Program Description

The UCLA Center for Middle East Development hosted the event, "CMED Chats, Episode 3," on July 15, 2021. Watch or listen to the third edition of the series, hosted by CMED Senior Fellow, Steve Zipperstein, with guest, Vice President at the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, Mickey Bergman, by clicking on the podcast or video above.

CMED Chats is a unique new monthly series that will engage charismatic guests who are from the Middle East and North Africa or connected to the region in some capacity. We plan to bring you diplomats, activists, journalists, analysts, policy makers, artists, musicians, and many more guests who can help us dig deeper into an often misunderstood, complex part of the world. Our hosts will sit down for one-on-one casual chats of at least 30 minutes, covering a variety of topics that will highlight the myriad voices and realities that enrich this colorful region.

GUEST — Mickey Bergman is Vice President at the Richardson Center for Global Engagement. With nearly 15 years in various aspects of strategic diplomacy, he coined the term “Fringe Diplomacy” to describe the new field he is forging, an innovative discipline exploring the space in international relations just beyond the boundaries of states’ and governments’ capacity and authority. He manages relationships and private diplomacy efforts in North Korea, Cuba, Myanmar, Middle East, Venezuela, and Africa. Nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, alongside former governor Bill Richardson, Mr. Bergman has led his team at the Richardson Center to facilitate the release of more political prisoners than any other organization. Mr. Bergman creates new political capital by leading professional exchange programs to frontier countries such as North Korea, Myanmar, Cuba, Lebanon, and others.

HOST — Steve Zipperstein is a lecturer of public policy and global studies at UCLA and a senior fellow at the UCLA Center for Middle East Development. He also serves as a lecturer of history at UC Santa Barbara and as a visiting professor of law at Tel Aviv University. Zipperstein is the author of the recently published book, “Law and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Trials of Palestine” (Routledge, 2020). His next book, "Zionism, Palestinian Nationalism and the Law: 1939-1948," will be published later this year. He has also published several academic legal articles. Zipperstein practiced law for more than 37 years in California, Washington, DC, and New York/New Jersey. He is a member of the American Law Institute and a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Picture Descriptions (Left to right): President Biden and Secretary of State Tony Blinken (Occasion, visit of then VP Biden to Israel); HE King Abdullah II of Jordan (Occasion, entrepreneurship and investment delegation to Jordan); Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (Occasion, working on democratic transition in Myanmar); Governor Bill Richardson and Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif (Occasion, following the release of American prisoner Xiyue Wang from Iran)