The Chancellor's Distinguished Fellows Series
and
The 2004-05 Peltason Lecture on Democracy

present

Prime Minister Jos� Maria Aznar

UC Irvine is very honored to host Jos� Maria Aznar as the 2004-05 Peltason Lecturer. A vocal combatant of terrorism, Jose Maria Aznar understands firsthand the impact of terrorism on personal lives, elections, and national security. At great personal risk, Aznar worked to weaken the Basque terrorist organization ETA, which attempted to assassinate him in 1995. As Prime Minister, he was one of the first to aid and support the U.S. in the aftermath of 9-11. He also sent Spanish troops to Iraq. He believes the goals of terrorists are to undermine democracies worldwide, and in March 2004, from Aznar's perspective, his party was undermined in the election by the terrorist bombings in Madrid.

Aznar served as prime minister of Spain from May 1996 to April 2004. He was re-elected in 2000, the first time a party of the right gained an absolute majority in parliament since democracy was restored in 1977. Since leaving office, Aznar has presided over the Foundation for Social Analysis and Studies � a think tank of the Partido Popular, the political party that he helped create. Aznar also is a Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership at Georgetown University.

For additional information, please contact the Center for the Study of Democracy (949) 824-2904 or email lpercell@uci.edu.

Past Peltason Lectures have been given by Senator Edward Kennedy, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, US Representative to the UN Human Rights Commission; former US Senator Alan K. Simpson, and former US Senator Paul Simon.

PM Aznar is a guest of the Center for the Study of Democracy in the School of Social Sciences at UC Irvine and the Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Series. The Center hosts the annual Peltason Lecture on Democracy that invites leading political figures to lecture on campus; the series is supported by a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.