Stonington - The La Grua Center in the borough will sponsor a discussion on the topic of Syria, Iraq, and ISIS on Jan. 8, 2015, at 6 p.m. led by Fareed Yasseen, the Iraqi ambassador to France.

Educated in Iraq, Switzerland and the United States, Yasseen originally worked as a physicist and carried out research in Europe and the United States before getting involved in political activism and human rights advocacy. He has worked and consulted for various United Nations agencies and think tanks. He also served as the head of policy planning for the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was a diplomatic adviser to Iraqi Deputy President Adil Abd al-Mahdi. For the past four and a half years he has been his country's ambassador to France.

This event is free and open to the public, but donations are gratefully accepted. Those who plan on attending are advised to arrive early as seating is limited.