Martin Indyk has written a landmark book, Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy, on the Mideast diplomacy of Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State to presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Indyk’s exceptional and forensic study of diplomatic records along with personal discussions with Kissinger on those events – all informed further by Indyk’s unique insights from his own decades of involvement in the search for peace in the Middle East under presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama – provide an extraordinary window on these events and the challenges facing President Biden and his foreign policy team in today’s Middle East.
How did the United States end up so centrally involved in Middle East peace negotiations? In an era of strategic competition, what is the Biden administration's Middle East strategy? What does Australia need to know about Biden’s Middle East policy going forward?
To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a conversation with Martin Indyk and the United States Studies Centre (USSC) Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe and Research Associate Victoria Cooper.
Martin Indyk
Distinguished Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Martin Indyk is a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former US ambassador to Israel, assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs, and special assistant to President Clinton. Previously, Indyk was executive vice president of the Brookings Institution, where he had also served as vice president and director of the Foreign Policy program and the founding director of its Center for Middle East Policy. He served as President Obama’s special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations from July 2013 to June 2014.
Bruce Wolpe
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, United States Studies Centre
Bruce Wolpe is a Senior Fellow (non-resident) at the United States Studies Centre. Bruce is a regular contributor on US politics across media platforms in Australia. In recent years, Bruce has worked with the Democrats in Congress during President Barack Obama's first term, and on the staff of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. He has also served as the former PM's chief of staff.
Victoria Cooper
Research Associate, United States Studies Centre
Victoria Cooper is a Research Associate at the United States Studies Centre, where she specialises in US domestic politics, public opinion and the Australian-US relationship. Her analysis has been featured across various Australian media outlets including the Australian Financial Review, ABC, the Conversation and the Sydney Morning Herald.
