis Ross, moderated by Scott Levi, professor of history, at the University of Louisville, Ekstrom Library Auditorium. Limited to university students, faculty and staff.

The Kentucky Center
5 Riverfront Plaza, Downtown Louisville

The evening's activities are as follows:

5 p.m. Carmichael's book sale and wine and cheese reception provided by Brown- Forman, Lobby

6 p.m. Interview with Ambassador Dennis Ross by Jacki Lyden, Bomhard Theatre.

Live taping with WFPL 89.3 and KET, The Kentucky Network, and The Spoken Word, which will carry the audio version of the event to 39 public radio stations throughout the U.S. and 1.1 million listeners.

Master of Ceremonies is Forum Editor/Book Editor Keith Runyon of The Courier-Journal

7 p.m. Q & A followed by book signing on Bittners' stage set

A $16 ticket includes the above three events. A limited number of discounted tickets of $5 each are available for U of L students, faculty and staff at the KCA box office --U of L photo ID is required.

8:15 p.m. Dinner with Ambassadors Dennis Ross and Jacki Lyden, hosted by the University of Louisville President James Ramsey, in the Mary Anderson Room. A $100 package ticket includes all evening events, including dinner (Proceeds go to the nonprofit Kentucky Author Forum; $35 is tax-deductible.)

Tickets are available at The Kentucky Center, 502-584-7777 (1-800-775-7777) or TicketMaster at 502-361-3100.

Ambassador Dennis Ross and Jacki Lyden will be guests on WFPL’s "State of Affairs" with Julie Kredens on Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. The public can join the conversation with calling 502-814-TALK (8255) or toll free: 1-877-814-TALK.

A taped version of the event will be made available at The Louisville Free Public Library, St. Matthews/Eline Branch, 3940 Grandview Ave., at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19. There is no fee involved, but those interested must sign up in advance due to limited seating. Call the library directly at 574-1771 for further information.

WFPL 89.3 FM and Kentucky Educational Television (KET) will record the event for future broadcast, which will be distributed nationally to PBS affiliates nationwide, under the title: "Conversation with Ambassador Dennis Ross."

NOTE TO TV AND PRINT MEDIA: You may cover Ambassador Ross live at the University of Louisville between 10 and 11 p.m. on November 17. Unless there are changes, Ambassador Fahmy will also be available for interviews. Access to a live Kentucky Author Forum feed during the evening interview is always available through KET. If interested, please contact Duncan Hart at 859-258-7296.

The Kentucky Author Forum series is produced by Mary Moss Greenebaum and sponsored by the University of Louisville, Brown-Forman and The Humana Foundation, in cooperation with Bittners, Carmichael's Bookstore, The Courier-Journal, KET, WFPL/89.3 FM, “The Spoken Word” and the Kentucky Center. Questions should be directed to the Kentucky Author Forum office at 502-589-2884.

624 West Main, Second Floor
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
Phone 502.589.2884
Fax 502.589.4334
email KYFORUM@aol.com