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202. MEI-NAPI Roundtable on the Environment in Tunisia: A Youth Perspective On Challenges & Opportunities
- Author:
- Intissar Fakir, Fatine Ezbakhe, Marouen Taleb, Abir Ben Romdhane, and Mohamed Walid Jomni
- Publication Date:
- 06-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- The Middle East Institute (MEI) and the North African Policy Initiative (NAPI) are pleased to announce the sixth in a series of roundtable discussions inviting engaged youth to share their perspectives on the key issues facing their country’s future. This policy-oriented discussion will feature young Tunisian researchers offering their views on the current environmental challenges in their country and the opportunities ahead. Tunisia is already facing the reality of climate change. From the degradation of natural resources and water scarcity to desertification and coastal erosion, the country has to cope with complex and interconnected environmental challenges. While Tunisia has put the environment on top of its political and economic agenda (with Article 45 of its Constitution acknowledging the “right to a healthy and balanced environment and the right to participate in the protection of the climate”), there is still room to do more.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Economics, Environment, Politics, Natural Resources, Water, and Desertification
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, North Africa, and Tunisia
203. Area Studies, the Cold War, and the History of the US Academic Library Collections
- Author:
- Michael Albin, Ryan Zohair, Joan Weeks, and William Kopycki
- Publication Date:
- 06-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- This panel brings together Middle East Studies librarians to discuss how Cold War-era programs like the Food for Peace Act, whose revenues supported the Library of Congress' foreign offices in the Middle East, functioned and contributed to foreign language acquisitions in the U.S., and how they continue to shape how knowledge is produced on the region within American academia.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Cold War, History, Academia, Area Studies, and Libraries
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, North America, and United States of America
204. Iraq's Political Shift
- Author:
- Randa Slim, Farhad Alaadin, and Marsin Alshamary
- Publication Date:
- 06-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Randa Slim is joined by Farhad Alaadin and Marsin Alshamary to discuss the latest political events in Iraqi Parliament, Muqtada al-Sadr, and what the future of Iraqi politics could look like moving forward.
- Topic:
- Politics, Domestic Politics, Muqtada al-Sadr, and Parliament
- Political Geography:
- Iraq and Middle East
205. Tunisia's Economy
- Author:
- Intissar Fakir, Marwa Haddar, and Fadil Aliriza
- Publication Date:
- 07-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Intissar Fakir is joined by Marwa Haddar and Fadil Aliriza to discuss the economic issues Tunisia is facing, international financial institutions' role in the crisis, and the government's actions, or lack thereof, to help the country.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, Finance, International Institutions, and Economic Crisis
- Political Geography:
- North Africa and Tunisia
206. Session IV: The Unsustainability of Camps and Prisons: How Things Need to Change
- Author:
- Sahar Attrache, Fabrizio Carboni, Sonia Khush, Letta Tayler, and Elizabeth Hagedorn
- Publication Date:
- 07-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Over three years ago, Islamic State’s territorial project in Syria and Iraq was dealt its final defeat in al-Baghouz. While the terrorist group’s insurgency in the region remains largely contained, one single and largely unaddressed issue is worsening by the day, threatening to guarantee an eventual resurgence. As of mid-2022, more than 60,000 men, women and children—most with some level of past association with ISIS—remain in makeshift detention and squalid camps in Syria. Thousands are Western citizens. This is an increasingly unsustainable security and humanitarian crisis, and progress on resolving it has moved painfully slowly, if at all.
- Topic:
- Security, Prisons/Penal Systems, Islamic State, Civilians, Humanitarian Crisis, and Detention
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and North Africa
207. Biden's Trip to the Middle East
- Author:
- Alistair Taylor, Paul Salem, Bilal Y. Saab, Mirette F. Mabrouk, and Alex Vatanka
- Publication Date:
- 07-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- President Joe Biden's recent trip has received acclaim, scorn, and indifference from across the foreign policy establishment. Why did Biden go to the Middle East, and what did he seek to gain? In this much-anticipated episode, host Alistair Taylor and four expert guests reflect on this question from a variety of perspectives, diving deep into the motivations and repercussions of President Biden's trip. Esteemed guests include Paul Salem, President of MEI; Bilal Saab, Senior Fellow and Founding Director of the Defense and Security Program at MEI; Mirette Mabrouk, Senior Fellow and Founding Director of the Egypt Program at MEI; and Alex Vatanka, Director of the Iran Program and Senior Fellow at the Frontier Europe Initiative at MEI.
- Topic:
- Security, Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, and Joe Biden
- Political Geography:
- Middle East
208. The US strike on al-Qaeda leader al-Zawahiri
- Author:
- Alistair Taylor, Mick Mulroy, Javid Ahmad, and Douglas London
- Publication Date:
- 08-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- On today’s episode, host Alistair Taylor explores the ramifications of the CIA drone strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, Afghanistan on July 31. Joining the program are three MEI experts - Mick Mulroy, Javid Ahmad, and Douglas London - who bring with them a variety of perspectives, from intelligence to diplomacy.
- Topic:
- Al Qaeda, Drones, and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, North America, and United States of America
209. MENA Photography: More than your eyes can see
- Author:
- Lyne Sneige, Iman Ali, and Samar Hazboun
- Publication Date:
- 08-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- MEI Arts and Culture Center Director Lyne Sneige speaks with photographers Iman Ali and Samar Hazboun, who are featured in MEI's latest gallery exhibition "More Than Your Eyes Can See: Contemporary Photography from the Arab World" - curated by Laila Abdul-Hadi Jadallah and in partnership with Tribe Magazine.
- Topic:
- Arts, Culture, and Photography
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and North Africa
210. Iraq's Deepening Political Crisis
- Author:
- Farhad Alaaldin and Robert Ford
- Publication Date:
- 08-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Ten months on from last October’s elections, Iraq still does not have a new government and faces a deepening political crisis. To understand the current situation's perils and what may be next for the future of the country, we are joined by Farhad Alaaldin, chairman of the Iraq Advisory Council, and Robert Ford, MEI Senior Fellow and former Ambassador to Syria and Algeria.
- Topic:
- Government, Elections, Domestic Politics, and Political Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Iraq and Middle East
211. Israeli Raids on Palestinian Civil Society Organizations — The Costs of International Inaction
- Author:
- Shawan Jabarin, Raed Jarrar, Lara Friedman, Khaled Quzmar, Zaha Hassan, Sahar Francis, Ubal al-Aboudi, Khaled Elgindy, Moayyad Bsharat, and Tahreer Jaber
- Publication Date:
- 08-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Co-convened by the Middle East Institute, the Foundation for Middle East Peace, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, DAWN, the International Crisis Group, Century International and USMEP.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Civil Society, Human Rights, International Law, and Judiciary
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Israel, and Palestine
212. Algeria & France: Untangling Past and Present
- Author:
- Intissar Fakir and Francis Gilles
- Publication Date:
- 09-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- French President Emmanuel Macron's recent visit to Algeria brought talks of cooperation and reconciliation to the fore in an otherwise frought relationship. France and Algeria share a long and painful history, including 132 years of colonial occupation and an eight year war of devastation. In an effort to unpack the motivations and context behind Macron's visit, MEI Senior Fellow and Director of the North Africa and the Sahel Program Intissar Fakir speaks with Francis Gilles, Senior Research Fellow with the Barcelona Center for International Affairs.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, History, Bilateral Relations, Colonialism, and Conflict
- Political Geography:
- Europe, France, Algeria, and North Africa
213. Yemen After Eight Years of Civil War
- Author:
- Gerald Feierstein, Fatima Abo Alasrar, and Ibrahim Jalal
- Publication Date:
- 09-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Now in the fifth month of a ceasefire, what are the prospects for a negotiated end to the Yemeni Civil War, and the beginning of a sustained peace? MEI Distinguished Sr. Fellow on U.S. Diplomacy and Director of the Arabian Peninsula program Gerald Feierstein discusses these questions with two outstanding scholars who have followed and written extensively about Yemen over the years. Fatima Abo Alasrar is a nonresident scholar at MEI and a Senior Analyst for the Washington Center for Yemeni Studies. Ibrahim Jalal is a Yemeni security, conflict, and defense researcher in the UK, an Erasmus Scholar, and a co-founding member of The Security Distillery think tank.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, Diplomacy, Houthis, and Armed Conflict
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Gulf Nations
214. Contending with Reality in Palestine & Israel
- Author:
- George Salem, Brian Katulis, and Khaled Elgindy
- Publication Date:
- 10-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Today's two-part episode is a study in contrasts. On one hand, the Partnership for Peace Fund strives to create a social and economic environment in which sustainable peace can become possible. On the other, hard political realities and gridlock undermine cooperation at every turn. The episode begins by discussing peace-building efforts with George Salem, co-founder and Chairman of the Arab American Institute and Inaugural Chair of the Partnership for Peace Advisory Board. The discussion then turns to political realities and facts on the ground with Brian Katulis, Vice President of Policy at MEI, and Khaled Elgindy, Senior Fellow and Director of the Program on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs.
- Topic:
- Politics, Territorial Disputes, Conflict, Peace, and Peacebuilding
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Israel, and Palestine
215. Israel's Digital Occupation
- Author:
- Eliza Campbell and Emerson T. Brooking
- Publication Date:
- 01-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Eliza Campbell and Emerson T. Brooking discuss the Israeli government’s suppression of Palestinian online speech and activism, the surprising role that American social media companies play in the process, and their recent article for Foreign Policy, "How to End Israel’s DIgital Occupation."
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Social Media, Occupation, Free Speech, and Activism
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Israel, and Palestine
216. Biden's First Year
- Author:
- Brian Katulis and Randa Slim
- Publication Date:
- 02-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Brian Katulis and Randa Slim join the program to discuss the Biden administration's Middle East policy one year in, and look ahead to the challenges it will face in the region in the year ahead.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Government, and Joe Biden
- Political Geography:
- Middle East
217. ISIS in Syria and Iraq
- Author:
- Charles Lister and Mick Mulroy
- Publication Date:
- 02-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Charles Lister and Mick Mulroy discuss discuss the dramatic Feb. 3rd U.S. special operations raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the group’s late January attack on the al-Sina prison, and ISIS’s broader trajectory in both Syria and Iraq.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Armed Forces, Violent Extremism, and Islamic State
- Political Geography:
- Iraq, Middle East, and Syria
218. Expert Voices: Wayne Ackerman
- Author:
- Wayne Ackerman
- Publication Date:
- 02-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Interview series featuring experts and advisors from MEI's Economics and Energy Program.
- Topic:
- Economics and Energy Policy
- Political Geography:
- Middle East
219. Sustainable Financing in MENA
- Author:
- Lama Kiyasseh, Lina Osman, and Karen E. Young
- Publication Date:
- 02-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Lama Kiyasseh and Lina Osman join Karen Young, director of MEI's Economics and Energy program, to discuss how sustainable financing is changing the region by channeling financial resources toward addressing environmental and social challenges.
- Topic:
- Economics, Environment, Finance, Sustainability, and Society
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and North Africa
220. Between the Sky and the Earth: Contemporary Art from the UAE
- Author:
- Afra Aldhaheri and Asma Belhamar
- Publication Date:
- 02-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Afra Aldhaheri and Asma Belhamar, two featured artists in the MEI Art Gallery’s latest exhibition, Between the Sky and the Earth: Contemporary Art from the UAE, join MEI’s Lyne Sneige to discuss the inspirations and artistic processes behind their pieces in the show.
- Topic:
- Development, Arts, and Culture
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, United Arab Emirates, and Gulf Nations
221. Taliban rule of Afghanistan at six months
- Author:
- Marvin G. Weinbaum and Sayed Madadi
- Publication Date:
- 02-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Marvin Weinbaum and Sayed Madadi discuss Afghanistan’s worsening economic and humanitarian crises six months after the Taliban reclaimed control of the country.
- Topic:
- Security, Taliban, Humanitarian Crisis, and Economic Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, South Asia, and United States of America
222. Lebanon in Crisis
- Author:
- Randa Slim and Edward M. Gabriel
- Publication Date:
- 03-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Randa Slim and Amb. Edward Gabriel discuss the daunting trifecta of economic, financial, and political crises Lebanon currently faces and what they anticipate for the country's future.
- Topic:
- Financial Crisis, Political Crisis, and Economic Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and Lebanon
223. The GERD and Cyber Diplomacy
- Author:
- Mirette F. Mabrouk, Joey Shea, and Eliza Campbell
- Publication Date:
- 03-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Mirette Mabrouk, Joey Shea, and guest host Eliza Campbell discuss current political disputes over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), cyber diplomacy, and the effects of climate change on the Horn of Africa.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Diplomacy, Infrastructure, Dams, Cyberspace, and Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Ethiopia, and Horn of Africa
224. In Conversation | Ambassador Khaled Alyemany and Ambassador Gerald Feierstein
- Author:
- Khaled Alyemany and Gerald Feierstein
- Publication Date:
- 03-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- The former foreign minister of Yemen, Ambassador Alyemany, will be participating in an in-person conversation with the Middle East Institute's policy director, Ambassador Gerald Feierstein. The two will be discussing several issues regarding Yemen, especially the humanitarian crisis as well as Alyemany's inputs and thoughts as to the appropriate approach to the crisis and building a strong Yemen.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Humanitarian Crisis, and Armed Conflict
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Yemen, and Gulf Nations
225. The Parallels of Ukraine and Syria
- Author:
- Charles Lister and Iulia-sabina Joja
- Publication Date:
- 04-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Iulia-Sabina Joja and Charles Lister discuss the parallels between the wars in Ukraine and Syria, the similarities of Russia’s tactics in both conflicts, and what the recent history in Syria may signal for Ukraine in the months ahead.
- Topic:
- History, Syrian War, Armed Conflict, and Russia-Ukraine War
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Ukraine, Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Syria
226. Israel & Palestine: Hot topics in Congress
- Author:
- Alistair Taylor, Khaled Elgindy, and Lara Friedman
- Publication Date:
- 04-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Host Alistair Taylor speaks with Khaled Elgindy and Lara Friedman about the release of their recently completed 2022 congressional briefing series on Israel and Palestine: Hot topics in Congress. The eight-part webinar series features an array of Palestinian and Israeli voices, weighing in on some of the most pressing and timely Israel/Palestine-related topics in Congress. Recordings of all eight sessions of the congressional briefing series can be found on the MEI and FMEP websites at www.mei.edu and www.fmep.org.
- Topic:
- Education, Government, and Conflict
- Political Geography:
- Ukraine, Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and United States of America
227. US-Gulf Relations at the Crossroads
- Author:
- Gerald Feierstein, Bilal Y. Saab, and Karen E. Young
- Publication Date:
- 04-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Amb. Gerald Feierstein, Bilal Saab, and Karen Young join guest host Brian Katulis to discuss their recent MEI policy paper, US-Gulf Relations at the Crossroads: Time for a Recalibration, and why they believe now is not the time to disengage from the region.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, and Strategic Engagement
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, North America, United States of America, and Gulf Nations
228. Youth Climate Activism in MENA
- Author:
- Mohammed Mahmoud and Neeshad Shafi
- Publication Date:
- 04-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Mohammed Mahmoud and Neeshad Shafi discuss youth climate activism in the region and Shafi's experience at MENA Climate Week and the Doha forum.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Youth, and Activism
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and North Africa
229. France's Presidential Election and Foreign Policy
- Author:
- Intissar Fakir, Cinzia Bianco, and Perla Srour-Gandon
- Publication Date:
- 04-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Intissar Fakir, Cinzia Bianco, and Perla Srour-Gandon discuss the results of the recent French presidential election and what they mean for France's foreign policy and the Middle East.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Elections, Domestic Politics, and Strategic Engagement
- Political Geography:
- Europe and France
230. A Conversation with Dr. Haider al-Abadi
- Author:
- Haider al-Abadi
- Publication Date:
- 04-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Former Iraqi Prime Minister Dr. Haider al-Abadi joins the program to discuss the country’s fight against ISIS, Iraqi politics and the challenges of reform. Dr. al-Abadi has a new book out, entitled "Impossible Victory: How Iraq Defeated ISIS" (Biteback Publishing, April 2022).
- Topic:
- Government, Reform, Islamic State, and Domestic Politics
- Political Geography:
- Iraq and Middle East
231. Energy in the Eastern Mediterranean
- Author:
- Karen E. Young, Emily Stromquist, and Colby Connelly
- Publication Date:
- 05-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Karen Young, director of MEI's Program on Economics and Energy, is joined by Emily Stromquist and Colby Connelly for a discussion on gas and energy developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.
- Topic:
- Development, Gas, Investment, and Energy
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Middle East, Israel, Algeria, Egypt, and Eastern Mediterranean
232. European Islamophobia
- Author:
- Farid Hafez
- Publication Date:
- 12-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
- Abstract:
- Islamophobia is on the rise at an alarming speed in Europe, a continent with tens of millions of Muslim citizens.
- Topic:
- Minorities, Discrimination, and Islamophobia
- Political Geography:
- Europe
233. Settler Colonialism, Race, and the Law
- Author:
- Natsu Saito Taylor
- Publication Date:
- 09-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
- Abstract:
- Professor Natsu Saito Taylor builds on the premise that racialized disparities continue to persist in the United States and are unlikely to be effectively alleviated by the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection. Her book talk provides a functional analysis linking disparate forms of oppression and makes the case that structural racism will be more effectively dismantled by contesting the ongoing settler colonization of these lands and supporting the right of all peoples to self-determination.
- Topic:
- Settler Colonialism, Self-Determination, Equal Protection, and Structural Racism
- Political Geography:
- North America and United States of America
234. Consistent Partiality: US Foreign Policy on Palestine-Israel
- Author:
- Sarah Whitson and Peter Beinart
- Publication Date:
- 09-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
- Abstract:
- Although the Biden administration talks about supporting democracy and human rights, it has maintained unconditional US support for Israel even as human rights organizations label it an apartheid state. What are the political and ideological foundations of America’s hostility to Palestinian freedom? And what would it take to change them? Does the US’s unconditional support for Israel serve America’s national interests? Join the Center for Security, Race and Rights as we address these questions with two internationally known experts.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Apartheid, Human Rights, Politics, Democracy, Ideology, and Strategic Interests
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Israel, Palestine, North America, and United States of America
235. The War Economy of the Fragmented Healthcare System in Syria
- Author:
- Omar Dewachi, Duncan McLean, and Aula Abbara
- Publication Date:
- 02-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
- Abstract:
- This devastating conflict that has had a profound impact in Syria, the region and beyond, caused immense suffering. At least 400,000 Syrians have lost their lives. More than 6 million refugees, out of a pre-war population of 22 million, have fled the country and 6.7 million are internally displaced. Over 13 million people continue to need assistance, and yet Syria seems to have dropped off the radar. In this panel discussion, hosted by the Centre for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR) at Rutgers University, experts with in-depth knowledge of Syria and the region will examine some of the challenges humanitarian organisations faced as consequence of the war in Syria. Panellists will examine the relationship between health-care provision on the one hand, and the state’s claim to sovereignty and legitimacy on the other, and how the humanitarian response became quickly entangled into the polarized sides of the Syria war. They will look at how the protracted conflict in Syria has fragmented the country’s health system. They will also describe how, in the absence of a meaningful foreign policy, aid delivery came to fuel Syria’s war economy raising troubling questions as to the limits humanitarian organizations are prepared to accept when operating in a broader system of corruption, predation and denial of access. Guest speakers all contributed separate chapters to the book on Syria edited by MSF “Everybody’s war: politics of aid in the Syria crisis”
- Topic:
- Sovereignty, Economy, Syrian War, Humanitarian Organizations, and Healthcare System
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and Syria
236. Power and Restraint in China's Rise
- Author:
- Chin-Hao Huang and Nick R. Smith
- Publication Date:
- 09-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- Power and Restraint in China’s Rise Why and when does China exercise restraint—and how does this aspect of Chinese statecraft challenge the conventional narrative about rising powers’ behavior? In his recently published book, Power and Restraint in China’s Rise (Columbia University Press 2022), Chin-Hao Huang argues that China’s aspirations for legitimacy and acceptance provide a key rationale for refraining from coercive measures. Offering new insights into the causes and consequences of change in recent Chinese foreign policy, the findings show why paying attention to the targets of Chinese power matters and what the future of engagement with China might look like.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Power Politics, Political Science, Engagement, and Power
- Political Geography:
- China and Asia
237. Taiwan Update: Local Elections and Cross-Strait Relations
- Author:
- Hungdah Su Dean, Yeong-Kang Chen, Min-Hua Huang, Eric Yu, Yeh-Chung Lu, Andrew Nathan, and Thomas J. Christensen
- Publication Date:
- 09-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- A high-level academic delegation will update our audience on current political events in Taiwan and developments in cross-strait relations.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relations, Elections, and Regional Politics
- Political Geography:
- China, Taiwan, and Asia
238. From Development to Democracy: The Transformations of Modern Asia
- Author:
- Dan Slater and Daniel M. Smith
- Publication Date:
- 09-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- Over the past century, Asia has been transformed by rapid economic growth, industrialization, and urbanization—a spectacular record of development that has turned one of the world’s poorest regions into one of its richest. Yet Asia’s record of democratization has been much more uneven, despite the global correlation between development and democracy. Why have some Asian countries become more democratic as they have grown richer, while others—most notably China—haven’t? Slater and Wong demonstrate that Asia defies the conventional expectation that authoritarian regimes concede democratization only as a last resort, during times of weakness. Instead, Asian dictators have pursued democratic reforms as a proactive strategy to revitalize their power from a position of strength. Of central importance is whether authoritarians are confident of victory and stability. In Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan these factors fostered democracy through strength, while democratic experiments in Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar were less successful and more reversible. At the same time, resistance to democratic reforms has proven intractable in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Reconsidering China’s 1989 crackdown, Slater and Wong argue that it was the action of a regime too weak to concede, not too strong to fail, and they explain why China can allow democracy without inviting instability. The result is a comprehensive regional history that offers important new insights about when and how democratic transitions happen—and what the future of Asia might be.
- Topic:
- Development, Authoritarianism, Democracy, Economic Growth, and Industrialization
- Political Geography:
- Asia
239. A Pilgrim’s Diary: Khatag Dzamyag’s nyindep and Tibetan diary-keeping practices
- Author:
- Lucia Galli and Gray Tuttle
- Publication Date:
- 05-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- This presentation offers an overview of diary-keeping practices in the Tibetan literary and historical milieus by taking as a case study the personal account of a 20th-century Eastern Tibetan trader named Khatag Dzamyag (Kha stag ’Dzam yag, 1896-1961). Belonging to the diaristic genre of nyinto (nyin tho)/nyindep (nyin deb), the work lends itself to multiple approaches. Recent studies in the literary field have already marked the existence of a hybrid form of (auto)biographical narratives, in which the factual and the fictional merge, mix, and intertwine. Facts are constantly subject to manipulation through processes of narrativization, selection, expansion, and omission that all together contribute to the coming into play of fiction. By taking life stories as a metaphor for the phenomena of human life, mind, and action, (auto)biographical narratives thus become a means of “doing living”, i.e. a way to understand the meaning of life while acting, thinking, and living it. Taking a narratological approach, Dr. Galli will reflect upon the dual structural core of Dzamyag’s autobiographical first-person pronoun – as self that is both “narrating” and “narrated”, extending the discussion to the way in which traditional structures and institutions of self-representation are actively engaged and reinterpreted throughout the nyindep.
- Topic:
- Religion, History, and Narrative
- Political Geography:
- Asia and Tibet
240. Toward an Intellectual History of Vietnam - A Book Talk
- Author:
- Martina Nguyen, Claire Edington, Duy Lap Nguyen, Yen Vu, and Lien-Hang Nguyen
- Publication Date:
- 05-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- This event will be a book talk of Martina Nguyen’s latest book On Our Own Strength. The questions that orient the event are: What does a Vietnamese intellectual history look like? How does it contribute or challenge existing understandings of intellectual history, in both local and global senses? While these two events are distinct, they work toward establishing a subdiscipline that has yet to be defined in Vietnam Studies. Intellectual history, which comes from a European tradition, has predominantly focused on ideas in relation to philosophy, reserved for erudites distanced from the masses. Only more recently has ‘global intellectual history’ emerged to valorize different sources of epistemological contribution around the world, to encourage new perspectives and connections. In the case of Vietnam, so much of Vietnamese intellectual activity (at least in the modern context) is inextricable to nationalism, cultural exchange, societal transformations. At the core of major on-the-ground transitions is in fact a negotiation and discussion of ideas both from within and without. If we return to this fundamental understanding of intellectual history, as a transformation of ideas, then we are able to see how Vietnam’s intellectual activity offers an understanding of intellectual history that is integral to the making and shaping of social and political history. Such an event is important to continue to place Columbia as a burgeoning center for Vietnam Studies. The presentation of Martina Nguyen’s book is a clear example of how intellectual activity permeates social and political movements, and how intellectuals themselves were the main actors for radical political parties. The talk will be followed by short comments by the guests, informed by their own work on various ideas and their transformations, including the epistemology of medicine, and the importation of continental philosophy in Vietnam.
- Topic:
- Intellectual History, Philosophy, Political Movements, and Medicine
- Political Geography:
- Asia and Vietnam
241. Studying Maltreatment Through Polyvictimization: Evidence from the Salar Ethnic Group in Qinghai
- Author:
- Clifton R. Emery and Qin Gao
- Publication Date:
- 12-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- This lecture uses in-depth river of life oral history data collected from 200 Salar mothers in Qinghai, China to study the invasiveness, exploitativeness, and severity of victimization among children. This event is part of the 2022-2023 lecture series on “Urbanization, Well-being, and Public Policy: China from Comparative Perspectives” and is sponsored by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and cosponsored by Columbia's China Center for Social Policy and the Columbia Global Centers | Beijing.
- Topic:
- Minorities, Ethnicity, Oral History, Victimization, and Qinghai
- Political Geography:
- China and Asia
242. Migrant Worker Rights in Singapore: Advocacy, Legal Frameworks and Prospects for Change
- Author:
- Debbie Fordyce and Laavanya Kathiravelu
- Publication Date:
- 12-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- Debbie Fordyce, President of Transient Workers Council Too, and Laavanya Kathiravelu, Associate professor at Nanyang Technological University, will discuss their advocacy and research on migrant worker issues in Singapore. COVID-19 highlighted some of the structural problems faced by the large population of migrant workers in Singapore. Systemic problems include high recruitment costs, restricted job mobility, employer’s right to terminate the worker at will, and weak wage protection. Our speakers will address these issues and what might be done to protect the rights and needs of migrant workers in Singapore.
- Topic:
- Advocacy, COVID-19, Migrant Workers, and Migrants
- Political Geography:
- Singapore and Southeast Asia
243. Organized Shinto’s Efforts to Restore the Imperial Rescript on Education in Postwar Japan
- Author:
- Hirokazu Yoshie and Paul Kreitman
- Publication Date:
- 12-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- In the 1960s, the Association for Shinto Shrines—comprising 98% of the shrines nationwide—began running a decade-old campaign to reinstate a prewar symbol of emperor-centered nationalism, i.e., the Imperial Rescript on Education (kyōiku chokugo). Member priests petitioned prime ministers and other LDP politicians, published manuals for adults and picture books for children, and held summer camps for young students. These efforts were based on a modern translation into which the organization had rendered from the originally archaic rescript. Puzzlingly, this modern paraphrase completely concealed the authorship and centrality of the Meiji emperor, leaving only generic words of patriotism, which apparently defeats the purpose of the restorationism. His presentation makes sense of the campaign by analyzing organized Shinto’s discourse with it and considering its broader historical context. The narrative starts from the US occupation era (1945-1952), when the official invalidation of the rescript by Americans left conservative Japanese aggrieved. After failed attempts to revise the new constitution (1952-1964), the restoration movement gathered momentum amid left-leaning campus activism in around 1970. Convinced that it was a result of America’s ideological colonization, the Shinto organization argued that the restoration would serve to overcome that negative influence. But they tried to do so without disrupting popular sovereignty of postwar Japan, which required dilution of the text’s politically incorrect elements. The talk ends by suggesting the significance of looking at prewar legacies in our understanding of the role of the monarchy in postwar Japan.
- Topic:
- Education, Religion, History, and Shintoism
- Political Geography:
- Japan and Asia
244. The Urbanization of People- The Politics of Development in the Chinese City
- Author:
- Eli Friedman and Yao Lu
- Publication Date:
- 12-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- The Urbanization of People (May 2022, Columbia University Press) reveals how cities in China have granted public goods to the privileged while condemning poor and working-class migrants to insecurity, constant mobility, and degraded educational opportunities. Using the school as a lens on urban life, Eli Friedman investigates how the state manages flows of people into the city. He demonstrates that urban governments are providing quality public education to those who need it least: school admissions for nonlocals heavily favor families with high levels of economic and cultural capital. Those deemed not useful are left to enroll their children in precarious resource-starved private schools that sometimes are subjected to forced demolition. Over time, these populations are shunted away to smaller locales with inferior public services. Based on extensive ethnographic research and hundreds of in-depth interviews, this interdisciplinary book details the policy framework that produces unequal outcomes as well as providing a fine-grained account of the life experiences of people drawn into the cities as workers but excluded as full citizens.
- Topic:
- Development, Politics, Urbanization, and Cities
- Political Geography:
- China and Asia
245. On Dangerous Ground: America’s Century in the South China Sea
- Author:
- Gregory Poling, Anne Marie Murphy, Andrew J. Nathan, and Thomas J. Christensen
- Publication Date:
- 11-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- A robust yet accessible history of US involvement in the world's most dangerous waterway, and a guide for what to do about it. Lamentations that the United States is "losing" the South China Sea to China are now common. China has rapidly militarized islands and reefs, projects power across the disputed waterway, and freely harasses US allies and partners. The US has been unable to halt these processes or convince Beijing to respect the rights of smaller neighbors. But what exactly would "losing" mean? In On Dangerous Ground, Gregory B. Poling evaluates US interests in the world's most complex and dangerous maritime disputes by examining more than a century of American involvement in the South China Sea. He focuses on how the disputes there intersected and eventually intertwined with the longstanding US commitment to freedom of the seas and its evolving alliance network in Asia. He shows that these abiding national interests—defense of maritime rights and commitment to allies, particularly the Philippines—have repeatedly pulled US attention to the South China Sea. Understanding how and why is critical if the US and its allies hope to chart a course through the increasingly fraught disputes, while facing a more assertive, more capable, and far less compromising China. With an emphasis on decisions made not just in Washington and Beijing, but also in Manila and other Southeast Asian capitals, On Dangerous Ground seeks to correct the record and balance the China-centric narrative that has come to dominate the issue. It not only provides the most comprehensive account yet of America's history in the South China Sea, but it also demonstrates how that history should inform US national security policy in one of the most important waterways in the world.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, National Security, Territorial Disputes, and Maritime
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, United States of America, and South China Sea
246. Assessing the Chinese Communist Party 20th Party Congress
- Author:
- Thomas J. Christensen, Shang-Jin Wei, Junyang Jiang, Xiaobo Lü, Sun Zhe, and Andrew J. Nathan
- Publication Date:
- 11-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- Assessing the political and foreign policy implications of whatever happens at the 20th Party Congress, presumably including Xi Jinping’s election to a third term as party General Secretary.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Politics, and Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
- Political Geography:
- China and Asia
247. Religion and Politics in Japan after the Abe Assassination
- Author:
- Levi McLaughlin and Benjamin E. Goldsmith
- Publication Date:
- 10-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- Turmoil following the shocking murder of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzō on July 8, 2022 by a gunman who bore a grudge against the Unification Church (UC) has reinforced the fact that we must attend to religion in order to understand politics in Japan. In this talk, Levi McLaughlin (North Carolina State University) will contextualize revelations about the UC and its political connections as he surveys how religions and religion-adjacent activists in Japan exert a decisive impact on vote-gathering, policymaking, and party politics. McLaughlin will draw on his ethnographic and historical research to provide an overview of Shinto-affiliated nationalists (including the lobby organization Nippon Kaigi and its signatories), Buddhists (including Soka Gakkai and its affiliated party Komeito), and other actors to reconcile the incommensurate image of Japan as non-religious with the persistence of Japan's religiously-inspired political engagements, and he will discuss precedents for the moral panic that has surged in the wake of Abe's assassination to interpret ways Japan's religion/politics nexus is now developing.
- Topic:
- Politics, Religion, Assassination, and Shinzo Abe
- Political Geography:
- Japan and Asia
248. Thailand: The New Monarchy Under King Vajiralongkorn?
- Author:
- Pavin Chachavalpongpun and Ann Marie Murphy
- Publication Date:
- 10-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- King Vajiralongkorn was crowned on 1 December 2016, although the official ceremony was not until 4 May 2019 (note that the official coronation was a three-day celebration from 4-6 May 2019). During this interval, Vajiralongkorn made known of his political ambition. For example, he intervened in the constitutional drafting process, requesting provisions related to the monarchy be amended. He restructured the Privy Council, removing some old councillors and filled the positions with military men. He also reformed the Crown Property Bureau. Assets previously registered to the CPB, from June 2018, would be held “in the name of His Majesty”. In other words, Vajiralongkorn took sole control of the CPB, erasing any ambiguity about the owner of this superrich organisation. A scholar argues, “The monarchy now holds more formal power than any king since 1932. The king and the military have an accommodation built around the military’s capacity for repression”. Under Bhumibol, political stability was key to the flourishing reign. Politics was predictable. Benefits were shared among major stakeholders. Underpinning Bhumibol’s strength was his unsurpassed ability to accumulate moral authority through the invigoration of the neo-royalist ideology. Under Vajiralongkorn, the palace has striven for a new management style. This talk discusses the beginning of the new reign under King Vajiralongkorn. In particular, it seeks to discuss his relationship with other key institutions, including the democratic forces.
- Topic:
- Domestic Politics, Institutions, Monarchy, and Military
- Political Geography:
- Thailand and Southeast Asia
249. Starr Forum: #ViralPotentials: How South Asian Women Use TikTok
- Publication Date:
- 06-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- MIT Center for International Studies
- Abstract:
- Working class women are using TikTok to express themselves. The app is also an avenue for fun or financial gain. Women across the region are using TikTok for activism, teaching, and learning. On this panel, academics, journalists, and activists from South Asia discuss how women have expanded their possibilities using TikTok, as well as the limitations the app poses.
- Topic:
- Mass Media, Social Media, TikTok, and Activism
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and Asia
250. Starr Forum: Speaking Truth to a New Power: Perspectives on Free Press and Democracy in South Africa
- Publication Date:
- 09-2022
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- MIT Center for International Studies
- Abstract:
- What is the state of democracy and the free press in South Africa?
- Topic:
- Mass Media, Democracy, Media, and Freedom of Press
- Political Geography:
- Africa and South Africa