Today at the Center

Perceptions of Turkey in the Middle East

10:30am – 12:00pm

Turkey operates in a unique space between Europe and the Middle East and has dramatically expanded its influence in recent years throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. Understanding Turkey’s changing role in the region is critical to U.S. foreign policy, particularly in the wake of the Arab Spring. “The Perceptions of Turkey in the Middle East 2011” is a regional public opinion survey conducted in late 2011 in 16 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Including Egypt, Iran, Libya, Syria and Tunisia, the survey is the third annual poll of regional public opinion conducted by TESEV. The study sheds light on general trends in the region, perception of the Arab Spring and the region’s future, as well as the role of Turkey, including regional opinion of the protests of the last year in all countries, including Syria, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, and Iran; the role of international actors in the events of 2011; perspectives on security; and perceptions of the Turkish model and what makes Turkey valuable in the eyes of the region.

Please join the Center for American Progress and the TESEV Institute as we host a presentation and discussion of “The Perceptions of Turkey in the Middle East 2011”, a new study by the TESEV Institute on perceptions of Turkey by its Middle East neighbors on the Arab Spring, Iran, and Turkey.

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Upcoming Events

Love Free or Die

February 13, 2012, 7:00pm – 9:30pm
Special Location: Landmark E Street Cinema, E Street between 10th and 11th Streets, NW, Washington, DC

"Love Free or Die" is about a man whose two defining passions are in direct conflict: his love for God and for his partner Mark. Gene Robinson is the first openly gay person to become a bishop in the historic traditions of Christendom. His consecration in 2003, to which he wore a bullet-proof vest, caused an international stir, and he has lived with death threats every day since. The film follows Robinson from small town churches in the New Hampshire North Country to Washington’s Lincoln Memorial to London’s Lambeth Palace, as he calls for all to stand for equality—inspiring bishops, priests, and ordinary folk to come out from the shadows and change history.

The Center for American Progress, in partnership with AFI SilverDocs, GLAAD, Groundswell, Integrity USA, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the Institute for Welcoming Resources, and St. Thomas Parish, presents a special screening of "Love Free or Die," followed by a panel discussion and Q&A session featuring Bishop Gene Robinson, director Macky Alston, and ThinkProgress culture blogger Alyssa Rosenberg.

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The Last Great Senate

February 14, 2012, 12:00pm – 1:00pm

The Last Great Senate draws from historical documents, first-hand recollections, and interviews with dozens of former senators, staffers, and Carter administration officials. What emerges is a portrait of a Senate that, for a short period of time, came as close to fulfilling the vision of the Founding Fathers as it ever has in our history.

Throughout the book, author Ira Shapiro brings to life the main characters on the Senate’s stage—Robert Byrd, Howard Baker, Ted Kennedy, Jacob Javits, Henry Jackson, Ted Stevens, Ed Muskie, Richard Lugar, George McGovern, Bob Dole, and Russell Long. These men—whatever their human foibles—were all passionate and serious about their work and service to the country. Shapiro captures their conversations, debates, beliefs, and machinations, offering a fascinating and illuminating look into how work is really done on Capitol Hill.

Please join the Center for American Progress for a discussion on this new book.

Copies of The Last Great Senate will be available for purchase at the event.

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Infrastructure

February 16, 2012, 10:00am – 11:00am

Anti-tax hardliners and bi-partisan efforts to curb the budget deficit are making it very difficult to increase federal investments in infrastructure. The recently passed Federal Aviation Bill failed to invest at needed levels. Both the House and Senate are now moving surface transportation legislation. The House Bill puts transit and rail funding at risk and the Senate Bill maintains the current level of federal investment. Neither bill is sufficient to bring our surface transportation systems up to world class standards.

Is there a way forward? Join a discussion with former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, who dramatically increased state investment in road, bridge and water repairs while curing a gapping state budget deficit; and former reporter, financier and White House economic expert Steve Rattner, who led the nation's successful overhaul of the auto industry while serving in the White House; and John Podesta as they discuss the short term options for increasing the pace of infrastructure repair that could gain bi-partisan support, while also sharing their observations about the long term reforms needed to return America's infrastructure to world class standards.

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