Students will have the chance to have a firsthand account of what is happening in Iraq from an SU alumnus and diplomat.

George Farag, a 2002 graduate of the Maxwell School of Public Affairs and Citizenship at Syracuse University, will speak at 11:45 a.m. to 1:25 p.m. today in 341 Eggers Hall about his observations of the political and religious circumstances in Iraq and how they relate to Iraq’s current situation.

Farag served as deputy governate coordinator and public affairs officer with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Najaf, Iraq, coordinating with Iraqis to work on development projects and helping to establish local government and CPA policy.

‘He will talk about conflict: One of the most troubling conflicts in the United States and the world right now,’ said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, professor of political science who taught Farag. ‘We as citizens should be interested to know what our diplomats are saying.’

To complete their jobs, many deputy governate coordinators meet with local leaders and citizens to discuss government issues, and attempt to encourage them to get involved in the political and economic tasks facing the country.

This gives many of them a unique, firsthand perspective on local ideas and attitudes about the occupation process.

Before serving in Iraq, Farag was an assistant public affairs officer in Manama, Bahrain, where he attempted to bring understanding to local groups and media about U.S. policy.

Farag received his master’s degree from SU in international relations and public administration in 2002, where he expressed a desire to work abroad.

‘He was interested in going into the foreign services,’ he said, adding that Farag is also of Egyptian origin. ‘Because of his linguistic abilities, he was sent to (the Middle East).’

Farag, a New Jersey native, attended the College of New Jersey to receive his bachelor’s of science in international business in 1997.

Following that, he lived in Cairo, Egypt, serving as an assistant director for external services at American University, returning to the United States to receive his master’s degree. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in anthropology at SU.

‘He’s an alumnus – we always like to have them return,’ said Marilyn Schick, events coordinator for the Global Affairs Institute at Syracuse University.

The event is sponsored by SU’s Global Policies Lecture Series and Middle Eastern studies, Schick said.

Published on November 14, 2004 at 12:00 pm