A convocation of eagles

DALLAS — Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former President George W. Bush will appear together during a conference Thursday to discuss the recent uprisings in the Middle East.

Bush, Rice and former first lady Laura Bush are scheduled to speak during a one-day conference on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The event is being hosted by the George W. Bush Institute.

The conference will feature panel discussions on the role social media had in the uprisings and what influence the uprisings might have on non-democratic regimes. About 300 people, including professors, activists and officials from pro-democracy organizations were expected to attend the conference called "The Wave of Freedom: Early Lessons from the Middle East."

"We really want to reinforce the notion that President Bush expressed in office that freedom is universal," said James K. Glassman, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute and a former State Department official.

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