Iman Kabbaj, an exchange student from Morocco, came to the lecture because of her interest in diplomacy and the Middle East. "It is pretty interesting," she said. "It shed the light on some obscure points on the Israeli-Syrian conflict. I pretty much agree with what he's saying."
Kabbaj opposed Rabinovich's assertion that the Syrian issue was more important than the Palestinian conflict, however. "First settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," she said. "The Israeli-Syrian conflict is not a physical conflict. There is no army, whereas in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, there is a physical tension due to the presence of Israel in the Palestinian territories. That's why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be a priority rather than the Israeli-Syrian conflict."
George Somi, A&S '10, had his own views on the Syrian president. "I don't agree completely with his analysis of Bashar Assad. I think Bashar is almost like his dad. I don't know if you want to call him evil or good, but he's a genius. He is playing every side and he is still in power," he said.
Some students attended the lecture because it was required for one of their classes. Benjamin Mindes, A&S '11, was there for his Fundamental Concepts of Politics class. Mindes had some background about the Israeli-Syrian situation from his high school Model United Nations course, but was unaware of the history behind the conflict. "I had conceived that the relationship between Israel and Syria would be tense only based on the recent coverage in the news media. Ambassador Rabinovich exposed me to the historical reasons involving the Soviet Union and Syria's relation with Iran as to why there are such tensions between the two and the significance of the United States into the equation," he said in an e-mail.
Mindes appreciated the firsthand accounts offered by Rabinovich. "The Ambassador provided the audience a sense of personal background and inside information that is very rare. Usually the information that reaches us is channeled through many different forms of media and journalism until the public hears about it. Having an inside opinion who has not gone through the media first is an interesting change to class lectures and such."
Trey Brewer, A&S '11, was also there for Fundamental Concepts of Politics. Unlike Mindes, Brewer was not familiar with the issue but learned a great deal from the lecture. "When I think about the Middle East and Syria and stuff I think about corrupt leadership and the evil hand." Coming out of the lecture, Rabinovich's message about diplomacy resonated with Brewer. "The only solution is when both sides have a dire need for an agreement. You can apply that philosophy to what you know and what the United States is doing now," she said.
Spring Break
