Institute for Middle East Studies

Events Archive – Spring 2010

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Project on Middle East Political Science
Jihad in Saudi Arabia
Wednesday, May 19th

Thomas Hegghammer

A William D. Loughlin member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, senior research fellow at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), and associate of the Initiative on Religion in International Affairs, Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School. He was previously a post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University. Before writing Jihad in Saudi Arabia, he co-authored Al Qaeda in Its Own Words (Harvard University Press 2008). Dr. Hegghammer has published widely on jihadism Saudi Arabia, jihadi ideology and the foreign fighter phenomenon. He also edits the blog www.jihadica.com.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Suite 505, 1957 E Street, NW

IMES Research Colloquium

Law and The Role of Civil Society Organizations in the Darfur Crisis: A Comparative Study
Friday, April 30th

Amani El Taweel
Visiting Scholar at IMES, George Washington University
Expert of African Affairs, Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies

Since the outbreak of the Darfur Crisis in Sudan, Western- and especially American- civil society organizations have been involved in advocacy for, and solidarity with, those affected by the crisis. These organizations have played an important role in influencing policy-making of the United Nations, the American Administrations and Congress.

The extent to which these Western organizations are involved in Darfur solidarity brings to light the lack of involvement of their Arab and Islamic counterparts in the region.

Friday, April 30, 2010
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Suite 505, 1957 E Street, NW

IMES Special Event
MA Capstone Presentations
April 27th, April 28th, April 29th

MA Capstone presentations will be open to the public, and will take place on Tuesday, April 27th, Wednesday, April 28, and Thursday, April 29 at the times and locations below. The Middle East Studies Capstone is a focused research paper that is the culmination of the MES Masters Degree at GWU. Under the guidance of an IMES-associated advisor, students apply their substantive and theoretical knowledge of the Middle East, as well as their research, writing, and teamwork skills to the project. Each paper focuses on a current policy problem in the region, and students travel to locations like Israel, Palestine, Morocco, Egypt, and Iraqi Kurdistan to conduct original research.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Room 112
The Elliott School, 1957 E Street NW
4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Room 505
The Elliott School, 1957 E Street, NW
4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 29, 2010
Suite 512 Conference Room
The Elliott School, 1957 E Street, NW
2:00 p.m. - 6:15p.m.

Middle East Policy Forum
The Gaza Incursion and the Israeli Media: A Cultural Study
Wednesday, April 21st

Rebecca Stein

Assistant Professor, Cultural Anthropology and Women's Studies, Duke Univeristy

Rebecca Stein, an expert on politics and popular culture in contemporary Israel will discuss the role media plays in Israeli society, focusing on the Gaza War.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons
Room 602, 1957 E Street, NW

The MEPF is presented with the generous support of Exxon Mobil.

Middle East Policy Forum
Law and Order Under Hamas: Construction of an Islamic Security Sector?
Thursday, April 15th

Yezid Sayigh
Professor of Middle East Studies in the Department of War Studies, School of Social Science and Public Policy, King's College, London

Thursday, April 15, 2010
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons
Room 602, 1957 E Street, NW

The MEPF is presented with the generous support of Exxon Mobil.

Middle East Policy Forum
Iraq: The Road Ahead
Wednesday, April 7th

A panel of four government officials of Iraq will discuss current events in Iraq following recent Parliamentary elections and the future of Iraq.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons
Room 602, 1957 E Street, NW

The MEPF is presented with the generous support of Exxon Mobil.

IMES Special Event
Why there is no 'European Islam': Contrasting Contours of Islam in England and France

Featuring

John Bowen
Dunbar-Van Cleve Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St.Louis

Wednesday, March 24, 2010
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Room 214, 1957 E Street, NW

Middle East Policy Forum
The Green Movement in Iran

Featuring

Asef Bayat
Asef Bayat, Professor of Sociology and Middle East Studies, Chair in Society and Culture of the Modern Middle East, Leiden Institute of Area Studies, Leiden University.

Asef Bayat will speak on the Green movement in Iran. Bayat, an expert on the subject, will offer insights on the origins of the movement, its current state, and thoughts on its future.

Thursday, March 25, 2010
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Room 113, 1957 E Street, NW

The Institute for Middle East Studies
presents

The Urban Imaginary: Cities in the Modern Middle East

Friday, March 26, 2010
9:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
City View Room
7th Floor, 1957 E St, NW
Elliott School of International Affairs
The George Washington University

This workshop brings together scholars from various disciplines to examine recent approaches to the study of cities in the Middle East. It will begin Thursday evening at 6:00pm in the Elliott School, room 113 with a keynote speech open to the public by Dr. Asef Bayat, one of the leading sociologists whose work on urban politics has been influential in the field of Middle East Studies.

IMES and Global Women's Forum Special Event
What Lies Ahead: The Iraqi Elections, A Gendered Perspective

featuring

Ambassador Feisal Istrabadi
Former Deputy Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations

Nesreen Al-Barwari
Former Minister of Municipalities and Public Works, Iraq

Moshkat Al-Moa'amen
Former Minister of the Environment, Iraq

moderated by

Mina Al-Oraibi
Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief, Asharq Alawsat


Friday, March 26, 2010
12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons
Room 602, 1957 E Street, NW

Middle East Policy Forum
Book Discussion
The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes you a Happy Birthday

Featuring

Neil MacFarquhar
New York Times Correspondent, United Nations

Neil MacFarquhar, accomplished journalist and author, will present remarks on his most recent book, The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East, named a 'Best Book of 2009' by The Washington Post and Barnes and Noble.

* First 50 people to arrive will receive a free signed copy of the book.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons
Room 602, 1957 E Street, NW

The Middle East Policy Forum is presented with the generous support of ExxonMobil.

IMES and Project Nur Special Event
Reception with Dalia Ziada, Egyptian Blogger and Human Rights Activist

Featuring

Dalia Ziada
Ziada, a young activist for civil rights reform and director of AIC's Cairo office, speaks out against discrimination impacting Muslim women. She has been profiled by a number of media outlets, including Time Magazine and the BBC. In June 2009, she attended President Obama's speech in Cairo and met privately afterwards with White House Senior Advisor Valeria Jarrett.

Monday, March 8, 2010
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
School of Media and Public Affairs
Room B07, 805 21st Street, NW

Middle East Policy Forum
The 2010 Annual Kuwait Chair Lecture: A Focus on Yemen

Featuring

Ambassador Edward W. "Skip" Gnehm, Jr.
Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, GW

Thursday, March 4, 2010
Reception 5:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
Lecture 6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Harry Harding Auditorium
Room 213, 1957 E Street, NW

The Middle East Policy Forum is presented with the generous support of ExxonMobil.

January 28, 2010: Middle East Policy Forum
Remarks by Ambassador Nonoo

Featuring

The Honorable Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Ambassador of Bahrain to the United States

Ambassador Nonoo will present remarks on the relationship between the United States and Bahrain. She will also comment on the role Bahrain plays in the Persian Gulf and its role in regional security.

Thursday, January 28, 2010
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons
Room 602, 1957 E Street, NW

The Middle East Policy Forum is presented with the generous support of ExxonMobil.

January 29, 2010: IMES Special Event
Modesty and Public Appearance: Islam in Comparative Perspective

Featuring

Niloofar Haeri
Professor of Anthropology, Johns Hopkins University

In order to understand the various dimensions of the concern with public appearance among Muslims, we need to shift our focus from "the veil" and "hijab" to notions of modesty. Islam is not the only religion that is concerned with modesty, notwithstanding the exclusive attention of recent writing on this religion. Hence, it should be examined in a comparative perspective. She will report on recent fieldwork in Tehran among Iranian Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Friday, January 29, 2010
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Room 505, 1957 E Street, NW