Let’s Talk About It
Behind the Headlines: An Introduction to the Middle East
A Special Let’s Talk About It Series Begun in May 2006
This is a special Let’s Talk About It program that we have developed in response to many requests we have received for a series focusing on the Middle East. Mahmud Faksh, a professor of political science and an expert on the Middle East at the University of Southern Maine, has developed this new Let’s Talk About It series and will lead some of the discussions.
The format will be a little different from our normal Let’s Talk About It programs. Groups will meet 3 times with a facilitator/scholar who specializes in the Middle East. The readings for both sessions will be from The Contemporary Middle East, edited by Karl Yambert, a new, accessible anthology of writings by leading scholars incorporating historical, cultural, and political perspectives of the region. To provide participants with background and context, each session will begin with a 45-minute presentation by the facilitator, followed by approximately an hour and a quarter of facilitated discussion and questions.
This series will be offered a limited number of times each year throughout the state, depending upon the availability of an appropriate scholar.
We will delve into the history, cultures, and peoples of the Middle East, coupled with an examination of the Israeli-Palestinian quest for a peaceful settlement.
We will focus on the two key countries of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, assess their political stability in the face of mounting Islamist challenge, and examine their relations with the United States.
We will examine the two Gulf countries of Iraq and Iran, surveying the tumultuous and violent history of the Iraqi state and its lack of coherence as a national political community, and analyze the 1979 Khomeini Islamic Revolution in Iran, assessing its consequences for security and stability in the Gulf region and for the rebirth of militant jihadist Islam.
Here is the word document (52K) for Behind the Headlines: An Introduction to the Middle East
Contact Lizz Sinclair (email: lizz@mainehumanities.org) for more information.
