About

Established in 2005, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at Georgetown University in Qatar is a premier research institute devoted to the academic study of regional and international issues through dialogue and exchange of ideas, research and scholarship, and engagement with national and international scholars, opinion makers, practitioners, and activists.

Guided by the principles of academic excellence, forward vision, and community engagement, the CIRS mission revolves around five principal goals:

To provide a forum for scholarship and research on international and regional affairs
To encourage in-depth examination and exchange of ideas
To foster thoughtful dialogue among students, scholars, and practitioners of international affairs
To facilitate the free flow of ideas and knowledge through publishing the products of its research, sponsoring public lectures, and holding working groups designed to explore the complexities of the twenty-first century
To engage in outreach activities with a wide range of local, regional and international partners.

CIRS’s research is organized under two thematic clusters. In addition to a core focus on Regional Studies, the center also carries out projects under the vital and timely theme of Global American Studies. While the primary goal is to work closely with scholars to produce rigorous academic work on these topics, CIRS engages broadly with public audiences and seeks to disseminate knowledge to multiple local and international stakeholders and communities of interest.