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Stephen Kinzer Discusses U.S. Strategy in the Middle East and Turkey’s Critical Role
Award-Winning Author’s Latest Book “Reset: Iran, Turkey and America’s Future” Released on June 8

New York, June 10, 2010 — Stephen Kinzer, award-winning author and foreign correspondent, will discuss his latest book “Reset: Iran, Turkey and America’s Future” this evening, on June 10, at a special event presented by Baruch College/CUNY Weissman School of Arts and Sciences and The Light Millennium in collaboration with The American Turkish Society. The discussion, which will start at 6 pm with a reception, will take place at Baruch College located at 55 Lexington Avenue, Room 14-220.  Over 150 guests from the diplomacy, academia, business and media circles are expected.  The event, one of Mr. Kinzer’s first appearances in New York following the release of his book on June 8, will offer a particularly timely opportunity to discuss U.S.-Turkish relations in light of recent developments in the Middle East. The event is free and open to the public.

In his paradigm-shifting book, Stephen Kinzer offers a surprising answer to what the United States can do to help realize its dream of a peaceful, democratic Middle East. He argues that two countries in the region are America's logical partners in the twenty-first century: Iran and Turkey. He bases this new "power triangle" on the similarities between the countries.  They share strategic interests, like a stable Iraq, stable Afghanistan, and stable Pakistan; and their people also share a desire for democratic values.  He also recommends that the United States reshape relations with its two traditional Middle East allies, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Thomas Pickering, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs comments, “Stephen Kinzer’s deep knowledge of the Middle East is complemented by his lucid style and new ideas. He sees Turkey as a key state for the region and the world, suggests new and innovative ways to deal with Saudi Arabia and Iran, and calls for the United States to play a much more robust and determined role in the Arab-Israeli peace process.”

Stephen Kinzer is the author of Overthrow, All the Shah's Men, Crescent and Star, and numerous other books. An award-winning foreign correspondent, he served as The New York Times’ bureau chief in Turkey, Germany, and Nicaragua and as The Boston Globe's Latin America correspondent. He teaches international relations at Boston University and is a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books and a columnist for The Guardian. He lives in Boston and has reported from all the countries examined in his new book. www.stephenkinzer.com

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Members of the press wishing to attend the event or receive additional information, please contact Bircan Unver, event@lightmillennium.org; 347-666-8658, or Doga Kayalar, d.kayalar@americanturkishsociety.org; 212.583.7614.

Baruch College/CUNY Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, with 13 outstanding academic departments, numerous interdisciplinary programs, and a wide range of majors, is a vibrant intellectual and cultural center that offers students a rich and diverse array of music and theatre in the Baruch Center for the Performing Arts. www.baruch.cuny.edu/wsas/index.html

The Light Millennium, founded NY in July 2001 based in Queens, holds a tax-exempt 501-c-3 status since 2001, and is associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations since 2005. The organization e-published its first multi-participatory e-platform in January 2000, and simultaneously launched the Light Millennium TV programs at QPTV. LM provides an international platform for the free expression of ideas and experiences in order to foster a global dialog and better understanding among all people in the world, as well as a channel aiming to remove prejudices between various culture and countries.www.lightmillennium.org

The American Turkish Society, founded in 1949, is America’s oldest not-for profit organization seeking to enhance ties between Turkey and the United States. The Society achieves its mission by bringing together government and business leaders, journalists, and scholars covering a spectrum of fields. In addition, The Society initiates and sponsors a variety of educational and cultural exchange opportunities between the two countries. www.americanturkishsociety.org