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‘CASAR Public lecture: 100 Days of Trump: America, the Middle East, and Beyond’
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
The entire world is literally getting new updates about Trump's internal & external policies almost everyday now....can you imagine that we are still yet to reach 100 days?? USAID cuts, Chinese and Canadian Tariffs, DEI revokes, Gaza War, Ukraine War, the case of Iran, National Economic Emergency in the US, ICE arrests in the US & so much more to discuss.....Trump's policies impact the US as well as everywhere in the world, but what are the repercussions so far?
Speakers: From AUC: Dr. Sean Lee, Assistant Professor, Political Science Department - Amb. Dr.Alaa El-Hadidi , CASAR Adjunct Professor.
The panel was moderated by CASAR Director Dr.Mark Deets
Date: Wednesday, May 7th, 2025
Time: 1-2 pm
Venue: Tim Sullivan Lounge - Alwaleed building (first floor) - AUC New Cairo Campus
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CASAR Public Lecture: From Coolidge to Trump: A Century of Racial Politics in America
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
Dr. Gallagher's talk examined how various immigration policies in the United States have been shaped by the general public's attitudes regarding the race and ethnicity of those immigrating to the U.S. His talk explores the past and present social pressures that have led to both expansive and restrictive immigration policies.
Speaker: CASAR Guest speaker: Dr.Charles Gallagher ,Professor of Sociology from La Salle University, Philadelphia, USA.
Lecture 1: Date: Wednesday, Feb. 26th, 2025 Time: 7-9 pm Venue: Room 602 - Hill House building - AUC Downtown Tahrir Campus
Lecture 2: Date: Thursday, Feb. 27th, 2025 Time: 1-2 pm Venue: GAPP Executive Room P085 - Aljameel building (Beside AUC bus gate) - AUC New Cairo Campus
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CASAR Public lecture: The Fierce Battle for the 2024 US Presidency: Race, Gender, and the Power of Identity Politics
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
In light of the upcoming 2024 US Elections, we hosted this lecture on SUNDAY OCTOBER 27TH - 1-2 pm titled: "The Fierce Battle for the 2024 US Presidency: Race, Gender, and the Power of Identity Politics." Speakers: CASAR guest speaker Dr. Sherri McFarland - moderated by CASAR Assistant to Director and Adjunct Faculty Yasmeen El-Ghazaly. Dr. Sherri Lynn McFarland's academic and professional careers demonstrate her passionate desire to contribute to the economic, social, and political progress of African and Middle Eastern North African (MENA) countries and their diasporic communities. Her keen interest in the people of these regions led her to specialize in Sudanese affairs during her doctoral studies at Howard University. Dr. McFarland has conducted extensive research on Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, and other countries culturally and politically aligned with both the Arab and African worlds for over twenty years. As a result, she possesses a comprehensive understanding of the political, social, and economic issues affecting sustainable development in Africa and the Middle East. Dr. McFarland's extensive knowledge of international security and development issues fueled her desire to establish peace educational programs that advanced a deeper understanding of issues that stifle sustainable development. Currently, Dr. McFarland is conducting independent research at the American University in Cairo, focusing on the plight of Sudanese refugees and other refugee communities in Egypt. She continues to expand her knowledge concerning religion, ethnicity, and female agency in Africa and the Middle East.
This lecture was a joint collaboration between CASAR and the Tomorrow’s Leaders Gender Scholarship Program at AUC
Venue: P007 lecture hall - Campus Conference Center rooms - AUC New Cairo Campus
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CASAR Public lecture: Will Trump End the Ukraine War?
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
Trump wants to become the world’s Peace Maker, the Master of the Art of Making Deals. He promised to end this war in 24 hours. Yet the real question is whether Putin wants to end the war, or whether he is ready for a deal ? If so, then what kind of a deal? Could it be that Putin might have a different deal in mind than the deal Trump is willing to offer?? So what happens then??? The lecture deliberated about the possible answers to this very question from several perspectives, analyzing the impact on Egypt, the region & the world.
Speaker: From AUC: Amb. Dr.Alaa El-Hadidi , CASAR Adjunct Professor.
The event was moderated by CASAR Director Dr.Mark Deets
Date: Monday, Feb. 10th, 2025
Time: 1-2 pm
Venue: AlMansour Lecture Hall - Hatem & Janet Core Academic building - AUC New Cairo Campus
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CASAR Student Discussion Series #7: Censored Classrooms - Should parents and community members have a say in restricting certain books in schools, based on factors such as religion, age appropriateness, and more?
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
Every semester, CASAR AUC holds miscellaneous student debates discussing the hot controversial topics in the US, Egypt and from around the world in hopes of raising awareness about these topics & broadening the perspectives of our students as they learn to engage in fruitful discussions as they share different opinion on the topic being deliberated.
On April 10th 2025, at this CASAR Student Discussion event #7 in light of the current book bans in the US happening from Trump's administration, we debated this question: 'Censored classrooms: Should parents and community members have a say in restricting certain books in schools ,based on factors such as religion, age appropriateness ,and more?' The winning student with the best argument will get the following: A certificate of appreciation from CASAR A special feature on the CASAR website, FB & IG accounts An honorary special feature on the 'Speaker of the month' board at the center.
This event was in collaboration with the AUC Literature Club.
The winner of this debate was Hassan Al-Nimr
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CASAR AUC Community lecture: ‘Gender-based violence,Women and the Law in Egypt and the US’
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
This engaging - AUC community only - special topics lecture discussed the social challenges and legal obstacles women face when discussing gender based violence crimes in Egypt shedding a comparative light on the US given the recent election results.
This event hosted Counselor Mohamed Samir Ahmed, Spokesperson of the Administrative Prosecution Authority (APA) in Egypt, Independent Lecturer in Political Science & Gender Based Violence Crimes.
The event was moderated by CASAR Assistant to Director & Adjunct Faculty Yasmeen El-Ghazaly.
This lecture was a collaboration between The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR AUC EGYPT ) and the Tomorrow's Leaders Programs at AUC.
This special lecture is part of the undergraduate course: 'AMST 1091 - 'Exploring Feminist Perspectives in Egypt and the US ' taught by Yasmeen El-Ghazaly.
Date: Wed. 20 Nov. 2024
Venue: Alwaleed Hall P071 - AUC New Cairo Campus
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CASAR AUC community only lecture: Men, Women’s Body Autonomy & GBV crimes in Egypt, US & Canada: Why Men Need to Step Up for the Education of Women's Body Autonomy
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
This was a hybrid CASAR AUC community only lecture titled: ‘Men, Women’s Body Autonomy & GBV crimes in Egypt, US & Canada’: Why men need to step up for the education of women’s body autonomy.
This lecture featured Tadwein from Egypt, Women’s Advocates from the US & London Abused Women's Counseling Center from Canada (via Zoom). This lecture was part of course AMST 1091 ‘Exploring Feminist Perspectives in Egypt & the US’ (core curriculum pathways two- American studies) taught by Yasmeen El-Ghazaly, CASAR Assistant to Director & Adjunct Faculty - Wednesday May 15th, 2024
The lecture pondered on the following questions: How well are men educated about women’s bodies in Egypt and North America? How does this education correlate with the rates of gender based violence crimes in all 3 countries? How do the cultural disparities play a role in the educational discourses used in that regard? How does this knowledge make a difference in the lives of men & women?
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CASAR AUC community only lecture: Men, Women’s Body Autonomy & GBV crimes in Egypt, US & Canada: Why Men Need to Step Up for the Education of Women's Body Autonomy
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
This was a hybrid CASAR AUC community only lecture titled: ‘Men, Women’s Body Autonomy & GBV crimes in Egypt, US & Canada’: Why men need to step up for the education of women’s body autonomy.
This lecture featured Tadwein from Egypt, Women’s Advocates from the US & London Abused Women's Counseling Center from Canada (via Zoom). This lecture was part of course AMST 1091 ‘Exploring Feminist Perspectives in Egypt & the US’ (core curriculum pathways two- American studies) taught by Yasmeen El-Ghazaly, CASAR Assistant to Director & Adjunct Faculty - Wednesday May 15th, 2024
The lecture pondered on the following questions: How well are men educated about women’s bodies in Egypt and North America? How does this education correlate with the rates of gender based violence crimes in all 3 countries? How do the cultural disparities play a role in the educational discourses used in that regard? How does this knowledge make a difference in the lives of men & women?
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CASAR Public lecture: The results are out! Implications of the US 2024 Elections on Egypt & the World: Looking at a Broader Perspective’
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
DONALD TRUMP WON THE 2024 US ELECTIONS!
CASAR Public Panel Discussion: The results are out! Implications of the US 2024 Elections on Egypt & the World: Looking at a Broader Perspective."
Speakers: From AUC: Amb. Karim Haggag - Dr. Manar El-Shorbagi , and from the University of Central Florida Mr.David Dumke.
The panel was moderated by CASAR Director Dr.Mark Deets.
The panelists deliberated about the possible implications of this election round from several perspectives, analyzing the impact on Egypt, the region & the world.
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CASAR Student Debate #3: Can solidarity produce mutual benefits for the African Diaspora& Palestine social movements?
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
Every semester, CASAR AUC holds miscellaneous student debates discussing the hot controversial topics in the US, Egypt and from around the world in hopes of raising awareness about these topics & broadening the perspectives of our students as they learn to engage in fruitful discussions as they share different opinion on the topic being deliberated. At this CASAR Student Discussion event #3 in celebration of Black History Month, we watched Nelson Madela speak his mind about the topic in 1990, in which he proclaims solidarity with the Palestinian cause on behalf of the African National Congress. Then we opened the floor to the attending audience to speak their minds as they answered the question of the debate: Can solidarity produce mutual benefits for the African Diaspora & Palestine social movements? Here is the Nelson Mandela video we showed first: • Nelson Mandela on Palestine (1990) The winning student with the best argument will get the following:
- A certificate of appreciation from CASAR
- A special feature on the CASAR website, FB & IG accounts
- An honorary special feature on the 'Speaker of the month' board at the center
Venue: Classroom CP74 - AUC New Cairo
Date: 28 February, 2024
The winners of this debate were Noor Al-Qaimari AND Aly Abdelrehim. The debate honored Black History Month.
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CASAR Student debate Series #5 : 'The 2024 US Elections on Gender & Reproductive Rights'
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
Every semester, CASAR AUC holds miscellaneous student debates discussing the hot controversial topics in the US, Egypt and from around the world in hopes of raising awareness about these topics & broadening the perspectives of our students as they learn to engage in fruitful discussions as they share different opinion on the topic being deliberated. At this CASAR Student Discussion event #5 in light of the current 2024 US Elections, we debated about who should win strictly from a gendered lens. A brief into was given by event moderator CASAR Assistant to Director and Adjunct Faculty Yasmeen El-Ghazaly, followed by short videos to watch before opening the floor to the attending audience to speak their minds as they answered the question of the debate: If you could vote in the US, from a strictly gendered lens, which party would you vote for? The winning student with the best argument will get the following: A certificate of appreciation from CASAR A special feature on the CASAR website, FB & IG accounts An honorary special feature on the 'Speaker of the month' board at the center.
The winner of this debate was Sarah Tariq - This debate was part of a series of events CASAR had arranged dedicated to educating the students on the 2024 US Elections.
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CASAR Student Discussion Series #6: 'The 2024 US Election results are out!The 2024 US Elections results will affect the Middle East Region positively'
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
Every semester, CASAR AUC holds miscellaneous student debates discussing the hot controversial topics in the US, Egypt and from around the world in hopes of raising awareness about these topics & broadening the perspectives of our students as they learn to engage in fruitful discussions as they share different opinion on the topic being deliberated. At this CASAR Student Discussion event #6 in light of the current 2024 US Elections, we debated this statement: 'The 2024 US Elections results will affect the Middle East Region positively' A brief into was given followed by short videos to watch before opening the floor to the attending audience to speak their minds as they began the debate. The winning student with the best argument will get the following: A certificate of appreciation from CASAR A special feature on the CASAR website, FB & IG accounts An honorary special feature on the 'Speaker of the month' board at the center. The winner of this debate was Islam Nadim.
Date: 10 Nov. 2024
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CASAR Panel Discussion: The 2024 US Elections: Expectations and Implications Around the World
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR and Mark W. Deets
This panel discussion talked about the possible scenarios of the 2024 US election round from several perspectives, analyzing the impact on the region & the world. The speakers were AUC Faculty: Dr.Alaa El-Hadidi (CASAR) - Dr. Sean Lee (Political Science)- Dr. Mouness Hojairi (History) and the event was moderated by CASAR Director Dr.Mark Deets. Sun. Nov. 3rd, 2024 - AUC New Cairo Campus
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CASAR Public lecture: ‘The U.S. Civil Rights Experience and the Freedom Riders’
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR and Mark W. Deets
CASAR Public lecture titled: ‘The U.S. Civil Rights Experience and the Freedom Riders’ In celebration of Black History Month, join us in an intriguing discussion about U.S. history with Ms. Joan Trumpauer-Mulholland , an American civil rights activist and one of the Freedom Riders, a group of black and white activists who challenged the legally segregated buses and bus stations of the South by refusing to travel separately. This event was a collaboration between the Public Diplomacy Section at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and the Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR), School of GAPP, The American University in Cairo Wednesday February 7th, 2024 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm – GAPP Executive Room P090 – Aljameel/BEC building
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CASAR Public lecture: ‘The Free Speech Exception to Palestine’
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR, Mark W. Deets, and Steven Salaita
CASAR Public Lecture: ‘The Free Speech Exception to Palestine’ - Thurs. 15 Feb - with ECLT Professor Dr. Steven Salaita where we discussed the repression of pro-Palestine speech and action throughout the West and beyond. This was a collaboration between the Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR), School of GAPP and the English & Comparative Literature Department at the School of HUSS, The American University in Cairo. Thursday February 15, 2024 – Tim Sullivan Lounge – AUC New Cairo
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CASAR Public lecture: "Women & STEM Education in Egypt & the US: Stepping into a Man's World of Science & Technology"
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR, Yasmeen El Ghazaly, and Mark W. Deets
In celebration of International Women's Day this Month, we held a public lecture titled: "Women & STEM Education in Egypt & the US : Stepping into a Man's World of Science & Technology " on Thursday March 28th, 2024 from 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm (assembly hour) – Conference and Visitor Center, Mary Cross Hall AUC New Cairo Despite a plethora of advances made by women in the world we live in today, they are still woefully underrepresented in the realm of STEM education and the associated career paths. At this event, we uncovered the history, reasons & challenges women face in both countries as they embark on STEM education and career paths in both countries. Why is STEM still unpopular with women? Are there challenges? What are they? Are they the same in both countries? Do culture & gender roles relate to this topic? Is it a matter of incompetence or stamina? Should gender matter in these fields? Are STEM fields less feminine? These are the questions our fine panelists answered at the lecture via their inspiring journey in STEM education & career paths. We were honored to host the following esteemed speakers on the panel:
- Dr. Hanadi Salem, Professor and Chairperson, AUC’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chair of the University Senate
- Dr. Ana Lichtenberger, US Fulbright Scholar and AUC’s SSE Adjunct Professor
- Mrs. Mai Salama, CEO of ‘Mai the Mechanic’- A pioneer female mechanic in Egypt
The panel was moderated by Yasmeen El-Ghazaly, Adjunct Faculty & the Assistant to Director at the Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies & Research (CASAR) This event was held in honor of International Women's Day and was a collaboration between the Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR), The Tomorrow's Leaders Gender Scholars Program, the School of Science & Engineering at AUC, The Fulbright Commission in Egypt and the Public Diplomacy Section at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo For more info email: casar@aucegypt.edu Follow us for updates on our events & activities on: CASAR website: https://gapp.aucegypt.edu/centers/casar FB page: / casar.aucegypt.edu
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CASAR Student debate#4:"Should men be allowed to vote on abortion legislation?"
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR, Yasmeen El Ghazaly, and Mark W. Deets
Every semester, CASAR AUC holds miscellaneous student debates discussing the hot controversial topics in the US, Egypt and from around the world in hopes of raising awareness about these topics & broadening the perspectives of our students as they learn to engage in fruitful discussions as they share different opinion on the topic being deliberated.
At this CASAR Student Discussion event #4 in celebration of International Women's Day, an introduction was given about the historical context for enacting laws on abortion in Egypt & the US, then we watched a brief video where men in the US answered this very question before opening the floor to the attending audience to speak their minds as they answered the question of the debate: 'Should men be allowed to vote on abortion legislation?' The winning student with the best argument will get the following:
- A certificate of appreciation from CASAR
- A special feature on the CASAR website, FB & IG accounts
- An honorary special feature on the 'Speaker of the month' board at the center
The debate was moderated by Dr.Mark Deets CASAR and Yasmeen El-Ghazaly, CASAR Assistant to Director and Adjunct Faculty.
The winner of this debate was Yasmine Rizk - This debate honored International women’s day.
Venue: Classroom CP74 - Alwaleed Building - AUC New Campus
Date: March 6th, 2024
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AUC community only lecture: Gender-based violence (GBV), Women & the Law in Egypt
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
This special guest lecture was part of the course “Exploring Feminist Perspectives in Egypt and the US” taught by CASAR Adjunct Faculty Yasmeen El-Ghazaly. The lecture was given in Arabic by Counselor Mohamed Samir, who is a senior member of the judicial authority in Egypt, responsible for the accountability of civil servants’ crimes and misconduct. He is also a lecturer in Political Science and Gender Based Violence Crimes. Samir has over 25 years of experience in his career, and was invited to discuss “challenges and legal obstacles women face when discussing gender based violence in Egypt.” In his insightful lecture, Samir discussed legal perspectives around topics such as adultery, rape (of both sexes), child marriage, pregnancy, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and sexual harassment. Samir provided examples of cases where women suffered from Gender Based Violence (GBV) to show that legal actions need to be taken to protect women. His insights shed light on the reality for many women (and men) in Egypt.
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CASAR (AUC community only) Lecture : Body Autonomy, Culture & Empowering Women in Egypt, US & Canada: The Differences That Unite Us'
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
About the lecture: This event was CASAR’s last event opened for the AUC community only. It took place as part of the course AMST 1099 “Exploring Feminist Perspectives in Egypt and the US” taught by CASAR Assistant to Director and Adjunct Faculty Yasmeen El Ghazaly. The Panel included Ms. Malak El-Lamie from Motherbeing NGO representing Egypt, representing the United states was Ms. Alexandra Mcdougall who comes from the NGO ‘Women’s Advocates’ in Northern Minnesota, and representing Canada from the ‘London Abused Women's Centre’ in London, Ontario, is Wendy Goldsmith. Other than Ms. Malak, these guests joined the discussion via zoom, to answer questions about how well women are educated about their bodies in Egypt, America, and Canada. Other questions leading the discussion included “How do the cultural disparities play a role in the educational discourses used in that discipline in all three countries? How do we define what agency means? How does this knowledge make a difference in their lives? Which problems could be resolved when we educate women about agency and body autonomy?”
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CASAR Public lecture: 'How Different Are We? Sexual Harassment Education in the US and Egypt'
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
This event was part of a series of events centered around women since November is the United Nations month dedicated to awareness about the Elimination of Violence against Women. Director of CASAR Professor Mark W. Deets introduced the speaker, Jilllian Campana, Professor and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Campana has given a TEDx talk in Mumbai, Created a film titled The Puzzle Club, and written several books including Western Theatre in Global Contexts: directing and teaching culturally inclusive drama around the world (Routledge, 2020) and It’s Not My Fault: five new plays on sexual harassment in Egypt, which she discusses in the context of this CASAR event, this book has also received the Times Higher Education’s Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Research Project of the Year for the Middle East - North Africa region. In her talk, Campana compares the nature of sexual harassment education in Egypt and the US by focusing on categories such as policies, training, whether this training is mandatory, and compares reactions to famous cases of sexual harrassment in Egyptian universities versus American universities. Through her presentation, she ran three short films that attempted to showcase to Egyptian students what harassment looks like, and how it can be dealt with in different contexts, AUC campus included. AUC theater students participated in making these movies, which Campana directed.
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CASAR Public lecture: How far have women come in the past 120 years in Egypt and the US?
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
About the lecture: In honor of the 16 days of activism set by the UN campaigning for eliminating violence against women, CASAR hosted an event to see how far women have come in the past 120 years in the United States and in Egypt, and what changes might be possible in the foreseeable future. This was CASAR’s last public event for the Fall 2023 semester, and was made special by the warm welcome from Director Mark W. Deets, and the efforts of Yasmeen El Ghazaly, who created a video compiling important figures of women throughout the decades in the United States and in Egypt, and also acting as the moderator for the panel event. The guest speakers were AUC’s very own Professor and Associate Dean Jillian Campana, who has published an award winning book with plays to raise awareness about sexual harassment, and also advocated for the use of videos and a learning and training tool for educational environments. She shares her own experience during this event as a woman growing up in the United States and moving to Egypt. CASAR’s special guest speaker was a board member of the School of GAPP Dr. Hoda El Sadda, a professor of English and Comparative Literature at Cairo University, a feminist, and the Co-founder of the Women and Memory Forum. The lecture compared the accomplishments women witnessed in both countries over the past 120 years discussing the reasons for the differences in paces between both countries.
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CASAR Public lecture: Mapping the Journeys of Enslaved People from Zanzibar to the Gulf
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
Part of the CASAR October lecture series and in partnership with AUC’s history department, this event featured guest scholar John Thabiti Willis, an associate professor of history at Clarendon College in Northfield Minnesota. For the last ten years Thabiti has dedicated himself to the study of African contributions to the history and heritage of pearling in the Gulf. In this event, AUC had the honor of listening to how Thabiti uses geographical information systems (GIS) to organize primary evidence gathered from manumission statements to analyze enslaved peoples journeys from Zanzibar to British political agents in Bahrain, Muscat, and Sharjah between the mid 1920s to 1940s. Thabiti walked the guest listeners through the heritage and histories of pearling in the Gulf, the map creation and archival data, and the implications of this research so far, identifying patterns in the GIS created maps. While students and faculty members enjoyed light snacks and beverages, there was also an opportunity for a question and answer.
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CASAR Public Lecture: October Surprise? Iran and Jimmy Carter’s Electoral Defeat in 1980
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
September 10, 2023 at 1 pm
AUC New Campus Tim Sullivan Lounge
Event Report by CASAR Research Assistant: Maha Muehlhaeusler
Event Title: October Surprise? Iran and Jimmy carter’s Electoral Defeat in 1980
This event was the Center for American Studies and Reseach’s (CASAR) first event of the Fall 2023 semester. Around thirty individuals were hosted, including faculty members from HUSS, GAP and interested students from across AUC. Snacks and coffee were offered as well. The event was co-hosted by CASAR Assistant Director & Adjunct Faculty Yasmeen El Ghazaly and Director of the CASAR Dr. Mark W. Deets, who warmly welcomed Dr. Mike Reimer from the AUC Department of History to the podium. In his lecture, Dr. Reimer analyzed the relationship between the events in Iran and Jimmy Carter’s electoral Defeat in 1980. Referring to his lecture as a “glorified book review”, he emphasized that the main source and inspiration for his lecture on this topic is the book October Surprise by Gary Sick.
Before unpacking the complex political relationships and tensions Dr. Reimer provided historical and chronological context to what exactly led up to the relationship between Iran and the United states, as well as defining what an “October surprise” is. Dr. Reimer argued that it would be an oversimplification to portray the United States as an agent simply causing events to take place in the Middle East, and in this case study especially.
What was happening in Iran? Dr. Reimer summarizes that following the 1953 coup d’etat in which Reza Shah Pahlavi was returned to power, the Shah set up the SAVAK, an Iranian version of the Egyptian “mukhabarat” according to Dr. Reimer. The Shah accepted United States aid, and most importantly, a massive number of arms imported from the United States. Here Dr. Reimer made sure to mention how the Shah was perceived by Iranian citizens as a “puppet” figure for the United States, and discusses the complexity behind this argument; after all, it was the United States that returned the rule of the Shah. In 1972 Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger (according to Gary Sick) visited the Shah, when Nixon looked across the table and told the shah “protect me.” This allowed Dr. Reimer to raise the question of, was the Shah a proxy or a partner to the United States? This alliance between Iran and the United States continued for three decades from the fifties to the seventies.
Dr. Reimer continued to discuss the turmoil within Iran that led to the demise of the Shah with the 1978 revolution. One important cause was the economic drop in oil revenue, which had induced “megalomania” in the decades beforehand. As a clergy-led revolution unfolded, Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to Iran. Two years earlier in 1976, Jimmy Carter had been elected for the “advocacy of human rights.” The Iranian perspective, according to Dr. Reimer, included some intellectuals being hopeful that Carter would push the shah towards liberalization, an ultimate “human right.”
In 1979, the same year that Khomeini returned to Iran, student Militants took over the United States embassy and held all American individuals hostage. This event is known as the Hostage Crisis. Dr. Reimer brings to attention that though some sources suggest that Khomeini “gave approval” to the students and was in support of the event, others suggested that the prime minister of Iran and other government officials were in disagreement with Khomeini’s radical decision to take over the embassy. This shows, as Dr. Reimer argued, the confusion and complexity of the political situation in Iran, as it is not clear who is in charge at this point in time.
The 1980 Reagan vs. Carter elections can be studied from the perspective of the Hostage Crisis, Dr. Reimer suggested. Since the hostages were released exactly five minutes after President Raegan’s inauguration, one might easily think “there must be a connection,” but Dr. Reimer debunks this fallacy as there was still more evidence to analyze. Did Khomeini keep the American hostages in order to humiliate Carter who was slowly growing unpopular in America for his failure to free the hostages? On a tangent, Dr. Reimer made sure to highlight the importance of historiography and the importance of analyzing sources and the possibility of new evidence arising. He also mentions that the author Gary Sick was on the national security council and worked for Jimmy Carter, and he himself argues that the hostages were kept to teach Carter a lesson.
New questions began to arise here: Did president Raegans campaigner, William Casey have contact with Iran? Dr. Reimer looks at the evidence for this, which is that he was in Madrid and not Iran at the time he was mysteriously traveling, for “reasons unknown.” The other important question asked by Dr Reimer is why would Iran cooperate with the United States? The answer that Dr. Reimer suggested is weaponry: Iran even worked with Israel, for not only did they have a common enemy of Iraq, but since Israel received weapons from the United States, Iran and Israel shared the same weapon systems. Ultimately, Iran chose the “better deal” which would mean more arms, and would mean waiting to release the hostages until after the October elections. The “October Surprise” is defined according to Gary Sick as a electoral win when there is an expectation to lose.
“So what if this did happen? Why is it significant?” asked Dr. Reimer. The answer to this was the question of loyal opposition, which includes interfering with foreign policy of the Carter administration. It is also significant because it endangered the lives of fifty-two American hostages. Dr. Reimer reaffirmed the importance of the revision of history, and “setting the record straight” for the legitimacy of Reagan's victory over Carter. In this way, Raegans presidency is put in a different light, where there is a continuation of the exchange of arms for hostages, putting him in the same position Carter was in 1980. Dr. Reimer concludes by stating how Gary Sick’s “investigations show the importance of corroboration in the writing of history,” how Israel’s readiness to interfere in American domestic politics shows them trying to gain advantage, and how it is shown that Iranians who thought that some government leaders in Iran were involved with the negotiation of the Reagan campaign were ultimately correct.
In a brief amount of time Dr. Reimer allowed individuals attending to ask questions. Students asked whether Khomeini would have be at a disadvantage by taking the Reagan deal, to which Dr. Reimer suggested that it is difficult to know how much Reagan knew and how much his campaign manager knew, counting on the fact that Khomeini was angry with Carter. Another question focused on the need for arms in Iran. Dr Reimer pointed out that that Iranians were aware in 1980 that they would eventually face war with Iraq, and that there was pressure to get arms. This lead to the deal with Carted, but also the BETTER deal with Reagan. Another important question was that of which side the United States was on during the Iran-Iraq war, and the answer was both. Though Americans had ground troops in Iraq, the United states was providing arms for Iran to fight with. It was also asked what role the hostages played, or how they felt, which Dr. Reimer revealed that in interviews with them they described themselves as “prawns in an internal struggle in Iran.” Dr. Reimer concluded his event by highlighting the fluidity of history and the importance of perspectives and disagreements in the discipline of history.
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CASAR Public lecture: The Gaza War: Implications for the United States and Egypt
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
Director of CASAR Professor Mark W. Deets, also a current member of the History department of AUC specialist in African Studies acted as moderator for this Event. CASARs two guest panelists in this discussion were visiting scholar Professor David Dumke and Professor Karim Hagag. Dumke is the Executive Director of the Office of Global Perspectives & International Initiatives at the University of Central Florida (UCF). He teaches Middle East history, U.S. foreign policy, and American politics, and “has written extensively on these subjects.” He also is host and executive producer of WUCF-TV’s award-winning Global Perspectives (Public Broadcasting Service). Dumke spent the early years of his career in the United States Congress, and also has experience working with NGOs in the Middle East and North Africa. Panelist Karim Hagag is currently a Political Science professor at practice AUCs school of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Before his shift to academia, Hagag served for over 25 years as an Egyptian diplomat and has focused on “on US-Egyptian relations, Middle East regional security, arms control and non-proliferation, and Arab-Israeli diplomacy.” These two figures engaged in an important conversation surrounding the current events in Gaza, and discussed the Egyptian and American position, analyzing them in a global context and providing insights to the larger scene of the Palestinian-Isreali conflict. The conflict threatens the Biden Administration according to Dumke, and has changed United states politics. In Egypt, the conflict has been more humanitarian, and dealt with by preserving stability on the border as much as possible.
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CASAR Public Panel Discussion: "Global and Regional Repercussions of the 6th of October War: Arab and American Perspectives"
The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research CASAR
With the 50th anniversary of the 6th of October War (1973) on the horizon, the CASAR department put together a panel to discuss different perspectives in the Middle East and United States. After an introduction to the CASAR department by Director Mark W. Deets, the panelists were introduced. This panel featured AUC History department professor Mouaness Hojairi, who discussed and contrasted Egyptian, Syrian, Palestinian, and Lebanese perspectives. Also from the history department was Professor Michael Reimer, who discussed American Jewish and Israeli perspectives on the war. The special guest for this event was a panelist, a distinguished scholar from the University of Central Florida, David Dumke, who discussed the American perspective on the war. A former member of the United States Congress, Professor Dumke is the director of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives at his university and also co-hosted a public television programme discussing Middle East politics, diplomacy, and United States policies. After the three professors presented their unique findings, the panel was open to a Q&A, where event attendees were free to join the discussion as well.
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