Middle East Centre

Professor Fawwaz Traboulsi, one of Lebanon’s leading academics, will speak at LSE this coming Monday, 18 February, from 630 to 8 pm. In his lecture,  ‘In the Eye of the Storm: The History of Lebanon Revisited’, he’ll talk about the problems and challenges in writing the history of Lebanon, how he has dealt — and proposes — to deal with them. The lecture is free and open to the public with first-come, first-served seating. 

And, while we’re at it, here’s the latest list of our upcoming Lent Term events:

The New Middle East: Protest and Revolution in the Arab World
Thursday, 21 February, 630 to 8 pm, Sheikh Zayed Theatre
Speaker: Professor Fawaz Gerges, LSE
Respondent:Professor Charles Tripp, SOAS
Chair: Dr Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, LSE
What drives large-scale, popular mobilizations in the Middle East and North Africa? And what are the challenges and prospects for democratic transformation and consolidation in the region? This lecture, ahead of the release of the LSE Middle East Centre’s new book, The New Middle East: Protest and Revolution in the Arab World (Cambridge University Press), looks to explore these questions and more.

Conference: Transition in the Arab World
Sunday, 24 February, 915 am – 530 pm, American University of Sharjah
Speakers: Professor Fawaz Gerges, Professor Juan Cole, Professor Roger Owen, Professor Karim Mezran, Dr Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Dr Gabriele Vom Bruck, Professor William Quandt
Leading scholars of the Middle East will examine the meanings and effects of the Arab uprisings on local, regional and international politics. The speakers will reflect on the comparative causes and drivers of the uprisings and also consider the challenges and prospects of political transition. Most of the presentations will examine specific countries in detail. Others will provide contextual analysis and examine the implications for international policy in the region.

Revolution as Gambling: Egypt Under the Muslim Brotherhood
Monday, 4 March, 630 – 8 pm, New Theatre, East Building
Speaker: Dr Hazem Kandil, Cambridge University
Chair: Professor Fawaz Gerges, LSE
Cambridge University’s Dr Hazem Kandil will help explain why Egypt’s popular uprising has so far failed to overthrow the regime through exploring the positions of the main players in the revolt: the military, security, and the various political factions. Kandil’s latest book, Soldiers, Spies and Statesmen: Egypt’s Road to Revolt, (Verso, 2012) analyses Egypt’s transformation from military regime to police state, on the road to revolution.

Energy Security and Shifting Global Power
Monday, 11 March, 630 – 8 pm, Clement House, Room 7.02
Speaker: Professor Roland Dannreuther, University of Westminster
Chair: Professor Fawaz Gerges, LSE
When there are shifts in distribution of power in international politics, energy security emerges as a salient concern. Professor Dannreuther will consider the implications of two shifts: first, the flow of energy from east to west (oil and gas) and the increasing links between Asia and energy-producing regions; and secondly, the flow from consumers of energy to producers of energy with the rise of resource nationalism.