Former National Security Council director engages with students on Abraham Accords, foreign policy

Liberty University students and College For a Weekend (CFAW) guests gleaned from Robert Greenway, former Director for the National Security Council during a visit to the Helms School of Government last week.

Greenway served as director during the Trump administration. He is also currently an adjunct fellow at Hudson Institute and the Executive Director of the Abraham Accords Institute of Peace.

Greenway was a major architect of the groundbreaking Abraham Accords, one of the most critical peace agreements of the 21^st Century that improved diplomatic relations between Israel and its neighboring countries in the Middle East.

On Thursday, he was as a guest lecturer in several classes, covering a variety of key issues concerning national intelligence and foreign affairs and touching on fighting terrorism, building relationships with allies, and America’s response to Iran’s nuclear capability pursuit.

“The world, at the end of the day, is a lot like a school playground,” Greenway told students. He also told students regarding terrorism, the simplest way to prevent catastrophe is to understand the organizational structure of your foreign adversaries.

Greenway said the students were eager, receptive, and thoughtfully engaged in the class discussions.

“Nowhere have I found as genuine an enthusiasm,” he said. “Students were interested and willing to apply themselves to make further progress in the direction of peace.”

Greenway had previously visited Liberty in March, when he hosted a panel event on the Abraham Accords featuring Israel Ambassador to the United Nations; Adbulla Khalifa, Bahrain Ambassador to the United States; and Yousef Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States. The panel was hosted by Liberty’s School of Government and School of Business.

Greenway said the Christian atmosphere on campus was evident during both visits.

“When you get here, you don’t have to have a sign that says this is what the school’s mission is. You know that as soon as you talk to anyone here and when you walk around,” he said. “Show me what a person does, and I’ll show you what they believe. It’s true here.”

Greenway told students on DAY that the best way to promote Christ is through the workplace, stating that behaviors and concrete actions cause the greatest influence.

“It’s important to recognize that one or two believers can have a massive impact wherever they are,” he said. “I’ve seen the value of what believers can do, the power of witness, and the impact that it has in remarkable ways. And to know there’s an institution committed to that is incredible. … It is so unlike any other place.”

Before leaving campus, Greenway visited Liberty’s Alexander Hamilton Society chapter on Friday.

“From his position as Deputy Assistant to the President and as a member of the National Security Council focusing on the Middle East, Robert Greenway was able to share with the students his invaluable perspective on one of America’s greatest foreign policy challenges,” said Robert Hurt, dean of the School of Government. “In addition, Mr. Greenway was able to discuss his pivotal role in brokering the historic Abraham Accords — a foreign policy victory that has made the world safer. We are grateful for his service to our country and for serving as a shining example to our students of the kind of leadership that our nation needs as they prepare for careers in foreign policy, national security, and intelligence.”