A Conversation with William J. Burns

William J. Burns, President of Carnegie Endowment and former US Deputy Secretary of State

William J. Burns, former Deputy Secretary of State and President of the Carnegie Endowment, came to the Washington, DC campus to talk about the current conflict between the states in the Middle East. Moderated by Ambassador Shirin Tahir Kheli, Mr. Burns talked about the role of religion and the posed threat of ISIS. Furthermore, he spoke about the U.S. approach to address the civil war in Syria and Iraq. Burns and Tahir-Kheli also discussed the effects of the crisis on the region, especially of Jordan and Lebanon who have received millions of refugees from Syria. In addition, they talked about the hardship imposed on the internally displaced people who are still stuck in the war torn country. Finally, Mr. Burns spoke about the recent terrorist attacks committed by ISIS and their potential impact.