As both a diplomat and a scholar, Dennis Ross has had a truly extraordinary career. Under President George H.W. Bush, he led the U.S. State Department's Policy Planning Staff. He also served as a Special Envoy to the Middle East under President Bill Clinton, and was a Special Advisor to President Barack Obama before stepping down in 2011 to become a full-time fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. In March, just one month before the breakdown of yet another series of Israeli-Palestinian talks, Ross spoke to California Lawyer contributing editor Martin Lasden about his own experiences in that part of the world and why cutting a comprehensive peace deal between Palestinians and Israelis remains so difficult. Series: "Legally Speaking" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 28295]