The International Center of Worcester (ICW) will host former Ambassador to Qatar and Lebanon, Mark Hambley, to speak on the topic “Reflections on the ‘Arab Spring’ as it Moves into the Long, Hot Summer,” at the ICW Annual Meeting, from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, June 27, at Tilton Hall in the Higgins University Center at Clark University.  Ambassador Hambley’s presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Ambassador Hambley will have just returned from Egypt and will give a timely update on the historic popular uprisings and democratic movements in the Middle East.

Ambassador Hambley entered the U.S. Foreign Service in 1971 with an initial posting to Vietnam.  During his 32 year career, he served as the U.S. Envoy to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, serving concurrently as the U.S. Special Negotiator for Climate Change.  His assignments included 11 postings in seven Middle Eastern countries, including Ambassador to Qatar and to Lebanon and as Consul General in Alexandria, Egypt, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  Initially retiring in 2001, Hambley was inspired by the events of 9-11 and temporarily resumed government work during the Afghanistan conflict.  In March 2003, he was asked to return to duty as head of a special White House media operation based in London during the third Gulf war.  Currently, he works as a special counsel to the CEO of Apollo Security, Inc. on a full range of international matters.

ICW’s annual meeting is free (donations are welcome) and open to the public. For more information,  contact the ICW office at 508-793-7626 or icw@clarku.edu.

ICW is an independent non-profit membership organization located on the Clark University campus and has been welcoming international visitors to Central Massachusetts since 1963. It organizes programs for participants in governmental and non-governmental professional exchange programs and is part of a nationwide network of organizations that are members of the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) in Washington, D.C.  ICW’s mission is to promote “Citizen Diplomacy” by giving its members opportunities for personal contact with visitors from around the world and to encourage mutual understanding and friendship between residents of Central Massachusetts, the international community and international visitors.