Community experts discuss wars, path to peace during forum
New attacks on Libya, a war in Iraq that has just passed the eight-year mark and continued fighting in Afghanistan were some of the subjects of a spirited panel discussion Tuesday, March 22, in Fort Myers.
An intellectual back and forth between three panelists yielded some potential solutions during “Perspectives on Conflict in the 21st Century: Iraq, Afghanistan, and Beyond,” held before a gathering at the Riverside Community Center.
The event was organized by The Environmental and Peace Education Center, a nonprofit group based in Fort Myers. EPEC President Jessica Mendes said the exchange of ideas was the key element to the forum, and hopes the conversation will spread and continue.
“Everyone here left with something they didn’t come with,” Mendes said. “They found a new point of view. I think it’s important that we keep the conversation going.”
Matlacha resident Melady Kehm, one of the dozens in attendance, came away with a better understanding.
“I learned something about the interconnectedness of issues in the Middle East,” she said.
David Plazas, community conversation editor of The News-Press, served as moderator for the discussion. Panelists included Florida Gulf Coast University professors Richard Coughlin and Hootan Shambayati, as well as Jeff George, a filmmaker, Army veteran and former U.S. House candidate.
Recent uprisings in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere, and continued wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could represent a historical turning point, George said.
“We’re in for a very dramatic change,” he said. “How we deal with the situation in the Middle East is going to determine where the rest of the 21st Century, and where humanity as a whole goes.”
Shambayati said that conclusions about what lies ahead are premature.
“The Middle East is entering a new stage,” he said. “We are going through a very exciting period in Middle East history, but also a very uncertain period.”
Coughlin echoed sentiments expressed by George, who said people everywhere must take a proactive role in determining exactly what the future holds.
“Progress isn’t something that’s automatic,” Coughlin said. “Progress is something that you have to make happen.”
For more information about the forum and other EPEC projects, visit www.epec.org or www.facebook.com/epecswfl.