Noted expert on Arab-American relations James Zogby will speak at ISU March 9

AMES, Iowa -- Author James Zogby, a scholar and expert on Arab-American relations, will discuss his new book during a lecture at Iowa State University. "Arab Voices: What They Are Saying to Us and Why it Matters" will be at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 9, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. His presentation is part of the university's World Affairs Series and is free and open to the public.

Zogby is a noted lecturer and scholar on Middle East issues, American-Arab relations and the history of the Arab-American community. He is the founder and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), a Washington, D.C.-based organization that serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab-American community. He also cofounded several other organizations, including the Palestine Human Rights Campaign, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and Save Lebanon, a private non-profit, humanitarian relief organization. Following the signing of the Israeli-Palestinian peace accord in Washington, Zogby served as co-president of Builders for Peace, a private-sector committee to promote U.S. business investment in the West Bank and Gaza.

In addition to "Arab Voices," Zogby is the author of "What Ethnic Americans Really Think" and "What Arabs Think: Values, Beliefs and Concerns."

Zogby is a member of the national advisory board of the American Civil Liberties Union, The Human Rights Watch Board of Directors for the Middle East and North Africa, and the Council on Foreign Relations. As a senior advisor for the polling firm Zogby International, he is responsible for the firm's groundbreaking polling across the Middle East.

A frequent guest on major network news programs in the U.S, he also hosts the award-winning "Viewpoint with James Zogby" on Abu Dhabi Television, LinkTV, Dish Network and DirectTV. And Zogby writes a weekly column on U.S. politics, "Washington Watch," for the major newspapers of the Arab world.

Zogby's talk is cosponsored by World Affairs, the International Studies Program and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by the Government of the Student Body. More information on ISU lectures is available at http://www.lectures.iastate.edu, or by calling 515-294-9935.