Aspen Ministers Forum Session XV (March 2013)
Set in Marrakech, Morocco, the 15th session of the Aspen Ministers Forum drew together twenty-five former foreign ministers in March 2013 to examine the most pressing issues of regional security in North Africa and the Middle East and to identify the stakeholders that can play a role in bringing peace and stability to the region. The discussion began with a timely assessment of the situation in Mali and then shifted to look at the realities on the ground in Morocco, Egypt, Syria, and Iran. On Iran, the group wrestled with the status of the current negotiations, questioned the efficacy of the sanctions policy, and brainstormed new strategies to ensure a peaceful and diplomatic resolution. On Syria, the group heard from keynote speaker Lakhdar Brahimi, Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and League of Arab States for Syria, on the urgency of the Syrian crisis. To read ASG Director Nicholas Burns’ corresponding op-ed on Syria, click here.