On Mar 21, 2025, the Clough Center’s Spring Symposium hosted Brett McGurk, former White House special envoy, who gave a keynote address on the ups and downs of promoting democracy in the Middle East. McGurk, the White House’s former top Middle East negotiator, secured the historic 2025 ceasefire and hostage-release between Israel and Hamas.
Brett McGurk provided insights from his first-hand experience in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. McGurk, who consulted on the drafting of Iraq’s constitution, emphasized the differences between establishing constitutional democracy and the realities in the field. He noted that democracy depends on political progress and security. You can watch McGurk’s keynote address on the Clough Center’s YouTube channel via the link below.
Brett McGurk, Clough Center’s Spring Symposium 2025 
“Politics, the give and take of democracy, cannot succeed or take root when people are focused on just their own survival.” Brett McGurk, Clough Center’s Spring Symposium 2025 
“In foreign policy, it’s inside that gap between ends and means that folly lies…and it’s often unheeded to the peril of leaders and nations.”, Brett McGurk, Clough Center’s Spring Symposium 2025 
Brett McGurk, Clough Center’s Spring Symposium 2025
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