The Institute for Middle East Studies was founded in 2007 as part of a broad, University-wide initiative to support academic work on the Middle East. During the 2006-2007 academic year, the Elliott School of International Affairs at GW created four new faculty positions focusing on the Middle East. At the same time, the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences authorized the creation of three new full-time positions in Arabic. These new faculty members joined an impressive array of Middle East experts at GW, creating a fully inter-disciplinary collective of faculty associates for the Institute.

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News and Events

Save the Date!
American Studies Lecture Series and IMES
Palestinian Higher Education Under Siege

Featuring:

Salim Tamari
Director of the Institute of Jerusalem Studies and a Professor of Sociology at Birzeit University, Ramallah, Palestine

Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Lindner Family Commons
Room 602, 1957 E Street NW
6:00 p.m. -7:30 p.m.

For details, click here.

IMES Faculty Associate Ilana Feldman authored an article in the Journal of Palestine Studies (Spring 2009) discussing the possible negative consequences of identifying the current situation in Gaza as primarily a humanitarian problem.  Read the abstract: "Gaza's Humanitarianism Problem"

GW Receives $1 million from Kuwait in Support of IMES
The State of Kuwait, through the generosity of the Amir His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahsmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, has presented The George Washington University with a $1,050,000 gift in support of the Institute for Middle East Studies. GW President Steven Knapp notes that, "His Highness's generosity will help us continue to build one of this nation's premier centers for the study of this important region." Read the full press release

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