Bing West, a correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, will speak at the 166su on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
“Lessons From Iraq: Flawed Execution or is America Unwilling to Fight?” will begin at 3 p.m. in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union. The event, organized by the 166su Global Perspectives Office, is part of the 2011-2012 themes of “People Power, Politics and Global Change” and “Covering Crises from the Frontlines.” It is free and open to the public.
West is an expert on the Vietnam War, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other defense, national security and geopolitical issues. He served as assistant secretary of defense for International Affairs during the Reagan administration.
West also is the author of six books on national security and the military, including his Vietnam classic, “The Village,” which has been on the Commandant of the Marine Corps Reading List for 20 years. For his most recent book, “The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy and the Way out of Afghanistan,” West was embedded with troops on the frontlines there.
West was cited by the Los Angeles Times as one of the top 10 journalists covering Iraq, which he has traveled to 11 times over the past four years and where he was embedded with more than 30 U.S. battalions. His articles appear regularly in The Atlantic Monthly, The Wall St. Journal, The New York Times and Slate.
In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners of West’s presentation include the 166su Global Peace and Security Studies Program, The Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship Program, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations, LarsonAllen LLP, the 166su Nicholson School of Communication, the 166su Diplomacy Program, the 166su Middle Eastern Studies Program, the 166su Political Science Department, the 166su International Services Center, UCF LIFE, the 166su Book Festival 2012 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center and the Global Connections Foundation.
For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit or follow the office on Twitter at .