Dennis Ross, a former special assistant to President Barack Obama, is the counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute.
Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor in the Bush administration, and as special representative for Iran and Venezuela in the Trump administration.
Brief Analysis
The Washington Institute presented its 2021 Scholar-Statesman Award to Dennis Ross and Elliott Abrams.
Two long-serving U.S. troubleshooters in the Middle East -- Dennis Ross and Elliott Abrams -- received The Washington Institute's prestigious Scholar-Statesman Award before nearly 400 guests at a gala dinner on December 6, 2012, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.
Ross, who served as special Middle East negotiator to President Clinton and Iran policy advisor to President Obama, is currently the Institute's counselor. Abrams, deputy national security advisor in the George W. Bush administration, is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. In an unscripted conversation with Dr. Satloff during the dinner, Abrams and Ross reflected on their careers in foreign policy and discussed current events in the Middle East, including Israeli-Palestinian developments, Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, and the challenge of Egypt under Islamist rule.
The event also paid tribute to Richard and Lorraine Abramson, New York-area community leaders whose vision and dedication as trustees have strengthened the Institute's mission for twenty years.
About the Award
The Scholar-Statesman Award celebrates outstanding leaders who, through their public service and professional achievements, exemplify the idea that sound scholarship and a discerning knowledge of history are essential to wise and effective policy and the advancement of peace and security in the Middle East. Previous honorees include President Bill Clinton, British prime minister Tony Blair, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State George P. Shultz, human rights activists Natan Sharansky and Saad Eddin Ibrahim, and eminent historian Bernard Lewis.
