Scott Ritter, the former U.N. chief weapons inspector who questions allegations that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction, will discuss the need for facts before attacking Iraq on Thursday, Nov. 7, at the University of Rochester.
His lecture, which is part of the annual Neilly Series, will be presented at 5 p.m. in Hoyt Hall on the University's River Campus. The talk is free and open to the public.
After a 12-year career in the U.S. Marines, Ritter moved to the front lines of efforts to stop arms proliferation. He joined the United Nations' weapons inspection team in 1991, taking part in 30 inspections and was the chief for 14 of them. In 1998, Ritter led a team to Iraq, where he said the lack of support from the U.S. government and the U.N. Security Council moved him to resign as chief inspector.
Ritter's criticism of American foreign policy in the Middle East and in Iraq can be found in his book, Endgame: Solving the Iraq Problem Once and For All. In it, he examines the shortcomings of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and suggests alternative approaches to the Iraqi crisis. A new documentary film by Ritter, In Shifting Sands, investigates the role of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) in disarming Iraq.
The lecture by Ritter is sponsored by the Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Endowed Fund of the University of Rochester River Campus Libraries. For more information, contact (585) 275-4461.