A discussion on the development of women's basketball in the Middle East. Basketball is widely considered to be an ‘American Game’, all while increasingly becoming one of the most watched and played sports in the world, including the Middle East. The International Basketball Federation, FIBA, announced on April 28, 2023, that Qatar has been awarded…
At this talk, students learned about critical issues surrounding advocacy, freedom of speech, and human rights with with Dr. Agnès Callamard, a distinguished figure in the realm of human rights advocacy and the Secretary General at Amnesty International. This was a unique opportunity to learn from Dr. Callamard's extensive experience and to engage in meaningful…
Lilian Estafanous is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies in Qatar. She has also served as a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University. Lilian earned her first PhD in International Relations from Cairo University in 2016 and…
Moderated by Noha Aboueldahab, Assistant Professor of International Law, GU-Q Ralph Wilde, Professor of International Law, University College London, discussed the legal obligations of “third states”—comprising all states, except Israel and Palestine, in this particular context—to end Israel’s illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), which includes the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and…
During this CIRS dialogue, Khalid Albaih (the 2025 GUQ Artist-in-Residence) was in conversation with Suzi Mirgani, contextualizing the history of Sudanese art through times of conflict. At the Georgetown University in Qatar campus, CIRS installed two exhibitions of Khalid's artwork. An exhibition of Khalid's political cartoons on Sudan was curated by Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann, and another exhibition…
On April 11-12, 2025, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) held the first research workshop under its research initiative on Sudan. The workshop titled “(Re)Collecting Sudan: Art and Culture Archives” examined the intersection of cultural expression and conflict, conducting a broad and in-depth survey of art and culture archives in all their forms.…
The CIRS Panel on "The Evolution of Basketball in the Middle East," was held on May 29, 2025, at Georgetown University Hilltop Campus in Washington, D.C., and is an extension of the CIRS research initiative on "America’s Game in the Middle East: the 2027 Qatar Basketball World Cup." Missionaries, merchants and military brought the game…
On May 29 and 30, 2025, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) hosted its second research workshop as part of the initiative on America’s Game in the Middle East: The 2027 Qatar Basketball World Cup. Over two days, participating scholars and experts engaged in dynamic discussions that addressed a range of critical themes,…
On September 1, 2025, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) held an open house for GU-Q students, faculty, and staff to learn more about CIRS, the CIRS Undergraduate Research Advancement (CURA) program, and the different ways students can be involved in the Center’s work. Over 25 attendees met CIRS staff members and listened…
On September 11, 2025, the Center for International and Regional Studies hosted a CURA research workshop titled “From Idea to Impact: Making Political Art Across Mediums.” The session took place at Georgetown University in Qatar and was led by Khalid Albaih, Artist in Residence at Georgetown University in Qatar. The workshop guided students from identifying…
As part of GU-Q's Seeing Sudan: Politics Through Art Hiwaraat Conference, CIRS collaborated with Qatar Musuem's General Collection department to showcase some their Sudanese jewelry collection and original archival photographs. Curated by Ala Kheir, Nisreen Kuku, and Tatyana Mirghani, the exhibition is an endeavour to reconnect, reclaim, and reimagine the Sudanese archive. Born from a…
As part of GU-Q's Seeing Sudan: Politics Through Art Hiwaraat Conference, CIRS hosted a community lunch led by pharmacist-turned-chef Omer Al Tigani. The lunch talk was an exploration of how Sudanese food serves as an archive of memory, identity, and cultural continuity in times of upheaval. Omer will walk us through the history and origins of Sudanese cuisine, reflecting…