September 16 , 2008
IMES Brownbag Lecture Series
Islamic 'Life-makers' and Faith-based Development

2007-2008 Events

May 12, 2008
IMES and the Future of Democracy Initiative Panel Discussion
   What Have We Learned About Islamist Political Movements?

April 28, 2008
Security Policy Forum
   Lessons Learned from the Search for Iraqi WMDs


April 21, 2008
IMES Faculty Brownbag
   The Absence of Muslim Women from Making Islamic Thoughts--Teaching About Muslim Women and Islam

April 17, 2008
IMES Special Event
   How the Middle East Sees America: A discussion with Washington Post reporter Amar Bakshi

April 14, 2008
IMES Special Event
   IRAQ POLICY FORUM: Responding to the Humanitarian Situation Facing Iraqis

April 11, 2008
IMES Special Event
    The Conflict in Iraq--Views from Political Science
   Event Summary

April 9 , 2008
US-Egyptian Friendship Society Expert Panel
   Business on the Nile

April 4 , 2008
Security Policy Forum
   Civilian Casualties of War


April 3 , 2008
IMES Special Event
   Kuwait's Government in Crisis -- Implications for Democracy


April 2, 2008
Middle East Policy Forum
   Iran Elections 2008 -- Domestic, Regional, and International Consequences


March 24 , 2008
IMES Faculty Brownbag
   Torture and the Twilight of Empire: From Algiers to Baghdad


March 5 , 2008
Kuwait Chair Lecture
   Saudi Arabia: Legacy, Stability, Destiny


February 29, 2008
IMES Special Event
   The Future of Jerusalem: Israeli and Palestinian Perspectives


February 26, 2008
Middle East Policy Forum
   Iran, Israel and the U.S.: Is Conflict Inevitable?


February 25, 2008
IMES Faculty Brownbag
   Rethinking the Arab Liberal Age: Constitutional Movements 1875-1920


February 14, 2008
IMES-IERES Conference
   The Challenges of Integrating Islam: Comparative Experiences of Europe and the Middle East    Event Summary


January 28, 2008
IMES Faculty Brownbag Series
   Oil and Corruption: Who Helped Iraq Evade UN Economic Sanctions
   Conference Paper


January 15, 2008
Middle East Policy Forum
   Partition Iraq? Imperial Iraq Strategies from Suleiman the Magnificent to
   Joseph Biden


December 5, 2007
Security Policy Forum
   Assessing Progress in Afghanistan

November 28, 2007
IMES/Middle East Peace Group
   In the Middle of the Middle East: Kurdish culture, identity, and the challenge
   of regional coexistence


November 26, 2007
IMES Faculty Brownbag Series
   Oman, Zanzibar and the Politics of Travel Prayer

November 16, 2007
Security Policy Forum
   Military Progress In Iraq: Views Of The Experts

November 14, 2007
IMES/Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
   The Muslim Brotherhood's Party Platform
   Event Summary

November 13, 2007
Middle East Policy Forum
   Iran's Role in the Post 9/11 Middle East


November 12, 2007
IMES Workshop
   Shifting Conceptions of Citizenship in the Middle East
   Event Summary


October 29, 2007
Middle East Policy Forum
    Iraq: Today's Reality - Tomorrow's Horizons

October 29, 2007
IMES Faculty Brownbag
   Constitution and Judicial Review in Israel

October 26, 2007
IMES/DACOR Bacon House Foundation
   2007 DACOR Bacon House Foundation Annual Conference
   Event Summary

October 24, 2007
IMES/Middle East Peace Group
   Arabs and Terrorism: Film Screening with Dr. Bassam Haddad

October 16, 2007
IMES Inaugural Event
   The Middle East and the United States: Perception and Misperception
   Event Summary

May 4, 2007
IMES Workshop
   Islamist Movements in the Arab World: Contentious and Electoral Politics
   Event Summary

February 3, 2009: IMES Special Event
Jerusalem Today: Facts on the Ground

with Danny Seidemann

Danny Seidemann is an Israeli lawyer and legal counsel to Ir Amim, an Israeli organization concerned with the future of Jerusalem. He is widely recognized as the foremost expert on Jerusalem’s municipal operations, planning, resource allocation, residency rights and property management. His connections throughout the city provide him with the data that for years have made him an invaluable resource for U.S. policy-makers, diplomats and journalists alike. Seidemann has appeared before the Supreme Court of Israel on numerous occasions on Jerusalem-related issues.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
IMES Conference Room
Suite 512, 1957 E Street NW

January 28, 2009: Special Event co-sponsored by IMES and the GW Anthropology Department
What You Need to Know About Gaza

A panel discussion with:

Dr. Ilana Feldman, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, GW
Dr. Nathan Brown, Professor of Political Science, GW
Dr. Laurie King, Managing Editor, Journal of Palestine Studies Please

Wednesday, January 28, 2009
2:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m.
Philips Hall, Room 411
George Washington University

 

January 27, 2009: IMES Brownbag Lecture
The Politics of Victim and Witness in Iraq: the uprising of 1991 in three keys

Guest speaker:

Dina Khoury
Professor of History and International Affairs, GW

 

Tuesday, January 27
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Suite 512 Conference Room
1957 E Street NW

December 1, 2008: IMES Book Launch
Israeli Culture Between the Two Intifadas: A Brief Romance

by: Yaron Peleg, Associate Professor of Hebrew, GW

Discussants:

Eran Kaplan, Lecturer in Judaic Studies and History, Princeton University

Shira Robinson, Assistant Professor of History and International Affairs, George Washington University

Reception to follow the discussion

Over the past two decades, profound changes in Israel opened its society to powerful outside forces and the dominance of global capitalism. As a result, the centrality of Zionism as an organizing ideology waned, prompting expressions of anxiety in Israel about the coming of a post-Zionist age. The fears about the end of Zionism were quelled, however, by the Palestinian uprising in 2000, which spurred at least a partial return to more traditional perceptions of homeland. Looking at Israeli literature of the late twentieth century, Yaron Peleg shows how a young, urban class of Israelis felt alienated from the Zionist values of their forebears, and how they adopted a form of escapist romanticism as a defiant response that replaced traditional nationalism.

One of the first books in English to identify the end of the post-Zionist era through inspired readings of Hebrew literature and popular media, Israeli Culture between the Two Intifadas examines Israel's ambivalent relationship with Jewish nationalism at the end of the twentieth century.

Monday, December 1, 2008
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Room 512B
1957 E Street NW

November 24, 2008: GW Diaspora Seminar Series:
From al Nakbah to Ghurbah : the Palestinian diaspora and the Peace Process

Guest speaker:

Victoria Mason, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Lancaster University (UK)

Monday, November 24, 2008
12:30p.m.– 2:00p.m.
5th Floor Commons (Room 512B)
1957 E Street, NW

* This event is co-sponsored by GW-CIBER and the Institute for Middle East Studies

November 20, 2008: Middle East Policy Forum
Jerusalem Women Speak: Hope for Peace

Leila Shelimar Mosenson
Taghreed El Khodary
Lucy Talgieh

This event will feature women from three different faiths who will talk about their hopes for peace in the region from their own religious and cultural perspectives.

Thursday, November 20, 2008
7:00p.m.– 8:15p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602
1957 E Street, NW

November 11, 2008: IMES Special Event
On Theater and Politics: A lecture by Israeli playwright Motti Lerner

Veteran Israeli playwright, Motti Lerner, has written numerous successful plays that were inspired by history and contemporary politics, among them plays about Zionist pioneers, West Bank settlers and most recently about the Iranian nuclear threat. Lerner will speak about the challenges of art, ethics, and politics in our today.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
6:00pm – 7:00pm
Suite 512B
Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E St., NW

November 11, 2008: IMES Brownbag Lecture Series
The Cultural War in Israel: 13 Years After the Assassination of Prime Minister Rabin

Yoram Peri is the Head of The Chaim Herzog Institute for Media, Politics and Society, and professor of Political Sociology and Communication in the Department of Communication at Tel Aviv University. A former political advisor to the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and former Editor-in-chief of the Israeli daily, Davar, he has published extensively on Israeli society, media and politics. Among his publications are Brothers at War: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Cultural War in Israel  (in Hebrew) and Between Battles and Ballots: Israel Military in Politics.  His latest book, Generals in the Cabinet Room: How the Military Shapes Israeli Policy, was published in May 2006 by the United States Institute of Peace.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
1:00pm – 2:00pm
Suite 512 Conference Room
Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E St., NW

November 10, 2008: IMES Book Launch
Governing Gaza: Bureaucracy, Authority, and the Work of Rule, 1917-1967
by:
Ilana Feldman, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs, GW

Discussants:

Ted Swedenburg , Professor of Anthropology, University of Arkansas

Rochelle Davis, Assistant Professor of Arab Culture and Society, Georgetown University

 Reception to follow the discussion

Drawing on archival research in Gaza, Jerusalem, and London, as well as two years of ethnographic research with retired civil servants in Gaza, Feldman identifies two distinct, and in some ways contradictory, governing practices. She illuminates mechanisms of "reiterative authority" derived from the minutiae of daily bureaucratic practice: the repetitions of filing procedures, the accumulation of documents, and the habits of civil servants. Looking at the provision of services, she highlights the practice of "tactical government," a deliberately restricted mode of rule that makes limited claims about governmental capacity, shifts in response to crisis, and works without long-term planning. This practice made it possible for government to proceed without claiming legitimacy: by holding the question of legitimacy in abeyance. Feldman shows that Gaza's governments were able to manage in, though not to control, the difficult conditions in Gaza by deploying both the regularity of everyday bureaucracy and the exceptionality of tactical practice.

Monday, November 10, 2008
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Room 512B
Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E St, NW

October 30, 2008: Welling Professor Lecture
Middle East Challenges Facing the Next Administration

William Quandt, Edward R. Stettinius Professor of Politics, UVA and Welling Visiting Professor, GW

How will an Obama or McCain administration deal with the big challenges in the Middle East, from Iran to Iraq; Israel-Palestine; the "democracy agenda"; terrorism? GW Welling Visiting Professor and noted expert on the Middle East William Quandt will argue that the single biggest issue will be how best to deal with Iran.

Thursday, October 30
6:30pm – 7:45pm
Lindner Family Commons, Suite 602
Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E St., NW

October 22 , 2008:IMES-IERES Special Event
King Hussein of Jordan: A Political Life

Nigel Ashton , Senior Lecturer in International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science

His book, King Hussein of Jordan, draws on unprecedented and remarkable access to the Royal Hashemite archives in Amman. It sheds new light on key issues, including King Hussein’s role in the Arab-Israeli wars, the peace process, the Iran-Iraq war and the Gulf crisis.

Wendesday, October 22, 2008
12:30 p.m. -2:00 p.m.
Voesar Conference Room, Suite 412
1957 E Street NW

October 21 , 2008: IMES Brownbag Lecture Series
Is Egypt on the Brink? Stability & Instability at the End of the Hosni Mubarak Era

Steven A. Cook, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations & IMES Visiting Scholar

Steven Cook is Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of Ruling But Not Governing: The Military and Political Development in Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey and has written extensively on the politics of the Arab world, US-Middle East policy, civil-military relations in the Middle East, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and civil-military relations in the Middle East. He previously directed the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on U.S. policy toward reform in the Arab world, and served as a research fellow at both the Brookings Institution and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Cook is currently writing a book on the future of U.S.-Egyptian relations.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
1:00 p.m. -2:00 p.m.
Suite 512 Conference Room
1957 E Street NW

October 14, 2008: Middle East Policy Forum
The Future of World Energy Markets: The United States and the Middle East

Richard Sawaya , Executive Director of U.S. - Venezuela Business Council

Frank Verrastro , Director and Senior Fellow, Energy and National Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Jon Alterman , Director and Senior Fellow, Middle East Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Suite 602
1957 E Street NW

October 3, 2008: Security Policy Forum
Disarming Libya: Background to an Agreement

This event is co-sponsored by IMES

The Honorable Robert G. Joseph, Former Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security, US Department of State

Friday, October 3, 2008
4:00 p.m. -  5:15 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602
1957 E Street, NW

September 30, 2008: IMES-IGCPD Panel Discussion
Public Diplomacy and the War of Ideas: Agendas for the Next Administration

This event is co-sponsored by IMES and The Institute for Global Communications and Public Diplomacy (IGCPD) with support from the Walter Roberts Endowment

Hady Amr, Director, Brookings Doha Center and Fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings, and co-author (with Peter Singer) of Engaging the Muslim World: A Communication Strategy to Win the War of Ideas (Brookings, April 2007).

Michael Doran, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Support to Public Diplomacy, U.S. Department of Defense.

Kristin Lord, Fellow, Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at Brookings, and author of the forthcoming Voices of America: U.S. Public Diplomacy for the 21st Century.

Marc Lynch, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, GW; co-director of Institute for Global Communications and Public Diplomacy and author of Voices of the New Arab Public.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Elliott Room (Room 310)
The Cloyd Heck Marvin Center
800 21st Street NW

September 25, 2008: Middle East Policy Forum

Secretary Negroponte will speak on Iraq and the United States' ongoing involvement in the region. Negroponte will draw on his years of experiences as a career Foreign Service Officer, the Deputy Secretary of State, and a former United States Ambassador to Iraq, to provide a unique perspective on the situation in Iraq and U.S policies.

Thursday, September 25, 2008
6:30 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
Harry Harding Auditorium Room, 213
1957 E Street NW

September 23, 2008: Security Policy Forum
The Middle East: For the Next Administration

The Arab-Israeli Conflict:
Aaron Miller, Public Policy Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center

Political and Social Forces:
Marina Ottaway, Director, Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Iran:
Ray Takeyh, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations

Moderator:
Marc Lynch, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University

Tuesday, September 23, 2008
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602
1957 E Street NW

September 22, 2008: Future of Democracy Series Special Event
A Time of Transition: U.S. Impact on Reform in a Changing Middle East

This event is co-sponsored by the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and IMES, and is part of the Elliott School's "Future of Democracy " event series

Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Founder, Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies, Cairo

Marc Lynch, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, GW

Moderator: Andrew Albertson, Executive Director, Project on Middle East Democracy

As Washington officials debate the future of U.S. policy in the Middle East, one of the principal issues with which they must grapple is change.  Dynamics of reform in particular are changing.  Youth are increasingly disengaged from traditional political parties, gravitating instead towards independent new organizations mobilized around particular issues or grievances.  Islamists’ political calculations have changed after observing very divergent experiences and reactions in Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, and the West Bank & Gaza.  Blogging and social networking websites like Facebook play an increasingly important role in political mobilization and protest.  And while rising oil prices provide additional flexibility to oil producers, inflation threatens the standard of living in poorer states.

Governments, on the other hand, have refined their strategies of managed political reform.  In some countries, emergency laws continue to stifle dissent; in others, such laws have been replaced with functionally similar “anti-terrorism” laws.  Elections are carefully controlled, either through sweeping changes in electoral systems or targeted election-day intervention in particular constituencies.  Journalists, bloggers, and independent political voices are targets of arrest or intimidation.

How are dynamics of reform in the Middle East changing, and what are the main drivers of that change?  How have the last seven years shaped Middle Easterners’ attitudes to American involvement in the region, to the word “democracy,” and to democratic reform itself?  What opportunities and challenges do these changes create for Middle Easterners dedicated to political reform?    Following a time of transition in America’s own domestic politics, how should the U.S. approach the region?  Can the next administration play a positive role in supporting democratic reform in the Middle East, and if so, how?

Monday, September 22, 2008
2:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m.
Elliott Room (Room 310)
The Cloyd Heck Marvin Center
800 21st Street NW

September 18, 2008: Middle East Policy Forum
From Friendship to Strategic Partnership: The U.S.-Kuwaiti Relationship

His Highness Shaikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait, Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait

Thursday, September 18, 2008
3:30 p.m. -4:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602
1957 E Street NW

September 16, 2008: IMES Brownbag Lecture Series
Islamic 'Life-Makers' and Faith-based Development

Mona Atia, Assistant Professor of Geography and International Affairs

Professor Atia's research lies at the intersection of civil society, geopolitics and financial networks in the contemporary Middle East. Using ethnographic methods, she explores how a transnational Islamic revival, growing Islamic banking and finance industry, and intensified security measures have shifted Islamic charitable practices away from direct handouts and towards faith-based development projects.

Her publications include "In Whose Interest? Financial Surveillance and the Circuits of Exception in the War on Terror" published in 2007 in Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 25(3), and a forthcoming chapter on "The Arab Republic of Egypt" in From Charity to Change: Trends in Arab Philanthropy, eds. Barbara Ibrahim and Dina Sherif, American University in Cairo Press. In 2008, her dissertation "Building a House in Heaven: Islamic Charity in Neoliberal Egypt" was awarded the University of Washington Distinguished Dissertation Award.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008
1:00 p.m. -2:00 p.m.
Suite 501/502 Conference Room
1957 E Street NW

RSVP to imes@gwu.edu

2007-2008 IMES Events

May 12, 2008 : Panel Discussion

What Have We Learned About Islamist Political Movements?

Marc Lynch
Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University

Amr Hamzawy
Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Janine Clark
Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Guelph

Joshua Stacher
Middle East Studies Fellow, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University

Nathan Brown: Moderator
Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University

 

Monday, May 12, 2008
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Suite 602
1957 E Street, NW

This Panel Discussion is presented by the Institute for Middle East Studies.

April 28, 2008: Security Policy Forum

Lessons Learned from the Search for Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction

John E. McLaughlin
Deputy Director, Central Intelligence Agency, 2000-2004
Acting Director, Central Intelligence Agency, 2004

Charles A. Duelfer
Chief U.S. Weapons Inspector in Iraq, 2004-2005

Christopher Kojm: Moderator
Deputy Executive Director, 9/11 Commission
Senior Advisor, Iraq Study Group
Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, George Washington University

 

Monday, April 28, 2008
4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Suite 602
1957 E Street, NW

This Security Policy Forum event is presented in Cooperation With the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, the Institute for Middle East Studies, and the Security Policy Studies Program

April 21, 2008: IMES Brownbag Lecture

The Absence of Muslim Women from Making Islamic Thoughts:
Teaching About Muslim Women and Islam

Guest speaker: Dr. Nimat Hafez Barazangi, Cornell University

Recently, American-Muslim female scholars have significantly contributed to the re-interpretation of the Qur'an and particularly to the study of Muslim women. Yet, rarely do the US educational institutions acknowledge and mainstream such contributions for the reconstruction of new knowledge of Islam.  Furthermore, the majority of university students in most Muslim countries are females, particularly in the Middle East.  However, Muslim women have remained a passive force in changing the prevailing negative practice of Islamic thoughts and the so-called Islamic law concerning women.  Dr. Barazangi will discuss why and how to re-think the teaching about Muslim women and Islam.

Dr. Nimat Hafez Barazangi is a research fellow at Cornell University. Barazangi's scholarly work with Arab, Muslim, and non-Muslim organizations and individuals in North America and the Muslim world has been intertwined with her academic research and achievements that resulted in over 45 published research articles and book reviews, edited journal, computerized instructional programs (http://www.eslelf-learning-arabic.cornell.edu), and two monographs: Woman's Identity and the Qur'an: A New Reading (The University Press of Florida, 2004), labeled by one reviewer as "the most radical book in the last 14th centuries of Islam." and a co-edited volume: Islamic Identity and the Struggle for Justice (The University Press of Florida, 1996).  Her major Participatory Action Research projects, relating the Islamic world view that is based on faith and reason with research and community service, aim at educating in and about Islam and at integrating Muslims' and Arabs' world views with that of the Western world view of North America.

Monday, April 21, 2008
12:30 p.m. -1:30 p.m.
Suite 501 Conference Room, 1957 E St NW

April 17, 2008: IMES Special Event

How the Middle East Sees America
A discussion with Washington Post reporter Amar C. Bakshi

Amar C. Bakshi does reporting for the online editions of The Washington Post and Newsweek, traveling around the world looking at how America impacts ordinary lives in a dozen countries. He posted text and video daily at www.washingtonpost.com/america. Before launching How the World Sees America, Amar worked with David Ignatius, Hal Straus, and Fareed Zakaria as the first editor of PostGlobal, an international affairs forum. Amar is also the founder of Aina Arts, a nonprofit organization connecting local artisans with schools in the developing world, and was the associate managing editor of the Oxford International Review. He graduated from Harvard as the first joint concentrator in Social Studies (theory) and Visual & Environmental Studies (documentary video), writing his thesis on media propaganda in Zimbabwe.

Thursday, April 17, 2008
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons (Room 602), 1957 E St NW

A short reception will follow the event

RSVP to imes@gwu.edu

April 14, 2008: IRAQ POLICY FORUM

Responding to the Humanitarian Situation Facing Iraqis

Over the past 5 years, millions of Iraqis have been displaced or otherwise affected by violence in Iraq. On MONDAY, APRIL 14th, the Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) and a coalition of U.S.-based NGOs, including those operating inside Iraq and in the Middle East region, will convene an important Forum on the humanitarian crisis facing Iraqis.

Hosted by the Elliott School of International Affairs’ Institute for Middle East Studies at George Washington University, respected authorities will offer up-to-date reports from the field, analysis of current trends in violence and forced migration, an assessment of the U.S. & international humanitarian response to date, and policy options for improving humanitarian conditions for vulnerable populations affected by the war.

View the program schedule here.

Monday, April 14, 2008
8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Jack Morton Auditorium
805 21st St NW

April 11, 2008: IMES Special Event

The Conflict in Iraq—Views from Political Science

IMES invites you to join us as three top political scientists discuss their current research on Iraq’s ongoing conflict, addressing aspects such as the dynamics of civil wars, the political economy of insurgency, and U.S. public opinion and the war effort. 

Panelists:

James Fearon, Stanford University
Christopher Gelpi, Duke University
Peter Moore, Case Western Reserve University
Wayne White, Former Deputy Directory, State Dept. Bureau of Intelligence and Research

Moderator:

Marc Lynch, George Washington University

Friday, April 11, 2008
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Harry Harding Auditorium
Room 213, 1957 E Street NW

April 9, 2008: US-Egyptian Friendship Society Expert Panel

Business on the Nile

No effort to understand the Middle East is complete without taking a close at Egypt, by far the largest country in the region, nor can the region be understood without addressing the central role of economic growth and opportunity.  Over the past five years, Egypt has turned its economic performance around and emerged as one of the most attractive locations for investment, both foreign and domestic. 

The panelists, representing leading Egyptian businessmen and experts from the World Bank and US Government, will explore these issues from different perspectives and examine what needs to be done to secure continued growth and tackle pressing issues of equity, youth employment, and education.

Panelists:

Anis Aclimandos (invited)
President, Transcentury Associates
American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, Executive Vice President

Stephen Everhart
Chief Economist and Managing Director, OPIC

Farrukh Iqbal
Sector Manager, Social and Economic Development Department of the Middle East and North Africa Region, the World Bank Group

Omar Mohanna
Chairman, Suez Cement Group of Companies
American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, President

Moderator:

Kirk Campbell, GWU

Wednesday, April 9, 2008
5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons (Room 601)
1957 E St NW

April 4, 2008: Security Policy Forum

Civilian Casualties of War

Guest speakers:

Paul Huth, Professor of Government and Politics; Research Director of the Center for International Devlopment and Conflict Management, University of Maryland

Colin Kahl, Assistant Professor, Security Studies Program, Georgetown University

Moderator:

Marc Lynch, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, GWU

Sponsored by The Elliott School of International Affairs, the Security Policy Studies Program, and the Institute of Middle East Studies

April 3, 2008: Future of Democracy Initiative

Kuwait's Government in Crisis: Implications for Democracy

On March 19, the amir of Kuwait responded to the country’s internal political deadlock by dissolving the country’s parliament. Kuwaitis will go to the polls on May 17 to elect a new body. While the elections will be held in accordance with a new electoral law designed to create a more cohesive parliament, few expect the underlying tensions in the country—between the parliament and the cabinet, liberals and Islamists, Sunnis and Shi‘a, and even branches of the ruling family—to be resolved.

Please join us for a lunch on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. at the Elliott School of International Affairs.  Edward W. Gnehm, Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs and former US ambassador to Kuwait, will have just returned from Kuwait and will present his assessment of the country’s political crisis.

Thursday, April 3, 2008
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 601, 1957 E St NW

March 24, 2008: IMES Faculty Brownbag Series

Torture and the Twilight of Empire:  From Algiers to Baghdad

Guest speaker:

Marnia Lazreg, Professor of Sociology, Hunter College-CUNY

Monday, March 24, 2008
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Suite 501 Conference Room, 1957 E St NW

March 5, 2008: Kuwait Chair Lecture

Saudi Arabia: Legacy, Stability, and Destiny

For over sixty years the United States and Saudi Arabia have had a relationship based onmutual interest: oil and security. Today, multiple issues challenge both countries. Ambassador Gnehm will discuss the emergence of the Saudi state and explore the historical ties between our two countries and the new challenges both face.

The Institute for Middle East Studies invites you to join Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm Jr., Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, for his annual Kuwait Chair Lecture.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052

Lecture, 6:00 - 7:15 p.m.
Harry Harding Auditorium, Room 213

Reception, 7:15 - 7:45 p.m.
2nd floor atrium

February 29, 2008: IMES Special Event

The Future of Jerusalem: Israeli and Palestinian Perspectives

Please join the Institute for Middle East Studies for a special lunchtime discussion with two leading experts on Jerusalem.

Special guests:

Danny Seidemann, Jerusalem expert and legal counsel to Ir Amim, an Israeli organization concerned with the future of that city for Israelis and Palestinians. Mr Seidemann is a leading expert on Jerusalem's municipal operations, planning, and residency rights.

Gregory Khalil, lawyer and former legal advisor to the Negotiations Support Unit (NSU) from 2004 through January 2008. The NSU is an international organization based in Ramallah that provides legal, policy and communications advice to the Palestinian leadership on peace negotiations with Israel. Most recently, Mr. Khalil was an official member of the Palestinian delegation to the U.S.-sponsored peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland in November 2007.

Friday, February 29, 2008
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Room 214, 1957 E St NW

February 25, 2008: IMES Faculty Brownbag Series

Rethinking the Arab Liberal Age:
Constitutional Movements 1875-1920

Guest speaker:

Dr. Elizabeth Thompson, Senior Fellow, United States Institute of Peace and Associate Professor of History, UVA

Monday, February 25, 2008
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Suite 501 conference room, 1957 E St NW

*Open to GW faculty and graduate students

February 26, 2008: Middle East Policy Forum

Israel, Iran and the U.S.: Is Conflict Inevitable?

Guest speaker:

Trita Parsi, Co-Founder and President of the National Iranian American Council

Tuesday, February 26, 2008
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, 1957 E St. NW

February 14, 2008: IMES-IERES Conference

The Challenges of Integrating Islam: Comparative Experiences of Europe and the Middle East

Co-sponsored by the Institute for Middle East Studies, the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, and the Future of Democracy Initiative

Access the conference agenda here.

Thursday, February 14 , 2008
10:00-3:45 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, 1957 E St. NW

January 28, 2008: IMES Faculty Brownbag Series

Oil and Corruption: Who Helped Iraq Evade UN Economic Sanctions?

Guest speaker:

Robert Weiner, Professor of International Business and International Affairs, GWU, discussed his current research on oil and corruption in Iraq, co-authored with Yujin Jeong, GWU.

Access the working paper here.

Monday, January 28, 2008
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Suite 501 conference room, 1957 E St. NW

January 15, 2008: Middle East Policy Forum

Partition Iraq? Imperial Iraq Strategies from Suleiman the Magnificent to Joseph Biden

Guest speaker:

Reidar Visser, Research Fellow, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs

The lands of Iraq have been ruled by foreigners for most of their history. Apart from an interlude of real independence between 1958 and 2003, outside forces have always been involved in Iraqi politics as power brokers, constantly concocting new strategies for how to best handle this complex country.

This lecture looks at the imperial strategies pursued by these outsiders, starting with the Ottomans in the 1500s and ending with the Americans after 2003. The main argument is that the partitionist policies currently being propagated by US Democrats (and implemented – albeit unintentionally – by the Bush administration) represent a dramatic break with the policies of America’s imperial predecessors in Iraq.

The lecture demonstrates that at no point between 1534 and 1958 did the Ottomans or the British contemplate a sectarian division of Iraq. This lack of historical precedent raises serious questions about the likely durability of the partition models currently under consideration in the US.


Tuesday, January 15, 2008
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Suite 602, 1957 E St NW

December 5, 2007: Security Policy Forum

Assessing Progress in Afghanistan

• U.S. Army Lt. Gen. (Ret.) David Barno: The Military Situation
  Commander, Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan (2003-05)

• Larry Goodson: The Political Situation
  General Dwight D. Eisenhower Chair of National Security, U.S. Army War College

• Robert Perito: Provincial Reconstruction Teams
  Senior Program Officer, Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations, United States Institute of Peace

• Ambassador Karl F. Inderfurth: The Pakistan Connection
  Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia (1997-2001)
  Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, The George Washington University

Wednesday, December 5, 2007
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, 1957 E Street NW

Sponsored by the Security Policy Forum, in cooperation with the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, the Institute for Middle East Studies, and the Security Policy Studies Program

November 28, 2007: IMES/Middle East Peace Group Event

In the Middle of the Middle East:
Kurdish culture, identity, and the challenge of regional coexistence

Guest speaker:

Heyrsh Abdul, Deputy Director of Community Outreach, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq

Wednesday, November 28, 2007
8:00- 9:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, 1957 E Street NW

Sponsored by the Middle East Peace Group, the Institute for Middle East Studies, and the International Affairs Society

November 26, 2007: IMES Faculty Brownbag Series

Oman, Zanzibar and the Politics of Travel Prayer

Guest speaker:

Mandana Limbert, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Queen's College, The City University of New York

Monday, November 26, 2007
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Suite 501 conference room, 1957 E St. NW

November 16, 2007: Security Policy Forum

Military Progress In Iraq: Views Of The Experts

• Stephen Biddle: Knowns and Unknowns
  Senior Fellow for Defense Policy, Council on Foreign Relations

• Lawrence Korb: Sustainability Of The US Effort
  Assistant Secretary of Defense, Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations and Logistics (1981-85), Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

• Nora Bensahel: Iraqi Security Forces
  Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation

• Christopher Kojm: Moderator
  Deputy Executive Director of the 9/11 Commission; Senior Advisor to the Iraq Study Group, Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, the George Washington University

Friday, November 16, 2007
3:15-5:15 p.m.
Harry Harding Auditorium, Room 213
1957 E St. NW

November 15, 2007: IMES/Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Panel Discussion

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Party Platform

Panel discussion featuring:

• Marc Lynch, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University
  
  
• Amr Hamzawy, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment’s Middle East Program
  
  
• Nathan J. Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University and Nonresident Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment’s Middle East Program
  
  
• Chair: Diane Singerman, Associate Professor of Government at American University

Thursday, November 15, 2007
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036

November 13, 2007: Middle East Policy Forum

Iran's Role in the Post 9/11 Middle East

Guest speaker:

Dr. Kayhan Barzegar, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Owing to its geostrategic location, political-cultural characteristics and energy sources, Iran is a pivotal state in shaping the international politics of the Middle East.

Since 9/11 and the subsequent political developments in the region, Iran has been able to effectively impact the current most significant issues of global politics such as regional crisis(Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon), global terrorism and international energy security.

What are the roots of Iran’s emerging role in the region?  What are the aims of Iran’s foreign policy toward the region and the great powers? Analyzing the roots of Iran’s foreign policy conduct from a regional perspective is a key to answering these questions.


Tuesday, November 13, 2007
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Harry Harding Auditorium, Room 213, 1957 E St., NW

November 12, 2007: IMES Inaugural Research Workshop

Shifting Conceptions of Citizenship in the Middle East

Egypt: Challenges of Islam, Citizenship, and Democracy

• Mona El-Ghobashy, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Barnard College
• Ellis Goldberg, Professor of Political Science, University of Washington
• Marc Lynch, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, GWU
  

Transnational Linkages of Middle Eastern Diasporas to Their Countries of Origin

• Liesl Riddle, Assistant Professor of International Business and International Affairs, GWU
• Yossi Shain, Professor of Political Science, Tel Aviv University
• Jennifer Brinkerhoff, Associate Professor of Public Administration and Intl. Affairs, GWU
• Natasha Iskander, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, NYU
  

Borders of Inclusion: Law, War and the Making of Citizens

• Ilana Feldman, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and International Relations, GWU
• Dina Khoury, Associate Professor of History and International Affairs, GWU
• Rania Maktabi, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Business, Social Sciences, and Foreign Languages, Østfold University College
• Shira Robinson, Assistant Professor of History and International Affairs, GWU

Monday, November 12, 2007
10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, 1957 E St., NW

October 29, 2007: Middle East Policy Forum

Iraq: Today's Reality - Tomorrow's Horizons

Panel discussion featuring:

• Bruce Reidel, Senior Fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution
  

• Christopher Kojm, Professor of the Practice of International Affairs and Director of the U.S. Foreign Policy Institute, Elliott School of International Affairs, GW
  

• Dr. Judith Yaphe, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University; Adjunct Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs, GW

Moderated by Amb. Edward Gnehm (Ret.), GW

Monday, October 29, 2007
7:00-8:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, 1957 E St. NW

October 29, 2007: IMES Faculty Brownbag Series

Constitution and Judicial Review in Israel

Guest speaker:

Abraham Diskin, Associate Professor of Political Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and GWU visiting scholar.

Monday, October 29, 2007
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Suite 501 conference room, 1957 E St. NW

Open to faculty and graduate students; a light lunch will be served.

October 26, 2007: DACOR Bacon House Foundation Annual Conference

• Iraq Panel:
  Nathan Brown, Marc Lynch, James Placke, Christopher Kojm

• Keynote Address:
  The Honorable R. Nicholas Burns
  
• Israel and Palestine Panel:
  The Honorable Philip C. Wilcox, Jr., Daniel Levy, Ghaith Al-Omari, Mark Perry
  
• Closing Remarks:
  Ambassador Edward Gnehm

Sponsored by the DACOR Bacon House Foundation, the Elliott School of International Affairs, and the Elliott School Middle East Studies Program

Friday, October 26, 2007
8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Jack Morton Auditorium, 805 21st St. NW

October 24, 2007: IMES/Middle East Peace Group Film Screening

Arabs and Terrorism

This documentary critically examines the dominant discourse in the West, particularly in the United States, about the supposed relationship between Arabs and Terrorism.

Film screening to be followed by discussion with the director:

Dr. Bassam Haddad is Director of the Middle East Studies Program at George Mason University and Visiting Professor at Georgetown University. He serves as Founding Editor of the Arab Studies Journal, is co-producer/director of the award-winning documentary film, About Baghdad, is the director of a film series on Arabs and Terrorism, and most recently, is the director of the film series titled The “Other” Threat.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007
8:00-10:00 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, 1957 E St. NW

October 16, 2007: IMES Inaugural Event

The Middle East and the United States: Perception and Misperception

Panel discussion featuring:

• Edward W. Gnehm, Jr., Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, GW

• Marc Lynch, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, GW

• Hafez Mirazi, Former Host of From Washington, Al Jazeera

• Robin Wright, Correspondent, The Washington Post

Tuesday, October 16, 2007
6:00-7:30 p.m.
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, 1957 E St.

May 4, 2007: IMES Workshop

Islamist Movements in the Arab World: Contentious and Electoral Politics

• Mustapha Khalfi, Former editor-in-chief, Moroccan daily newspaper "Al-Tajdid" and member, Justice and Development Party, Morocco
  
• Sanjay Ruparelia, Professor of Political Science, The New School
  
• Baber Johansen, Director of Islamic Legal Studies Program, Harvard University
  
• Mark Lichbach, Chair of Government and Politics, University of Maryland
  
  Moderator: Nathan Brown, Director, Institute for MIddle East Studies and Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, GWU

Friday, May 4, 2007
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, 1957 E St NW
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Co-sponsored by The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace