UChannel: Marwan Muasher on The Arab Centre--The promise of moderation

Marwan Muasher on The Arab Centre: The promise of moderation
UChannel (Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs)

Marwan Muasher has held the most senior positions in the Jordanian government, including Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Ambassador to the US and Israel.
(Jul 3, 2008 at the RSA)

Chair: Dr Rosemary Hollis, Director of the Olive Tree Israeli-Palestinian scholarship programme at City University, London

Marwan Muasher's new book has been endorsed by Bill Clinton as "a must-read to understand how to address the challenges facing the Middle East today".

He comes to the RSA to call for moderate, pragmatic Arab voices to be heard in today's conflicted debates over how to achieve an enduring peace in the region.

Muasher, a Jordanian national, joined the World Bank as Senior Vice President of External Affairs on March 16, 2007, from his most recent position at the Senate of Jordan. His career has spanned the areas of development, diplomacy, civil society, and communications.

Marwan Muasher began his career as a journalist for the Jordan Times, then served from 1985 to 1990 at the Ministry of Planning and later as press advisor to the Prime Minister. He subsequently served as Director for the Jordan Information Bureau in Washington, building understanding and support in Congress, the press, and civil society.

In 1995, Marwan Muasher opened Jordan's first embassy in Israel, and in 1996 became Minister of Information and the government's spokesperson. From 1997 to 2002, he served in Washington again as Ambassador, negotiating the first free trade agreement between the United States and an Arab nation. He then returned to Jordan to serve as Foreign Minister, where he was deeply involved in the peace process. In 2004 he became Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Reform and Government Performance, and led the effort to produce a ten-year Development Strategy that included, among other topics, major recommendations on political and economic reform, financial services, fiscal reforms, employment, education, and training.

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