The Middle East: It's Not All Sand

The Middle East is a region of the world with untold centuries of history. As most geographical regions, Middle East history has dealt with migration, empires, enlightenment, philosophers, commerce, and violent conflicts. In recent history, much of the focus has been on the aspects of conflict and oil. However, there is so much more to that fascinating part of the world. The part part of family importance, aspirations for a better life, positive economic trends, and mutually beneficial economic trade often escapes world news in favor of violent conflicts. To help us unwind some of this mystery, my special guest is Ambassador Douglas A. Silliman. Ambassador Silliman is a recently retired senior US Diplomat with over 35 years of expertise in the Arab culture and international affairs. He was Ambassador to Iraq and Kuwait, and is now President of The Arab Gulf States Institute In Washington (https://agsiw.org/). Ambassador Silliman also serves on the board of advisors of the Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce, which helps American businesses expand their international business and trade ties, especially in the Middle East and Gulf region. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Diplomacy. *Opinions expressed on this Podcast are those of the host and Guests, and not affiliated with any governmental organization. *******Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you found this episode (and my podcast in general) interesting, please share it with friends, family, and associates. The goal of my podcast is to have interesting guests share their thoughts on different issues, have guest co-hosts to discuss various topics (especially those that offer humor), and even share short episodes in which I discuss thoughtful and even heartwarming issues. Special thanks to Devine and Company (https://www.devineandcompany.com/) for their guidance on episode format and technical details. *Twitter: @stewartdevine5 You can listen to and subscribe to, "It's Not All Bad," that's available from the following platforms: *Anchor - https://anchor.fm/stewart-devine *Google Podcasts - https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82MDYwNGQ2MC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== *Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-not-all-bad/id1574392751?uo=4 *Breaker - https://www.breaker.audio/its-not-all-bad *Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0X6Gn9zC85iEyfKbNmpINM *Pocket Casts - https://pca.st/beu5r0lv *RadioPublic - https://radiopublic.com/its-not-all-bad-WDjRy7