David Warren Lesch is a lecturer, author and commentator on Middle East history and politics. He is the Ewing Halsell Distinguished Professor of Middle East History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.[1] Lesch writes regularly for news publications and journals and has made frequent appearances on radio and television to discuss Middle East politics, with a particular focus on Syria. In 2012–2013, he co-founded, organized, and led the Harvard-NUPI-Trinity Syria Research Project alongside William Ury. The project was funded by the governments of Norway and Switzerland, and its Final Report was published by NUPI in 2013. He co-founded what in essence is the 2nd phase of this project in early 2014, along with Gerard McHugh, the founder and president of Conflict Dynamics International (CDI), based in Cambridge, MA. This 2nd phase is entitled the CDI-Trinity University Syria Initiative, and it is ongoing and funded by the government of Denmark. Both Syria projects have attempted to offer a better multi-dimensional understanding of the Syrian civil war as well as chart out possible pathways toward conflict resolution and sustainable governance. Dr. Lesch was also the number one draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1980 baseball winter draft as a pitcher.
He has travelled frequently to the Middle East on academic, business and diplomatic missions, and was president of Middle East International Business Associates, Inc., a consulting firm that investigated business opportunities in the Middle East for US companies.
In 2004 David Lesch began having regular contact with personal friend Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and has since consulted with US government officials in their attempts to improve relations between the US and Syria.[5]
In May 2008, Dr. Lesch was recognized by Trinity for his outstanding research.[6]
Lesch was also the number one draft pick of the LA Dodgers in 1980 as a pitcher.[7]