On October 30, Council Director, Diane DeMell Jacobsen, Ph.D. presented a comprehensive analysis of the War on Terror and Prospects for Peace in Iraq and Afghanistan before a special gathering of about 150 Council members at the University of North Florida.  Invited by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates to receive briefings first at the Pentagon, and then with troops in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, she was able to apply her conflict resolution experience to this war- torn region and provide a fresh perspective.  She candidly described discussions with the troops and Generals she met and her own conclusions after observing first hand the complexity of the challenges the US is facing and the global threat posed by a “flat” and expanding terrorist network.  She described what the impressive men and women of our military are experiencing, and delivered a timely, thought-provoking and sobering assessment of our current military strategy as well as prospects for peace.  Many of our members who were present called it the most informative presentation they had ever heard on the current challenges in the region.

-Admiral Jonathan T. Howe, USN (Ret.)

President

World Affairs Council of Jacksonville