A Middle East Assessment: An Evening With General Anthony Zinni, USMC (Ret.), 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 5, 2005, LBJ Auditorium
This event is co-sponsored by The University of Texas' Global Challenge Initiative, the Center for Ethical Leadership and the Friends of the LBJ Library.
*Free tickets for those who are not Friends of the LBJ Library can be picked up at the Dean's Office of the LBJ School.
"In the lead-up to the Iraq War and its later conduct, I saw at a minimum, true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility, at worse, lying, incompetence and corruption." So says former U.S. Central Command commander in chief General Anthony Zinni, who retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in September 2000 and has been outspoken ever since regarding the uses and abuses of the U.S. military.
Out of uniform, Zinni was a troubleshooter for the U.S. government in Africa, Asia and Europe and served as special envoy to the Middle East under the Bush administration from November 2002 to March 2003.
Among his many commands, he has served as Head of the Special Operations and Terrorism Counteraction Section of the Marines; Chief of Staff of the Marine Air-Ground Training and Education Center at Quantico; Deputy Director of Operations, U.S. European Command; Director of Operations, Somalia task force, 1992-1993; Commander of the Combined Task Force protecting the withdrawal of UN forces from Somalia, 1993; and Commanding General, 1 st Marine Expeditionary Force.
He has his own consulting business and currently holds positions on several boards of directors and advisors of major U.S. companies and non-profit organizations.
General Zinni co-authored Tom Clancy's latest book Battle Ready , which was released in May 2004.
The LBJ Museum Store will be selling copies of Battle Ready. General Zinni will be signing copies of his book from 5:15 to 5:45 p.m. in the Lobby of the LBJ Auditorium prior to his address.