Daniel Benjamin, who served on the National Security Council under President Bill Clinton will give a free presentation, “The Broader Middle East and the Next President,” on Oct. 29 from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 124 of the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center on the University of Nevada, Reno campus.

Benjamin specializes in American foreign policy, terrorism and European, Middle East and South Asia affairs. Prior to joining the Brookings Institution in 1996, Benjamin was a senior fellow for six years in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He worked under President Clinton on the National Security Council staff from 1994 to 1999, and specifically as director for transnational threats from 1998-1999. In this position he kept the President and the National Security Advisor briefed and prepared with policy options about these threats.

From 1994-1997 he was the foreign policy speechwriter and special assistant to President Clinton. He was named director of the Center on the United States and Europe and a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution in December 2006. “This is a terrific opportunity for students and faculty,” said Leonard Weinberg, a political science professor, who Benjamin called about speaking on campus.

“We recently had Ty Cobb, Sr. on campus, who worked on the National Security Council under President Reagan. With Benjamin working on the National Security Council under President Clinton, it certainly suggests that our University can attract first-rate people from both sides of the aisle.” Benjamin has appeared frequently on the nightly news broadcasts of all the major networks and the Lehrer News Hour and has been on such shows as Frontline, 60 Minutes, Nightline, This Week with George Stephanopoulos and Fox News Sunday. He has published numerous articles in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, TIME Magazine and Slate, among others.

His visit is sponsored by the National Security Network and is presented by the University department of political science and the Northern Nevada International Center.