Austrian Ambassador Teaches Class at Georgetown

Students taking a new course on Europe, Israel and the Palestinians received first-hand insight as the Austrian Ambassador to Qatar delivered a guest lecture at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q).

His Excellence Willy Kempel, who recently took up the ambassador position in Doha, spoke to students about the European Union’s role in conflict resolution in the Middle East as part of the course run by GU-Q Professor Rory Miller.

Drawing on his longtime and wide-ranging experience as a diplomat working for Austria and the European Union, Kempel introduced students to a number of negotiating strategies at the heart of conflict resolution. The ambassador also spoke engagingly about the opportunities, as well as the challenges, for peace in the region.

Prior to taking up his current position, Kempel held posts in Kinshasa, Geneva and Tel Aviv, and worked as a senior lecturer at Danube University Krems, and Sigmund Freud University in Vienna. He joined the Austrian Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and held various posts, representing Austria in its relations with the European Union and as an expert in European security strategy, terrorism and US affairs.