Middle East Lectures - BYU Kennedy Center

The Current Situation in Iran

Donna Lee Bowen, Middle East Studies faculty coordinator

Can Diplomacy Tame Iran?

Michael Rubin, resident scholar, AEI

Running from Liberty Plaza and Running in Baghdad

David Simpson, professor of English, University of California—Davis

Terrorism on the Internet

Gabriel Weimann, visiting professor of communications, American University School of International Service

Dispatches from the Red Zone—National Public Radio's Baghdad Bureau Chief on covering the Iraq War

Dianna Douglas, national desk producer, NPR

Afghanistan, Iraq, and Counterinsurgency: Similarities, Differences, and the Way Forward

Adam Fife, director of unconventional solutions, U.S. Government contractor

Contemporary Jerusalem: Between Confrontation and Conciliation

Daniel Seidemann, founder and legal advisor, Ir Amim (Jerusalem)

The Rule of Law in a Time of Terror

David Nevin, adjunct professor of trial practice, University of Idaho College of Law

Islam and the Modern World

Akbar S. Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University in Washington, D.C.

Provincial Power in the Assyrian Empire: A Microhistory of a Provincial Administrator

Bradley J. Parker, associate professor of history, University of Utah

Iran, Nuclear Non-proliferation, and Middle East Policy

Moderator: Chad F. Emmett, MESA coordinator, associate professor of geography, BYU; panel guests: Amr al-Azm, visiting professor from the University of Damascus, Syria; Scott Cooper, associate professor of political science, BYU; Eric A. Hyer, associate professor of political science, BYU

Ossetia in Perspective: Georgia Plays Russian Roulette

Dodge Billingsley, producer/director, Combat Films & Research

War on Terror by Reluctant Fighters

Chaudry Ali, former Pakistani judge

Democracy and the Middle East: A View from Damascus

Sadik J. Al-Azm, visiting lecturer, Princeton University, and emeritus professor of modern European philosophy, University of Damascus

A Spanish View of Counter-Terrorism and International Relations

His Excellency Javier Rupárez, consul general of Spain in Chicago

The 3 Nephites, the Bodhisattva, and the Mahdi: The 3 Nephites as a Paradigm Context of Comparative Religion

Jad Hatem, professor of philosophy, University of Saint Joseph, Lebanon

Iraq—Why the Surge Worked

Adam Fife, strategic communication advisor in Iraq

Abkhazia: Untold War Story

Dodge Billingsley, documentary film producer and director, Combat Films and Research

Force Projection or Force Protection: A New Mission objective for Afghanistan and Iraq

Dodge Billingsley, producer/director, Combat Films

Briefing on Iraq, UN Reform, and Careers in Diplomacy

James Warlick, principal deputy assistant secretary, Bureau for International Organization Affairs, U.S. Department of State

Causes of Anti-Americanism in the Arab World

Abdelmahdi Alsoudi, professor of Middle East Studies, Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS), Denver University

No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, by Reza Aslan

Faculty Panel: Glen Cooper, William J. Hamblin, Daniel C. Peterson, Becky Lyn Schulthies

Islamic Nationalist Movements, Al-Qaeda, and the Global War on Terror

Kent Schull, visiting professor of history, BYU

Syria, a Regime in Crisis: The Challenges, Responses, and Adaptations

Amr al-Azm, University of Damascus visiting professor at Brigham Young University

From Bullets to Ballots: U.S. Economic Assistance to Iraq

Susan Merrill, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Mysteries of the Dead Cities: Early Christian Sites in Syria

Maamoun Abdul Karim, professor of archaeology, University of Damascus

The Jewish Priesthood of Christ in the Syriac Tradition

David G.K. Taylor, fellow and vicegerent of Wolfson College, Oxford, and university lecturer in Aramaic and Syriac

Syria's Cult of the Dead: Qatna (Syria) in the Second Millennium B.C.

Michel Maqdissi, director of archaeological sites, Department of Antiquities, Syria

Intelligence, Military, and Congress: How to apply IR and Middle East Studies

Mark Morrison, deputy chief of staff to Senator Robert F. Bennett

Bagram to Baghdad: Five Years Covering the War on Terror

Dodge Billingsley, Documentary film producer and director

Iraq and Vietnam: Lessons Learned and Mislearned

Robert Schulzinger, director, International Affairs Program, and College Professor of Distinction of History and International Affairs, Editor-in-Chief, Diplomatic History, University of Colorado

Light from Egypt on the Exodus Story

Gary A. Rendsburg, chair of Jewish Studies, Rutgers University

Unlikely Heroes: Women as Israel

Gary A. Rendsburg, chair of Jewish Studies, Rutgers University

The Future of Iraq

chair: Eric Hyerassociate professor of political science; participants: John HughesDodge BillingsleyDonna Lee BowenChris Jonesand Hamida al-Masudi

Peaceful Middle East: An Alternative Vision

Akram F. Khater, director of International Programs and associate professor of history, North Carolina State University

The Adventure of the Dead Sea Scrolls—Exploring the Greatest Discovery of the Twentieth Century

Peter Flint, professor of Biblical Studies at Trinity Western University, in British Columbia, Canada

Islam and Terrorism

Abdul Karim M. Pharaon, Justice of the Supreme Court of Jordan

The Info War: A Battle of Words and Images

Dodge Billingsley, Documentary film producer and director, Combat Films and Research

Oman—U.S Relations

Her Excellency Hunaina Al-Mughairy, Omani Ambassador to the U.S.

The Complexity of Middle East Issues

Firas bin Raad, Prince of Jordan and World Bank consultant health policy specialist

Political Theatre or Justice in Saddam Hussein's Trial?

David J. Scheffer, visiting professor of law, Northwestern University School of Law, and former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues

Azerbaijan–U.S. Relations

His Excellency Hafiz M. Pashayev, Azerbaijani Ambassador to the U.S.

Afghanistan Heats Up: An Assessment

Dodge Billingsley, documentary film producer and director, Combat Films & Research

Current Challenges Facing the Arab World

His Excellency Hussein Hassouna, Ambassador of the Arab League of States.

Syria Today—Can There be Peace in the Near East?

Amr al-Azm, professor of archaeology, Centre for Archaeological Research, Damascus University.

That Other War: Nation Building in Afghanistan

Dodge Billingsley, film producer and director.

Ethical and Other Dilemmas Faced by News Organizations in the Middle East

Ethan Bronner, foreign editor, New York Times.

Kuwait–U.S. Relations

His Excellency Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti Ambassador to the U.S..

The Politics of Oil Prices

A. Jamal Qureshi, Kennedy Center alumnus and Middle East political and oil analyst, PFC Energy, Washington D.C.

Recent Discoveries and Controversies in Biblical Archaeology

Randall W. Younker, professor of Old Testament and biblical archaeology and director, Institute of Archaeology, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University.

Iraq: War, Religion, and Democracy

James B. Mayfield, co-founder of CHOICE Humanitarian and emeritus professor of political science at the University of Utah.

Egypt–U.S. Relations

Abderahman Salaheldin, Consul General of Egypt, San Francisco.

Beslan School: Militant Islam Hijacks the Chechen Separatist Movement?

Dodge Billingsley, independent film producer and director, Combat Films and Research.

Behind the Headline: Islamic Background of Current Events

Daniel C. Peterson, director of the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (ISPART) and associate professor of Islamic studies and Arabic.

Islam and the Middle East

Khaled Mahjoub, industrialist and entrepreneur, Damascus, Syria.

War Against Al Qaeda and Terrorism

His Excellency Ravan Farhadi, Afghani Ambassador to the UN.

Iraq's New War

Dodge Billingsley, independent film producer and director, Combat Films and Research.

One Islam, Multiple Interpretations: Religion, Education, and National Agenda in School Curricula

Muhammad Eissa (Eissa & Associates) and James Toronto (BYU).

The Miracle of the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies

D. Kelly Ogden, Religious Education graduate studies coordinator.

Water and Land Issues in the Israeli/ Palestinian Conflict

John Reese, Middle East activist and retired hydrogeologist.

IRAQ—One Year: Looking Back/Looking Forward

Dodge Billingsley, independent film producer and director, Combat Films and Research.

Operation Iraqi Freedom: A War Experience

Dodge Billingsley, independent film producer and director, Combat Films and Research

The Road to Baghdad: a Personal Account

R. Dodge Billingsley, independent film producer and director, Combat Films and Research

The Koran in Muslim Everyday Life

Abdullahi A. Gallab, assistant professor of communications, Hiram College, Ohio

Temple Building in the Most Ancient Near East and in the Bible

Richard E. Averbeck, professor of Old Testament and Semitic languages, Trinity International University

Turkey-U.S. Relations

His Excellency O. Faruk Logoglu, Turkish Ambassador to the U.S.

Democracy and the Middle East

Azzedine Layachi, associate professor of government and politics, St. John's University

A Critique of Bernard Lewis' What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response

Mohammad Eissa, Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of Michigan

Eyewitness to the War in Afghanistan

Dodge Billingsley, independent film producer and director, Combat Films and Research

Jordan-U.S. Relations

Karim Tawfiq Katar, Jordanian Ambassador to the U.S.

Literacy in Ancient Israel

Aaron Demsky, associate professor and director of Project for the Study of Jewish Names, Bar-Ilan University, and head of Hebrew names, World Congress of Jewish Studies

The Ground War in Afghanistan: Eyewitness to the Mazar-e Sharif Fortress Prison Revolt

Dodge Billingsley, independent film producer and director, Combat Films and Research

New Light on the Israelite Exodus from Egypt: Recent Excavations in Sinai

James K. Hoffmeier, author, expert in Egyptian studies

Current Issues in the Middle East and Central Asia

Ibrahim A. Karawan, associate professor of political science and associate director of the Middle East Center, University of Utah

Abkhazia

R. Dodge Billingsley, independent film producer and director, Combat Films and Research

Israeli Options and Constraints: The Question of A Palestinian State

Ira Sharkansky, professor of political science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Prospects for Peace in the Middle East

His Excellency Muhammad Kamal, Jordanian Ambassador to the U.S.

U.S. Anti–Terrorism Policy

Gregory A. Raymond, professor of political science, Boise State University