Former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Robert W Jordan speaks in San Juan Capistrano

A diplomat who was U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks will speak in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, March 22, at 4 p.m. as part of a special program by the Friends of the Library.

Robert W. Jordan, diplomat in residence and adjunct professor of political science in the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies at Southern Methodist University, is visiting Orange County for an exclusive talk at the World Affairs Council in Irvine that’s available to members only. 

However, the Friends of the Library was fortunate enough to have him accept an invitation to speak at THE Bookstore, 31495-A El Camino Real, extended through a friend of his and longtime supporter of San Juan Capistrano’s public library.

“We’re so thrilled to be able to bring such a fascinating, worldly public figure right here to San Juan Capistrano,” said Friends of the Library President Mary D. “We can’t thank Ambassador Jordan enough for what’s guaranteed to be an unforgettable discussion.”

Ambassador Jordan is the author of “Desert Diplomat: Inside Saudi Arabia Following 9/11.” The book is available for sale at THE Bookstore, and Ambassador Jordan will be signing copies during a reception following the lecture.

Published last July, “Desert Diplomat” won praise from reviewer John Waterbury on foreignaffairs.com as a “readable chronicle” that “demonstrates good instincts and a fair measure of modesty.” 

The memoir explains how Ambassador Jordan went from representing George W. Bush as a partner in the Dallas law firm Baker Botts to being appointed by Bush to be top diplomat to Saudi Arabia, a post he held from October 2001 to October 2003. It includes a forward by former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker, a partner at the Baker Botts law firm.

Ambassador Jordan returned to Baker Botts after resigning his ambassadorship; he’s currently partner-in-charge of the firm’s Middle East offices and divides his time between the United States and Dubai.
In “Desert Diplomat”, Ambassador Jordan offers blunt assessments of his superiors, President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Expect that same candidness at THE Bookstore March 22.