The Summer Institute at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center opens its six-week speaker series on Thursday, July 8, with a pair of panelists whose authority on matters of global politics is considered unmatched. Martin Indyk is vice president and director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. Previously, he was founding director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings and a Brookings senior fellow. He served as U.S. ambassador to Israel from 1995 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2001.

Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer, focuses on political transition, terrorism and conflict resolution. He was a senior advisor to three U.S. presidents on Middle East and South Asian issues. At the request of President Obama, he chaired an interagency review of policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan for the White House that was completed in March 2009.

The theme of the Summer Institute this season is From the Front Lines. “This opening forum certainly lives up to the title,” said committee chairman Betsy Sheer in a press statement. “We expect our audience on Thursday will come away with fresh insights into the dynamics among the United States and the nations of the Middle East and Persian Gulf.”

The speaker series continues on July 15 with Ruth Marcus, op-ed columnist and member of the editorial board at the Washington Post.

All events begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven. Admission is $15.