Mahoning Valley natives Ray Nakley Jr. and Thomas Sabatini lectured to a standing-room-only crowd Wednesday night at the Holiday Inn Metroplex in Liberty, Ohio.

The presentation, titled "The Making of the Modern Middle East: Mandate for Tragedy," was sponsored by the Valley Coalition for Peace and Justice and co-sponsored by several other valley organizations.

Dr. Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez, philosophy and religious studies professor and director of the Dr. James Dale Ethics Center at Youngstown State University, moderated the presentation.