Middle East and North Africa Events

Words, Not Swords: Iranian Women Writers and the Freedom of Movement

June 01, 2011 // 12:00pm1:15pm
Middle East Program
These are exhilarating times in the Middle East and North Africa. From the Green Movement in Iran to the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia and other uprisings in the region, demonstrators are demanding their democratic dignity and the expansion of their rights as citizens. The desegregated nature of these massive demonstrations, in which throngs of women walk shoulder to shoulder with men and face batons and bullets with open hands and life-affirming words, is unprecedented. It is indeed a revolution within revolutions. It is an antidote to Islamic fundamentalism, a turning point in the contemporary history of Islam. These circulating women—visible, voiced, and mobile—are seasoned negotiators of confined spaces, veteran trespassers of walls, closed doors, and iron gates. They are an audacious moderating, modernizing force to be reckoned with. Milani discusses the complex interconnectedness between power, space, and physical mobility in the Islamic world in general and Iran in particular.
Webcast

USAID/Egypt Health and Population: Legacy Review and the Way Forward

May 23, 2011 // 9:00am10:30am
Middle East Program
This event offers a look at a new “Legacy Report” of the long term results of USAID health sector assistance in Egypt. A remarkable history of generous USAID funding, consistent strategic objectives, high level political support, and solid partnerships has resulted in extraordinary health outcomes in Egypt.

Talking Turkey: On the Heels of Elections and in the Midst of Arab Turmoil

May 18, 2011 // 11:00am12:00pm
European Studies
“When it comes to the Arab revolts and Turkey’s relations with its near abroad, there are more questions than answers to be found,” claimed Cengiz Candar. He argued that Turkey’s foreign policy agenda seems to be complicated by its inconsistent approach to the revolutions in the Middle East and Turkey’s publicity-seeking Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu.
Webcast

Yemen Beyond the Headlines: Population, Health, Natural Resources, and Institutions

May 18, 2011 // 8:30am3:30pm
Environmental Change and Security Program
"Ultimately, whether Yemen is able to achieve its goals for social and economic development, will, to a large extent, depend on its future population growth and size," said Gary Cook, senior health advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development, in his opening address at an all-day conference on the role of population, health, natural resources, and institutions in Yemen's political crisis.
Webcast

Congress, the UN and the War Power: From Korea to Libya

May 16, 2011 // 4:00pm6:00pm
Congress Project
Former C.I.A. director Porter Goss discuss Congressional war power in the context of U.S. military involvement in the NATO enforcement of the no-fly zone over Libya.

Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?

May 16, 2011 // 3:30pm5:00pm
Environmental Change and Security Program
"The world as a whole is getting more religious," said Professor of Politics at the University of London Eric Kaufmann, speaking at the Wilson Center for the launch of his latest book, Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth? Due to their consistently higher birthrates, religious fundamentalists may reverse the tide of secularism within the next century, he said.

Upheaval in the Middle East: What Is the Turkish Strategy?

May 12, 2011 // 3:00pm4:30pm
European Studies
As a predominantly-Muslim democracy, ally of the West, a booming market economy and emerging “soft power”, Turkey has long been identified as a model for the political transformation in the Middle East. However, once the revolutions began, Turkey’s ability to contribute to democracy and stabilization appeared more limited than many thought.
Webcast

Civilian Response Corps: Experiences From the Field

May 10, 2011 // 9:30am11:30am
Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity
On May 10, 2011, The Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity hosted an event titled “Civilian Response Corps: Experiences from the Field.” The event included a panel of four members of the Civilian Response Corps (CRC), both active and standby, who shared their experiences on the ground in reconstruction and recovery in post-conflict regions of Afghanistan, Central African Republic and Sudan.

Syria and Iran: An Alliance Tested?

May 09, 2011 // 12:00pm1:15pm
Middle East Program
The alliance between Syria and Iran has been a prominent and enduring feature on the political landscape of the Middle East since 1979. Goodarzi provides a brief overview and analysis of the origins and development of the Tehran-Damascus nexus and focus on its influence on regional politics, including the recent Arab spring.
Webcast

Lebanese View of an Arab Changing Landscape

May 05, 2011 // 9:30am10:30am
Middle East Program
Fuad Siniora was the Prime Minister of Lebanon during a very critical time including the 2006 war. Former Prime Minister Siniora speaks about the current situation in Lebanon and give his reading of the Arab spring and what that means to the future of Lebanon and the region.

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