Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Assessments, Implications, Prospects
2024-10-26 09:00 - 17:00 (Asia/Qatar) | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
On October 26, 2024, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) hosted a one-day conference in collaboration with the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University titled “Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Assessment, Implications, and Prospects.” This conference brought together leading international and regional experts to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine, its implications for the existing international order, and various global perspectives on the war.

The first panel, “Consequences of the War: Impact on Key International Players,” shed light on the Ukrainian, Russian, European, and American perspectives. The panelists argued that since the very beginning of its outbreak, this war has turned into an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy. From day one, Russia has been attacking civilian and energy infrastructure. And yet, nearly three years after the invasion started, the spirit of resistance in Ukraine remains strong, and rebuilding efforts have already begun. Meanwhile, the outcome of the war in Ukraine will have an immense impact on the security of Europe and the West. While saying this, the panelists emphasized the important role of NATO as the primary security force in Europe. However, they also acknowledge the existence of heavy resistance among its members against Ukraine’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty.

Another important topic discussed during the first panel was related to the US foreign policy towards Ukraine, which has had a complicated evolution since Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. In the 1990s, Kyiv became the third largest recipient of aid from the US, which was largely provided to dismantle the Soviet-era nuclear infrastructure. Yet, in the first years of Ukraine’s independence, the US failed to offer security commitments, even though the Russian threat was omnipresent. Even in the 2000s, when Ukraine contributed forces to US-led military operations, reciprocal security commitments remained elusive. Following the 2022 invasion, it became increasingly clear that the Western powers had overestimated Russia’s military capabilities. Hence, the US strategic objectives focused on deterrence and weakening Russia. While the American politicians repeat the ‘Ukraine must win’ mantra, real US support for Ukraine has still been limited. Moreover, while in Russia’s view, the Western block of Ukraine supporters is led by the US, the US authorities, on the contrary, are trying to disengage from Europe. According to the conference panelist, since before the 2024 presidential elections, the US has been caught between its desire to pivot toward China (seeing the war in Ukraine as a destructing factor) and Europe’s demands for continued engagement (that was bringing the US back to the Ukraine support). The Trump victory in the 2024 Presidential election could be a turning point in the US approach to the conflict.

The first panel also paid attention to the analysis of Russia’s internal dynamics. The participants acknowledged that, despite the initial expectations, Russia’s economic growth in the war years was steady, allowing the Kremlin to fund its military operations in Ukraine. Over the last three years, Moscow succeeded in maintaining a semblance of normalcy, channeling investments into infrastructure and suppressing dissent domestically. However, as the war approaches its fourth year, the situation is becoming more challenging for the Kremlin. Sustaining public and elite support may prove challenging for Putin. Recently, the Kremlin even ramped up efforts to mobilize domestic society more directly. This shift raises questions about whether the general public and the elites will continue backing Putin’s strategy.

The following panel discussion, “Russia’s War in Ukraine and the impact on the Global South,” centered around understanding Central Asian, Chinese, African, and South American responses to the war in Ukraine. The Central Asian societies reacted immediately to support Ukraine, lending social support through public meetings and collecting humanitarian aid. Kazakhstan took an interesting position. Even though the country has a significant ethnic Russian population and has security and economic agreements with Russia, the Kazakh president met with Putin and declared that his country would never support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Other Central Asian countries took a more neutral stance to safeguard their interests, as some of these countries substantially rely on remittances from Russia.

According to the panelists, at the strategic level, China benefits greatly from the current global order as it favors China’s growing economic role. Historically, China’s foreign policy was independent and cautious, but that is starting to shift. While China’s Belt and Road initiative initially aligned with the existing global order, the Chinese approaches might evolve as Beijing seeks a greater role in the international arena. China and Russia share a vision that offers an alternative global order based on development-driven security. However, China’s alignment with Russia is proving to be a burden for Beijing rather than an opportunity, especially with North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Russia is ‘inserting’ itself into relations between Pyongyang and Beijing, disrupting the Chinese sphere of influence, which poses a threat to China.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drawn varied responses from Sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Russia’s political emphasis on stability over democratization resonates with many African leaders. This has created favorable conditions for Russia in Africa in the short and medium term. However, the long-term outlook remains uncertain as emotional responses primarily drive current support. African nations generally maintain a desire to cooperate with all international parties.

South America’s response has been shaped by the region’s strong commitment to peace, though the overall response is largely fragmented. The prevalence of center-left governments has led to some reluctance to fully align with the US global agenda (i.e., to support Ukraine). However, this does not necessarily translate to support for Russia. The region’s approach to the war is shaped by its opposition to territorial integrity violations, unilateral sanctions (viewed as harming populations rather than states), transfer of weapons, and military involvement.

The third and final panel was titled “Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine from the Middle Eastern and Gulf Perspective(s).” The conflict has amplified pre-existing regional trends, with Arab states viewing it as an opportunity to expand their relations with various global powers. This stance is also hard to call pro-Russian. While the Arab League has maintained a neutral position in this war, individual Arab states have consistently voted against Russia in United Nations resolutions. Notably, the Arab states have managed to insulate their bilateral relationships with the US and Russia, ensuring the conflict did not damage their ties with either, allowing them to benefit from their position within the emerging shadow order. However, the conflict has also exposed significant socio-economic vulnerabilities in the region, particularly regarding food security. Interestingly, this war has allowed countries in the Middle East to assume a mediating role in Europe, marking a significant shift in the global order. However, military alignment with the US continues to impose certain limitations on their approach.

The conflict has accelerated Gulf states’ pre-existing moves toward economic self-reliance and diversification. The Gulf states have substantially increased their exports to the European Union, especially in oil, food, and various other products, while maintaining and even growing their hydrocarbon trade relationships with Russia post-2022. The region has emerged as a key intermediary in global trade flows, with some European countries routing their Russian trade through intermediaries.

The normative impact of the war has been particularly significant in the Arab world. While the US framed the Ukraine conflict as a litmus test for the Western global order, Middle Eastern countries viewed it more as a European regional security issue. As the events in Ukraine and Gaza unfold simultaneously, many in the region view this as international double standards in responding to similar situations. Principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity have been the basis for condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the same standards are not applied to Israel as it continues to expand its illegal settlements and kill Palestinian civilians. Hence, the region’s neutrality in Russia’s war on Ukraine highlights a broader desire to shift away from a Western and Euro-centric global power structure.

Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has become the catalyst for a qualitative change of tone in the Russian-Iranian dialogue, bringing the two states closer together. This step-change in Russian-Iranian relations was not solely prompted by the war in Ukraine. Various factors prepared the ground for this change, including Russia’s unprecedentedly high level of confrontation with the West, the pressure of sanctions on both the Russian and Iranian economies, Putin’s ‘turn to the east’ strategy, the dim prospects of the JCPOA, the rise of conservatives in Iran, and the growing chemistry between the power circles of the two countries. The war in Ukraine has forced Russia into a position of dependence on Iran for arms. This puts Tehran on a more equal footing in their relationship, and nudges the bilateral dialogue closer to becoming an axis than before. However, the long-term ‘durability’ of this change is still in question due to a considerable number of issues that the two countries need to settle.

Considering Turkey’s geo-strategic location, it has emerged as a critical actor. While it has condemned Russian aggression and deepened military cooperation with Ukraine even during the time of the conflict, it continues to maintain ties with Russia in other areas, which puts stress on its relations with Western partners.

When addressing the issue of the end-game scenario in Ukraine, there was an emerging consensus among the panelists that a purely military victory for Ukraine may be unrealistic. The focus has shifted toward leveraging diplomatic tools, including discussions of Ukraine joining NATO and negotiations over long-range weapons. Though this war is situated in Europe, it has had global consequences. From a security perspective, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has revealed that the post-Cold War security order is collapsing. This transition to a new security order, one that is more multipolar, is marked by the US’s declining unilateral hegemony and a change in Europe’s role in the world.

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Article written by CIRS Research Assistant

Book Talk with Professor Trish Kahle
2024-11-04 17:30 - 19:00 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
How much risk—whether bodily, environmental, economic, or political—is acceptable in a democratic energy system? And, just as importantly, who should bear that risk? What do energy producers and energy consumers owe to each other and how did we come to see these obligations as legitimate? Who constitutes the proper community of interest in energy decision-making? How should we evaluate the fairness of their energy system? Can energy systems ever really be democratic for all the people who are part of it? These questions have a long history. Indeed, they were at the core of energy policy-making in the modern United States which was about not only managing fuels but also negotiating the relationship between coal miners and the rest of the country, which depended on the electric power and steel produced with the coal they mined. Energy governance cuts to the heart of persistent questions about justice, democracy, and equality.

The conversation considered the uncertain relationship between coal and democracy in US history as miners’ democratic aspirations confronted the deadly record of the country’s coal mines. Miners and their communities bore the burdens of energy production while reaping far fewer of the benefits of energy consumption. But they insisted that death in the mines, far from being inevitable, was a political choice. As coal miners’ struggled to democratize the workplace, secure civil and social rights, and obtain restitution for the human toll of progress, they reshaped U.S. laws, regulatory administrations, and political imaginaries.

Speakers:Trish Kahle, Georgetown University in QatarFirat Oruc, Georgetown University in QatarVictoria Googasian, Georgetown University in Qatar

Moderator: Zahra Babar, Executive Director – CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

CIRS Lunch Talk: Darfur's Role in Sudan's Ongoing Power Struggle
2024-11-19 13:00 - 14:00 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
On November 19, 2024, the CIRS Lunch Talk dove into “Darfur’s Role in Sudan’s Ongoing Power Struggle” with Dr. Hamid E. Ali, a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, and Professor Rogaia Abusharaf, Professor of Anthropology at Georgetown University in Qatar. Professor Ali pushed back against the common belief that Darfur’s conflicts are separate from Sudan’s bigger problems. Instead, he highlighted how Darfur is actually at the heart of Sudan’s identity and political struggles. When discussing Sudan’s difficult history, which includes 17 coups since the country became independent, he criticized how political leaders have misused democracy, treating it just as a way to grab power while ignoring the real changes needed in education, the economy, and society. Professor Ali explained that the current problems with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) aren’t just random events but are connected to these deeper issues in Sudan’s political system. He was especially critical of looking to Western countries for solutions, saying this approach hasn’t worked and isn’t the right path forward. Instead, he pointed to Sudan’s younger generation as a source of real hope, noting how young people are trying to move beyond the old divisions based on tribes and colonial history that have held the country back. While there are voices on social media that talk about the separation of Darfur from Sudan, this is not a majority opinion. Professor Ali stressed that Darfur needs to be properly included as part of Sudan, not pushed away or treated as less important. The discussion also looked at how past colonial rule and outside interference have affected Sudan, suggesting that these influences have often made things worse rather than better. Professor Ali called for a new kind of leadership that puts the country’s needs before personal gain, along with major improvements in education. He said Sudan needs to build a new vision for itself that brings people together instead of dividing them based on where they’re from or what group they belong to. To achieve real peace and development, he argued, Sudan needs to find solutions that come from its own people and communities, with Darfur playing a key role in this process. Professor Ali ended with a message of cautious hope, suggesting that while Sudan faces serious challenges, there’s a path forward if the country can work together and make the deep changes needed, rather than just dealing with surface-level problems. This change needs to start from within Sudan itself, with all regions and communities, including Darfur, working together to build a better future.

Speaker: Hamid E. Ali is a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI) and served as the Dean of the School of Economics, Administration, and Public Policy from 2020 to 2023. He also held a research position at the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), where he substantially contributed to several reports for US congressional committees. He has been a distinguished invitee at forums hosted by the US Institute for Peace, the US State Department, and Chatham House. Ali has teaching experience from institutions like Texas State University and Southern Methodist University. He is a member of the Task Force of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)/ IASIA and the IASIA Board of Management. He previously served as the President of the Association of Middle Eastern Public Policy and Administration. Currently, he is the Chair of the International Commission on the Accreditation of Public Administration and Training Programs (ICAPA) and is an active member of the NASPAA Diversity and Social Equality Committee. Additionally, Hamid participates in the College Board and the Public Policy Leaders’ group for the International Public Policy Association (IPPA). He published in international journals including Public Administration Review, Peace Research, Food Policy, Defence and Peace Economics

Moderator: Rogaia Abusharaf, Georgetown University in Qatar

Article written by CIRS Research Assistant, Haala Qamar (Class of ’26)

Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Assessments, Implications, Prospects - Roundtable Discussion
2024-11-21 08:00 - 17:00 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
On October 25, 2024, the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University in Qatar hosted a closed-door roundtable discussion to examine the Russian invasion of Ukraine and discuss how it has not only reshaped the geopolitical landscape in Europe but also the repercussions it has had across many regions. The event brought together experts from multiple disciplines to analyze the ongoing situation and its global implications and tried to lay the groundwork for future discussions and partnerships aimed at addressing complex geopolitical challenges. The discussion was structured around three fundamental questions: the war’s impact on Western powers (both direct and indirect), its implications for non-Western players, and the most practical endgame scenarios.

The discussion was divided into three sessions with the first session looking at the Impact of Three Years of Conflict on Key Players and Alliances. During the conversation it was highlighted that the conflict has led to a reevaluation of strategic partnerships, debunking the myth of Russia as an anti-colonialist ally. There is growing recognition of Chinese undercurrents and its gains from the situation, alongside evolving mediation efforts. Prior to 2022, mediation centered around US-EU dynamics, but the Middle Eastern nations have shown success in targeted mediation efforts post-2022. the increased threats to European security were also highlighted, with an alarming number of Europeans still conflating Ukraine with Russia. The need for clear strategic objectives was stressed, recognizing that neutrality would not resolve current challenges. Significant internal changes were observed in Russia, leading to a more consolidated regime that has become resilient against external pressures. Bureaucratic replacements have strengthened the central authority over traditional elites. Discussion included the historical trajectory of US-Ukraine relations, transitioning from minimal involvement to recognizing the conflict as a vital concern. Despite Russia’s framing of its actions as resistance to American interests, the US continues to focus strategically on its competition with China. Complexities involving territorial and security concerns complicate potential resolutions. Participants explored the roles of nuclear deterrence, sanctions, and engagement with the Global South, emphasizing varied international mediation strategies. The need to understand historical contexts in planning future security arrangements was reiterated, alongside discussions of required victory conditions and implications for global order.

The second session, Assessing the War’s Impact on Global South International Relations, addressed the perspectives from various regions, including the Middle East, Central Asia, and China. The decline of Western influence was acknowledged, with China strategically moving to fill vacuums left in global governance. It aims to cease hostilities without direct involvement, despite its EU trade relations. Central Asian countries are balancing relations while heavily dependent on Russian infrastructure, leading to an identity crisis among youth. For example, nations like Kazakhstan have expressed support for Ukraine while dealing with economic ties with Russia. Arab nations approach the conflict cautiously, weighing the risks and opportunities it presents while maintaining diplomatic relations with the US. Their responses vary across international forums, influenced by potential food security and oil trade implications. Iran’s foreign policy reflects a “look East” strategy, emphasizing strong neighborly relations and resilience against Western sanctions. Its complex relationship with Russia is economic and strategic, favoring independence in its foreign relations.

The last session, End Game Scenarios, tried to bring the conversations from the first two panels together and examine potential ways forward to end the conflict. It was discussed that the future trajectory of the war remains contingent on various factors, with both Russia and Ukraine committed to continuing the conflict. Analysts presented three main policy options for external powers: facilitate a peace settlement favoring Ukraine, achieve a cessation of hostilities, or continue supporting Ukraine indefinitely. Each choice carries significant risks, particularly regarding potential escalation or instability in Ukraine. Western powers are urged to pursue the first option, aligning closely with Ukrainian objectives while ensuring robust military and economic support. The discussion highlighted the potential for a long-term stalemate, with time not favoring Ukraine. The US’s engagement and coherence in strategy are deemed critical for Ukraine’s eventual success, with calls for a reinvigorated assessment of NATO’s posture against Russian threats. It was highligthed that the current dynamics could lead to a prolonged conflict, with Russia’s perceived victories potentially becoming a strategic liability for the West. The need for a decisive shift in international strategies toward Russia was emphasized, highlighting the crucial upcoming years in determining the global order and European security landscape.

In conclusion, these sessions collectively showcased the multifaceted nature of the conflict and its broad geopolitical ramifications, illustrating the complexities faced by global powers and regional actors involved.

Article written by Misba Bhatti, Research Analyst, CIRS

Writings from the Pitch: Qatar's Perspectives on Football, Identity, and Global Influence
2024-11-24 08:00 - 17:00 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
This panel discussion is hosted in collaboration with the Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum Library.

Moderator: Gerd Nonneman, GU-Q

Speakers:

Danyel Reiche, GU-QAisha Al-Kuwari

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America’s Game in the Middle East: The 2027 Qatar World Cup | Roundtable Meeting I
2024-12-04 08:00 - 17:00 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
On November 10 and 11, 2024, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) held the first research workshop under its research initiative, America’s Game in the Middle East: The 2027 Qatar World Cup. The purpose of the two-day meeting was to discuss and provide feedback on a collection of drafts submitted for the project. Scholars, practitioners, and experts working on the topic of basketball in the region were convened for the meeting from around the globe. The topics discussed included the development of the game in Lebanon, Turkey, and Egypt, the hosting of the 2027 men’s World Cup in Qatar, Saudi Arabia’s interest in developing the game, China’s sponsorship, the use of social media, and female basketball players, among others.

The discussion started with a look at Turkey’s long history of basketball with a focus on Karamürsel. Onur Yildirim explored the social and cultural impact of the American military presence in Karamürsel, Turkey, during the Cold War era (1950s-1970s), focusing on basketball as a medium of cultural exchange. He discussed that Karamürsel an American military airbase, the Karamürsel Airbase, established in 1957, which served as a gateway for introducing American culture to the town. Basketball emerged as a significant avenue for cultural interaction between Americans and locals, with American personnel from the base participating in the local sports club, Karamürsel Gençlik. From 1969 to 1979, American volunteers played alongside local players, helping the team win regional championships and popularizing basketball among the town’s youth. The departure of American personnel following the transfer of the base to the Turkish military led to changes in the town’s cultural landscape, but the influence of basketball and American culture persisted. Yildirim will use interviews with local and American basketball players and community members to analyze how basketball facilitated cultural exchange between the American base and the local community. The final paper will aim to explore the broader social and cultural implications of the Cold War era in Karamürsel, highlighting how activities like basketball fostered cross-cultural interaction and understanding in the context of global geopolitics.

The next session examined the historical origins and development of basketball in Lebanon. Nadim El Kak expressed that the Middle East is increasingly investing in sports, with basketball gaining prominence. Lebanon stands out as one of only six countries worldwide where basketball is arguably the most popular sport. He provided a historical timeline of basketball’s development in the country from the 1920s to the late 1990s. He highlighted that the recently established FIBA and NBA outreach programs, and international recruitment of Lebanese basketball professionals, hint at the emergence of a new golden generation. He also argued that basketball in Lebanon serves as a catalyst for cross-confessional solidarity, community building, national pride, job creation, and youth role model as well as a stage for political co-optation, sectarian tensions, exclusionary discourses, weak governance, and uncompetitive business practices. Using archival resources and original interviews, he aims to look at lessons and challenges from the Lebanese experience as the Gulf region increases its investments in basketball.

Next Can Evren argued that the recent developments in sports economics, such as Qatar hosting FIFA and FIBA World Cups and the potential EuroLeague expansion to Dubai, challenge traditional conceptual frameworks of global sports history. These developments cross established continental and regional boundaries in sports, which were formalized by world sports federations like FIFA and FIBA in the early 1960s. His work aims to reassess the sport’s history through a contractual lens, focusing on the more flexible, event-based contracts of the early postwar period. Istanbul’s basketball scene in the early postwar era serves as a case study for alternative original stories that don’t align with current continental divisions in sports. Istanbul hosted international basketball tournaments in the early 1950s, featuring teams from diverse regions. The Mediterranean Games are presented as a surviving remnant of this early trans-regional sports history. He argued that it is important to uncover these early trans-regional histories and develop new conceptual frameworks for sports historiography. This historical perspective is deemed crucial for informing public debate on current challenges in sports as commercial economies and popular cultures undergo new waves of trans-regional expansion.

Discussing Lebanese female basketball players, Assile Toufaily narrated that Lebanese basketball has become a prominent force in Middle Eastern basketball, with significant growth since Antoine Choueiri’s investment. The men’s national team has competed in multiple FIBA World Cups, and clubs like Al Riyadi and Sagesse have won multiple Asian Cup titles. The women’s national team ranks among the top ten in Asia, with some players receiving professional contracts abroad. However, female athletes in the region face numerous obstacles in pursuing professional sports careers, often leading to early retirement. She aims to provide insight into the development of women’s basketball in Lebanon and examine factors contributing to its growth. Her work will focus on how women’s basketball developed in Lebanon, what factors contributed to its rise, and the role of the American college basketball system in this development. Toufaily aims to explore the connection between Lebanese American players in the US college system and the development of the Lebanese women’s national team.

Addressing the role of social media and the rise of female basketball, Nida Ahmad added that the overall women’s participation in sports in the MENA region has grown over the last two decades. Social media has become an important tool for sportswomen in the MENA region to share their experiences and increase visibility. The growth of women’s basketball globally and the WNBA’s expansion into Toronto, Canada, illustrate the increasing popularity and globalization of women’s sports. She aims to explore the progress of women’s basketball in the MENA region by examining how women basketball players such as professional players like Soraya Mohamed, known as “Queen of the People,” are represented on social media platforms. Her research seeks to explore the intersection of social media, women’s basketball, and sports participation in the MENA region, reflecting the growing importance of both women’s sports and digital platforms in shaping athletic landscapes globally and regionally.

Shifting the focus to traditional media and the journalistic role in the coverage of sporting events, Claudia Kozman argued that there is a strong interdependence between sports organizations and media, with each reinforcing the other's popularity and profitability. She highlighted that media played six journalistic roles, including loyal-facilitator, watchdog, and infotainment in sports journalism. While historically seen as “cheerleaders,” recent research shows sports journalists also acting as watchdogs and providing infotainment. Her paper will examine the relationship between journalistic roles and sources in the coverage of Qatar’s preparations to host the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Using comparative quantitative content analysis of Qatari and international media, the study will measure the relationship between journalistic role performance and sourcing relying on a media systems approach. This work would expand understanding of journalistic cultures in sports coverage and how professional role performance in covering a major sports event varies across countries. It will also aim to provide insights into how different media outlets and cultures approach sports journalism, particularly in the context of a significant international event like the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Danyel Reiche then explored the key elements of Qatar’s investment in Monumental. In July 2023, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) became a minority investor in Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), a Washington D.C.-based sports and venue management company. QIA reportedly bought a 5% stake in MSE for approximately $200 million. This investment was made possible by an NBA rule change in late 2022 that allowed sovereign wealth funds to buy up to 20% stakes in franchises. QIA became the first national sovereign wealth fund to invest in American basketball. The investment received critical reactions in local D.C. media, with concerns raised about ethics and sportswashing. Some critics argued that Qatar’s involvement in U.S. sports could be seen as complicity in funding terrorism, given Qatar’s alleged support for Hamas. Reiche’s works aim to examine the QIA-MSE deal in the context of academic literature on sportswashing, considering perspectives from QIA, MSE, NBA, and WNBA. He will explore the motives of different stakeholders involved in this investment and relate them to theoretical discussions on sportswashing.

In the next session, Jung Woo Lee discussed how basketball is increasingly influenced by non-Western stakeholders, particularly Chinese corporations. The 2027 FIBA World Cup in Doha presents a unique situation where it provides an opportunity for FIBA’s Chinese sponsors to strengthen their presence in the Arab world. It also potentially creates a point of collision for American and Chinese geoeconomic interests in the Middle East. China’s involvement in FIBA sponsorship is seen as a political choice to diversify its public diplomacy networks and showcase its ambitions in the global sports industry. Qatar and China have existing cooperative relationships, including within the Belt and Road Initiative and financial sector collaborations. The event occurs in a context of shifting power balances in the Middle East, with the US and China competing for strategic and economic hegemony in the Arab world. Gulf states like Qatar are leveraging their position to safeguard national interests amidst this geopolitical struggle. The 2027 FIBA World Cup in Doha represents a complex interplay of diplomacy, involving the spread of an American cultural product, financed largely by Chinese capital, to a Qatari audience. Lee’s work aims to examine the nuanced sports diplomacy involving Qatar’s relationships with both China and the US in the context of this basketball tournament.

Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff discussed in the next session basketball’s role in diplomacy and global development, with a particular focus on its potential impact in the Middle East. She highlighted that basketball can be utilized as a tool for globalization and addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly at the intersection of gender, race, ethnicity, and migration. The establishment of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) is an example of basketball’s potential beyond sports. The upcoming 2027 FIBA Men’s World Cup in Qatar is a focal point for exploring basketball diplomacy in the Middle East. Using interviews with FIBA officials and members of Middle Eastern sporting and diplomatic communities, her paper, co-authored with J Simon Rofe, will highlight the sport’s global appeal and its capacity to engage with local contexts and actors, potentially offering a more authentic form of sports diplomacy compared to other initiatives in the region.

Sebastian Sons highlighted that Saudi Arabia is using sports investments as a significant part of its economic diversification strategy, which includes job creation efforts, and fostering international business and political relationships. Sports serve as a driver for economic modernization, social liberalization, and national identity construction in Saudi Arabia during this transitional period. While previous academic discussions focused on football, Formula 1, and golf, basketball has emerged as another important pillar in Saudi Arabia’s sports engagement strategy. The Saudi government is investing in domestic basketball infrastructure, training facilities, and educational programs, particularly targeting youth and female participation. Internationally, the Saudi sovereign wealth funds Public Investment Fund (PIF) is becoming a global player in sports business, with plans to enter the US market and potentially the NBA. Saudi Arabia is hosting various sports mega-events (SMEs) and may consider organizing basketball tournaments as part of its future sports policy. Sons argued that basketball serves multiple purposes for Saudi Arabia, including, national identity construction, nation branding, power consolidation, and sports diplomacy. His paper will aim to provide a comprehensive analysis of Saudi Arabia’s basketball policies and future plans, contributing to the broader discussion on the kingdom’s sports strategy.

Addressing the Jr. NBA tournament hosted in Doha, Morgan Fisher and Amy Walker highlighted that youth participation in organized sports has positive effects on physical and mental health, academic performance, and social skills. The Jr. NBA Leagues, a collaborative initiative between the NBA and WNBA, was created in 2022 to provide American youth access to basketball. In 2022, the Jr. NBA Leagues expanded to Abu Dhabi, UAE, and in April 2024, it launched in Qatar, hosted by the Qatar Foundation. Their study aims to understand the perceptions of parents and coaches as adult stakeholders in the inaugural season of the Jr. NBA League in Qatar. With a focus on how the expansion of the Jr. NBA Leagues in Qatar has influenced youth growth and development and the perceptions of adult stakeholders, the study will use snowball sampling to identify participants and employ coding and hermeneutics-based interpretation for analysis. Their work aims to fill a gap in understanding the impact of the Jr. NBA Leagues’ expansion in the Middle East, specifically in Qatar, from the perspective of adult stakeholders.

Focusing on the game’s popularity and Qatar’s potential to host the 2027 World Cup, Nadim Nassif outlined that Qatar has emerged as a global powerhouse in hosting major sports events, with its capital, Doha, consistently listed in the Ranking of Sports Cities since 2012. Following the successful organization of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Doha achieved its highest position to date, ranking 11th in 2023. This rise in prominence aligns with Qatar’s strategic objectives to strengthen its soft power, enhance foreign diplomacy, and improve national security. As part of this strategy, Qatar will become the first Arab country to host the men’s FIBA World Cup in 2027. The research aims to measure the global popularity of basketball and evaluate how hosting this event will impact Qatar’s international exposure and geopolitical positioning. To achieve this, the study will utilize the World Ranking of Countries in Elite Sport (WRCES), which assesses sports popularity through a complex methodology that considers global media presence, with consideration to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) coefficient of each country. By identifying sports featured on major websites in the respective country, and scoring their prominence, the WRCES will provide a comprehensive analysis of basketball’s global media popularity and how the upcoming World Cup could further enhance Qatar’s role in international sports diplomacy.

Craig LaMay discussed the NBA’s expanding ambitions in the Middle East, highlighting its significant potential in the region and Europe, which is estimated to be worth up to $3 billion annually. The league has established partnerships with FIBA and EuroLeague, and developed relationships with the UAE and Qatar. The NBA accounts for 91% of basketball’s global value, primarily from domestic media rights, and will see the 2027 FIBA World Championships in Qatar as a test of the region’s potential in the sport’s growth. Additionally, the NBA has a multifaceted deal with Abu Dhabi that includes pre-season games, junior leagues, and promotional events. The league has allowed investments from sovereign wealth funds, leading to the Qatar Investment Authority acquiring a stake in the Washington Wizards’ ownership group. However, challenges remain, including providing Arabic content, adapting to local time zones, developing regional gameplay, and navigating human rights concerns. LaMay’s paper aims to examine the future of professional basketball in the Middle East, considering the ambitions of the NBA and Gulf states, as well as cooperation with FIBA and EuroLeague.

The last session focused on Egypt and the development of basketball in the country. Ashraf Elmidani, Kamilla Swart and Gerard Akindes outlined that since 1974, Egypt has won thirteen out of twenty-four Arab Basketball Championship titles and secured five AfroBasket championships, also finishing second and third multiple times. As the most populous Middle Eastern nation, Egypt has been a pioneering sports country, being the first in the region to participate in major international competitions like the FIFA World Cup, Olympics, and FIBA World Championship. Egypt was instrumental in establishing FIBA Afrique (originally AFABA), playing a leading role in African sports confederations. Their work aims to explore Egypt’s basketball history through secondary data and interviews, examining its leadership in establishing continental basketball organizations, its consistent performance in regional competitions, and its position in the contemporary, globalized basketball landscape, including the emergence of the Basketball Africa League and increasing NBA influence in Africa and the Middle East.

For the roundtable agenda, click here.

For the participants’ biographies, click here.

For the research initiative, click here.

Participants and Discussants:

Nida Ahmad, Independent researcher and Consultant

Gerard A. Akindes

Zahra Babar, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar

Misba Bhatti, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar

Nadim El Kak, American University of Beirut

Ashraf ELmidani,

Can Evren, Boston University

Morgan D. Fisher, Georgetown University in Qatar

Noor Hussain, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar

Claudia Kozman, Northwestern University in Qatar

Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff, New York University

Craig LaMay, Northwestern University

Jung Woo Lee, University of Edinburgh

Nadim Nassif, Notre Dame University

Danyel Reiche, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar

Sebastian Sons, Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO)

Kamilla Swart, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Assile Toufaily, PhD candidate

Amy S. Walker, Georgetown University in Qatar

Elizabeth Wanucha, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar

Onur Yildirim, Middle East Technical University in Ankara

Article by Misba Bhatti, Research Analyst at CIRS

The State of the Game: Women's Basketball in the Middle East
2024-12-10 08:00 - 17:00 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
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 the hosting rights for the 2027 men’s FIBA Basketball World Cup.

In this panel, the speakers discussed the state of women’s basketball in the Middle East; in particular, how Lebanese women’s basketball may lean on the US college basketball system to develop, and why the Middle East is ripe for basketball diplomacy.

Speakers:Assile Toufaily is a third-year PhD student working on a thesis titled “The Socialization of Women’s Football: A Comparative Study between Lebanon and France.” Her research provides an innovative analysis of the sociocultural influences on the careers of female football players in two distinct settings—one with a professional sports infrastructure and the other where the sport remains underdeveloped.

Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff is a Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University’s Tisch Institute for Global Sport and sports diplomacy expert specializing in Franco-American relations and basketball. Author of “Basketball Empire: France and the Making of a Global NBA and WNBA” (Bloomsbury, 2023) and “The Making of Les Bleus: Sport in France, 1958-2010”, (Lexington Books, 2013), her work has appeared with TIME, CNN International, The Athletic, and The New Yorker. Director of FranceAndUS and former co-director of the “Basketball Diplomacy in Africa” project (SOAS University of London), she is a veteran of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of the Historian.

Moderator: Danyel Reiche, Visiting Research Fellow at the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) and a Visiting Associate Professor at Georgetown University Qatar

Connect and Converse with Agnès Callamard, Secretary General at Amnesty International
2025-01-22 08:00 - 17:00 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
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 dialogue about her/the organization’s work.

Biography: Dr. Agnès Callamard is Secretary General at Amnesty International. She leads the organization’s human rights work and is its chief spokesperson. She is responsible for providing overall leadership of the International Secretariat, including setting the strategic direction for the organization and managing relations with Amnesty International’s national entities. Agnès has been a prominent figure in the human rights world for decades. In 2016, she was appointed as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary killings. Along with her UN work, Agnès was also the Director of Global Freedom of Expression at Columbia University in New York. Previously, she was Executive Director of the freedom of expression organization Article 19. She returns to Amnesty after twenty years having previously held the role of Chef de Cabinet for then Secretary General Pierre Sané. As a leading advocate for freedom of expression, a feminist, and an anti-racism activist, she pushes out the frontiers of rights through her scholarship and advocacy.

Lilian Estafanous on "Copts in North America: Diaspora Politics, Generational Dynamics, and Digital Advocacy"
2025-02-04 08:00 - 17:00 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
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 her second PhD in Comparative Politics from Queen’s University in Canada in 2024. Her recent doctoral research focuses on diaspora studies, the mobilization of ethnic and religious minorities, and social movement studies. Currently, her work examines the digital mobilization of first- and second-generation Copts in North America. Lilian has received numerous academic awards and fellowships, including the Queen’s Graduate Award (QGA), Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), Graduate Dean’s Doctoral Field Travel Grant, ASMEA Research Grant, R.S. McLaughlin Fellowship, Robert Sutherland Fellowship, and Senator Frank Carrel Fellowship.

Diplomatic Roundtable
2025-03-19 15:00 - 17:00 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
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 Gaza Strip. Wilde discussed several ways in which third states can engage in joint responsibilities as a response to Israel’s violations of international law. He explained the international rights and obligations incumbent upon all states to bring Israel to account for its transgressions, stating that Israel’s presence in the OPT is, in and of itself, illegal as a violation of the international law of self-determination and the international law on the use of force. He pointed to Israel’s “existential” illegality, noting that the very existence of Israel’s presence is illegal, as well as Israel’s “conduct-based” illegality in the OPT, which includes maintaining and expanding settlements, perpetrating racial discrimination and apartheid, among other abuses, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

Wilde concluded by noting that “third states” must change their relationship to Israel through non-engagement, including no diplomatic dealings, no economic relationships or trade deals, and no engagement on any activities that entrench Israel’s presence in the OPT. States must therefore institute a complete and comprehensive embargo against Israel on all fronts, including arms, technology, finance, education, culture, and sports, among other sectors. All third states have a legal right to invoke the illegal nature of Israel’s presence, and to call upon Israel to bring it to an immediate end.

Ralph Wilde is a legal academic and also acts as counsel and advocate on international law to states, international organizations and NGOs. His academic work has covered, amongst other subjects, the extraterritorial application of human rights law, international territorial administration and the concept of trusteeship over people in international law, and international law as it relates to Palestine and the Palestinian people. In his practice, he served as Senior Counsel and Advocate of the 22 States of the Arab League in the ICJ Palestine Advisory Opinion proceedings, and the ongoing consideration of the Situation in the State of Palestine by the ICC, where he also represented the Palestine Independent Commission on Human Rights. He is also currently acting as Senior Counsel to the Gaza-based Palestine Center for Human Rights NGO, responsible for their written submission that will form part of the memorial (written submission) of South Africa in the South Africa v. Israel case concerning the Genocide Convention before the ICJ.

Khalid Albaih: Sudan in Ink: Politics, Protest, and Art
2025-04-10 17:30 - 18:30 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
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 Khalid’s political cartoons depicting international affairs was curated by GUQ students Noon Elsharif and Ayah Ahmed.

Khalid Albaih is a Sudanese independent political cartoonist renowned for his incisive human rights advocacy, shared globally under the name “Khartoon.” His cartoons have been exhibited worldwide, and his writings have appeared in major international publications. Albaih was the central figure in The Guardian’s short documentary *The Story of Civil Rights is Unfinished* (2016) and has published two influential books: Khartoon! and Sudan Retold, an art book he co-edited, featuring contributions from 31 Sudanese artists documenting Sudan’s rich history. His work extends beyond drawing, with installations like Bahar, a poignant video piece using found footage of refugees at sea; The Walls Have Ears (Documenta 15), and Shahid (Mathaf, Qatar, 2024), Season of Immigration to the North (Brescia Musei, Italy, 2024), all exploring themes of displacement and social justice. In 2024, he broadened his influence by hosting Alhasil Shino? on AJ+. Albaih is also the editor-in-chief of KhartoonMag.com, a platform for displaced Sudanese cartoonists, and creator of the award-winning Doha Fashion Fridays, which amplifies marginalized voices. Albaih remains a vital force in art activism, championing global social justice and freedom of expression.

Khalid is a participant in the CIRS Sudan Research Project.

(Re)Collecting Sudan: Art and Culture Archives Workshop I
2025-04-30 08:00 - 17:00 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
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 purpose of the two-day meeting was to discuss and provide feedback on a collection of draft proposals submitted for the project.

The discussion started with a look at “Accidental Archiving,” which was a key topic examining how Sudanese artistic practices inadvertently created valuable archives during conflict. Reem Aljeally and Katarzyna Grabska reflected on their collaborative efforts to document Sudanese art using informal digital tools like social media, workshops, and project websites. These spontaneous archives, forged out of necessity amid war, become vital repositories of memory and collective experience. The discussion emphasized challenges around archive ownership, purpose, and accessibility during crises when traditional archiving is disrupted, highlighting the profound role of improvisation in cultural preservation.

Suha Hasan’s session explored how fragmented archives sustain collective memory, despite upheaval and destruction. Focusing on archives dispersed across multiple countries near the Nile Confluence, she portrayed archives as dynamic, interlinked spaces enabling continuous reinterpretation of Sudan’s history and identity. She highlighted the archives’ non-neutrality, shaped by institutional and cultural norms, and described how seemingly small artifacts, like postcards, unlock broader narratives about Sudanese architectural heritage and debates over cultural repatriation.

Next, Eiman Hussein and Erica Carter’s project (co-authored with Talal Afifi) is a collective auto-ethnographic study of Sudanese artist Hussein Shariffe’s archives. Their research illuminates how archival encounters foster dialogue and meaning-making during cultural crises. Through recorded conversations and thematic analysis, they explored how proximity and distance influence archiving processes and storytelling. This work underscores archives as relational sites that enable collaborative worldbuilding and ethical stewardship of personal collections.

Salma Amin analyzed the evolution of Sudanese archival practices amid turmoil, focusing on the digital platform Andariya, launched in 2015, and cofounded with Omia Shawkat. Andariya serves as a crucial space for documenting and engaging with Sudanese culture online and offline, adjusting to censorship, violence, and displacement. Amin emphasized grassroots-led digital archiving as essential for preserving collective memory, while addressing challenges like data security, sustainability, and potential misrepresentation. Her insights reveal the complex interplay between technology, community effort, and archival resilience in unstable contexts.

In the next session, Larrisa-Diana Furhmann explored how Sudanese artists deploy Instagram as an active archive to preserve personal narratives and to counter state narratives. She examined the tensions between creative freedom, platform politics, censorship, and algorithmic limitations. Using visual and content analysis alongside digital ethnography and interviews, her research reveals Instagram as a site of resistance and collective memory-building under political repression. This study highlights the emerging role of social media in documenting history and fostering political participation in Sudan.

The discussion then shifted to Sudanese heritage preservation and archiving in light of institutional decline and ongoing conflict. Bentley Brown and Haneen Sidahmed focused on Sudanese heritage preservation by communities amidst institutional collapse and conflict, emphasizing oral traditions and diaspora participation. They explored “affective archiving,” where memory is tied to emotion and displacement, with diaspora communities building decentralized, DIY archives, particularly online. Their work uses interviews and video documentation to understand how Sudanese music, stories, and lived experiences create meaningful heritage. Their research underscores community agency as fundamental to cultural survival in fragmented contexts.

Next, Ahmad Sikainga examined Khartoum’s vibrant popular culture across the twentieth century, concentrating on music, dance, fashion, and sports. Utilizing colonial records, oral histories, and photographs, he analyzed how ethnicity, identity, and conflict influenced urban social life in northern Sudan. This work sheds light on the interplay between cultural expression and sociopolitical dynamics, enriching understandings of Sudan’s evolving urban identity during the colonial and post-colonial periods.

Marilyn Deegan and Wahbi Abdulrahman highlighted the Sudan Memory project’s transformative work since 2013 to digitize and safeguard endangered Sudanese cultural heritage. The initiative installed digitization equipment nationwide, including at Nile Valley University, to preserve manuscripts, photographs, films, and artifacts. Despite challenges, the project trained hundreds of people, captured around 300,000 images, and launched a robust online archive. Sudan Memory now functions as a crucial cultural lifeline, reinforcing cultural memory’s role in Sudanese national identity.

Continuing the conversation on Sudan Memory, Qutouf Elobaid and Rund Al Arabi represented the Locale collective, and shed light on a project that critically engages with the digitized archives of Sudan Memory to challenge dominant historical narratives and foreground overlooked Sudanese histories. Their project examined themes like colonial legacies, love histories, design-politics intersections, and industrial impacts. By analyzing diverse archival materials, the initiative advocates for archives as active sites of research, uncovering marginalized voices and questioning post-colonial identity constructs. Their work expands Sudanese historiography, fostering scholarly and public reinterpretations that invigorate Sudan’s cultural and historical discourse.

Ala Kheir then explored photography’s vital role in documenting Sudan’s recent social and political unrest. He traced photography’s evolution from the colonial era to digital times, emphasizing both professional and amateur photographers’ contributions to narratives of resistance. He discussed challenges such as censorship and personal risk, alongside new opportunities from citizen journalism through technology. His research combines interviews and social media analysis to highlight photography’s impact on public opinion, policy, and collective memory, advocating for building a comprehensive photographic archive to preserve Sudan’s contemporary history.

Rahiem Shadad examined Sudanese cultural policies during the 1960s and 1970s, focusing on Maslahat Althaqafa, an institution founded in 1971 to promote diverse artistic expressions beyond dominant Arab-Islamic narratives. His work assessed how Maslahat Althaqafa fostered inclusivity and shaped a broad national identity through a variety of programs. Using archival research, oral histories, and interviews, his work sheds light on this often-overlooked period of cultural policymaking, offering insights for current debates on cultural identity and policy in Sudan.

In the next session, Ruba El Malik and Reem Abbas discussed how Sudanese women have utilized fashion, poetry, and “girls’ songs” (aghani banat) to document sociopolitical events in Sudan, particularly in the face of the destruction of national archives and arts infrastructure by the Islamist regime. They outlined women’s roles as historians and archivists through their daily communications and dress, preserving cultural heritage by reflecting on social issues, personal experiences, and their position in Sudanese society. The authors highlighted Sudanese cloth (toub) from different political eras, pictures, music, and poetry to showcase how women have organically built an archive through their approach to daily life, emphasizing the resilience and dynamism of Sudanese women’s historicizing efforts.

Representing Sudan Living Heritage (SSLH) project and co-authors Zainab Gaafar and Helen Mallinson, Amna Elidrissy emphasized the interplay between traditional heritage transmission and contemporary archiving in Sudan during both peaceful and turbulent times. Highlighting projects like the Western Sudan Community Museum and the SSLH online platform, she discussed evolving museums into participatory community spaces that support continuous cultural transmission. These efforts adapt heritage preservation to transmission through modern communication technologies, ensuring cultural heritage remains a lived, evolving practice rather than a static relic, vital for resilience amid challenges like modernization and conflict.

The last session focused on the experiences of Sudanese migrant workers in Beirut, Lebanon, from the 1950s to the present. Anna Reumert looked at how these migrants have been excluded from official historical narratives despite their significant contributions to Lebanese society. Through oral histories, personal archives, and independent films, she explained how these migrants have created a parallel to Lebanese public memory, documenting Sudanese migrant lives and participating in transregional political solidarity. Her work examines the evolution of Sudanese migrant political communities, their engagement with pan-Africanist and anticolonial struggles, and the impact of Sudan’s political shifts, including the December 2018 revolution and ongoing war, on their sense of exile and prospects for return.

To view the working group agenda, click here

To read the participants’ biographies, click here

Read more about this research initiative

Participants and Discussants:

Reem Abbas, Independent Researcher

Wahbi Abdulrahman, Nile Valley University, Sudan

Ahmed Abushouk, Qatar University

Ayah Ahmed, Georgetown University in Qatar

Rund Alarabi, The Städelschule (Hochschule für Bildende Künste), Germany

Sara Al-Attiyah, Qatar Museums

Khalid Albaih, Artist in Residence, Georgetown University in Qatar

Muez Ali, Earthna: Center for a Sustainable Future at Qatar Foundation

Reem Aljeally, The Muse Multi Studios

Salma Amin, Andariya

Zahra Babar, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Misba Bhatti, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Bentley Brown, American University of Sharjah

Erica Carter, King’s College

Marilyn Deegan, King’s College

Ola Diab, 500 Words Magazine

Amna Elidrissy, Safeguarding Sudan’s Living Heritage (SSLH)

Ruba El Melik, Independent Researcher

Qutouf Elobaid, Locale

Noon Elsherif, Georgetown University in Qatar

Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt

Zainab Gaafar, Safeguarding Sudan’s Living Heritage (SSLH)

Katarzyna Grabska, University of Geneva

Suha Hasan, Mawane

Aya Hassan, Georgetown University in Qatar

Noor Hussain, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Eiman Hussein, King’s College

Lynda Iroulo, Georgetown University in Qatar

Ala Kheir, Independent Researcher

Dale Menezes,Georgetown University in Qatar

Suzi Mirgani, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Firat Oruc, Georgetown University in Qatar

Anna Simone Ruemert, The New School, US

Nadya Sbaiti, Georgetown University in Qatar

Rahiem Shadad, Downtown Gallery

Omnia Shawkat, Andariya

Haneen Sidhahmed, Sudan Tapes Archive

Ahmad Sikainga, Ohio State UniversityArticle by CIRS Research Analyst Misba Bhatti

The Evolution of Basketball in the Middle East
2025-05-29 18:00 - 19:30 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
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 of basketball starting in the early 20th century to the Middle East, making it the only American sport that successfully spread throughout the region. In this panel, we are going to discuss the history and today’s popularity of basketball across the Middle East, and American-Middle Eastern engagements in basketball such as NBA pre-season games in Abu Dhabi, Gulf sponsorships of American teams, and Middle Eastern players at U.S. college teams.

Speakers:– Danyel Reiche, Georgetown University in Qatar– Sebastian Sons, Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO)– Nadim Nassif, Notre Dame University – Louaize (NDU)– Onur Yıldırım, Middle East Technical University– Misba Bhatti, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar (Moderator)

America’s Game in the Middle East: The 2027 Qatar World Cup| Roundtable Meeting II
2025-08-05 08:00 - 17:00 | Education City, Al Luqta St, Ar-Rayyan, Doha, Qatar
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, including basketball diplomacy, the experiences of female basketball players, the influence of social media, the concept of “sportswashing,” Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy, and the evolving landscape of US college basketball and the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Onur Yildrim opened the workshop by examining the role of American military bases in Cold-War era Turkey, specifically the Karamürsel Air Base, in facilitating cultural exchange through basketball. He argued that such bases primarily served military purposes, but they also introduced American customs and goods to local communities, albeit with limited direct social interaction. Basketball, however, emerged as a significant conduit for cross-cultural engagement, particularly following the establishment of the Karamürsel Youth Sports Club in 1969. American soldiers, some of whom joined the team as licensed players, contributed to the development of local talent, and the team’s regional success sparked a newfound passion for basketball in a community previously oriented toward traditional Turkish sports. Yildrim’s analysis underscores the enduring impact of grassroots efforts in fostering genuine intercultural connections.

Nadim Nassif assessed the global popularity of basketball and evaluated how Qatar’s hosting of the 2027 FIBA World Cup could enhance the country’s international standing and geopolitical influence. Employing the World Ranking of Countries in Elite Sport (WRCES) and the World Sport Power Index (WSPI), Nassif demonstrated that basketball consistently ranks as the world’s second most popular sport after football. He argued that, although the Basketball World Cup does not match the prestige of the Olympics, hosting the event provides significant global visibility for Qatar. Nassif contended that Qatar’s strategic use of sport, particularly through hosting high-profile events, is central to its soft power ambitions, even as its national basketball team’s achievements remain limited.

Lindsay Krasnoff and J. Simon Rofe presented a paper highlighting basketball’s unique capacity to serve as a vehicle for diplomacy and social transformation in the Middle East, drawing on examples from NBA’s Basketball Africa League and other regions. They emphasized basketball’s global reach and adaptability, which allow the sport to bridge divides, foster cultural exchange, and address issues such as gender equality, migration, and integration. The authors identified four key takeaways: basketball as a means of representation and negotiation; its potential to promote gender equality; the importance of local context; and the sport’s ability to forge a global identity that transcends national boundaries. They argued that locally driven initiatives, rather than externally imposed models, are most effective in leveraging basketball for diplomatic purposes.

Ashraf ELmidani, on behalf of his coauthors Kamilla Swart and Gerard Akinde, explored Egypt’s historically prominent role in African and Middle Eastern basketball. Egypt’s legacy is marked by early institutionalization, significant achievements in regional and international competitions, and leadership within FIBA Africa. Despite recent challenges related to infrastructure, funding, and competitiveness, Egypt continues to demonstrate resilience through club development, regional diplomacy, and international collaborations, including partnerships with the NBA. The study also highlighted Egypt’s commitment to youth, women, and para-sports, as well as its regional support for Palestine, while noting persistent systemic obstacles to reclaiming the country’s former dominance in the sport.

Misba Bhatti presented Nida Ahmed’s research on how women basketball players from the SWANA (South West Asia and North Africa) region utilize Instagram to navigate cultural expectations and challenge stereotypes. Through digital ethnography of athletes from Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye, Ahmed introduced the concept of the “athletic labour of SWANA femininity,” illustrating how these athletes balance athleticism with culturally specific expressions of femininity while resisting Western media’s sexualization of women athletes. Social media emerges as a platform for empowerment and visibility, countering dominant narratives and highlighting the agency of non-Western sportswomen.

Assile Toufaily examined the development of women’s basketball in Lebanon and the critical influence of the US collegiate system. Her research demonstrated that Lebanese athletes with US college experience significantly contribute to the sport’s growth in Lebanon, despite persistent social, cultural, and economic barriers. Toufaily underscored the importance of social media for scouting and recruiting, the impact of the Lebanese diaspora, and the need for greater institutional support to advance women’s sports development in the country.

Jung-Woo Lee analyzed the diplomatic implications of Qatar hosting the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup within the broader context of US-China-Qatar relations. He argued that Qatar’s investment in global sports aligns with the country’s economic diversification and image enhancement strategies, as articulated in the Qatar National Vision 2030. The World Cup is positioned as a platform for both American cultural diplomacy and Chinese economic engagement, reflecting the complexities of contemporary geopolitical rivalries.

Claudia Kozman investigated Qatari and international media coverage of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup, focusing on journalistic roles and sourcing practices. Her findings indicate that sources―primarily athletes, coaches, and politicians―significantly shape journalistic approaches, with Qatari media tending toward infotainment and loyal-facilitator roles, while international outlets often adopt more critical or watchdog stances. The research highlights the hybrid and culturally contingent nature of sports journalism in the region.

Danyel Reiche reviewed the academic literature on sportswashing, noting its association with soft power and information manipulation, but argued that not all foreign sports investments constitute sportswashing. He examined the Qatar Investment Authority’s 2023 acquisition of a stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, emphasizing that the move was primarily a business decision aimed at revenue diversification, rather than an attempt at narrative control or prestige enhancement.

Sebastian Sons explored Saudi Arabia’s evolving engagement with basketball as part of its broader sports diplomacy and economic diversification strategy under the country’s Vision 2030. While football, motorsports, and tennis have received greater attention, basketball is gaining prominence through increased infrastructure, youth training, and female participation, as well as the hosting of major events such as the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup. Sons argued that basketball advances Saudi objectives in nation branding, identity construction, and international leverage, though its potential remains underutilized compared to other sports.

Craig LaMay concluded the workshop by discussing the NBA’s near-monopoly on global basketball broadcasting revenues and its aggressive expansion into Europe and the Middle East in pursuit of new talent, fans, and revenue streams. The NBA’s evolving media strategy, including a landmark partnership with Amazon, reflects its efforts to reduce reliance on regional broadcasters and tap into underserved markets. LaMay also noted the potential for Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, to emerge as competitors through the potential creation of a global basketball super league, signaling a new era of alliances and rivalries among the NBA, FIBA, Euroleague, and Gulf investors.

For the roundtable agenda, click here.

For the participants’ biographies, click here.

For the research initiative, click here.

Participants and Discussants:

Zahra Babar, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar

Misba Bhatti, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar

Ashraf ELmidani,

Noor Hussain, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar

Claudia Kozman, Northwestern University in Qatar

Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff, New York University

Craig LaMay, Northwestern University

Jung Woo Lee, University of Edinburgh

Nadim Nassif, Notre Dame University

Danyel Reiche, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar

J Simon Rofe, University of Leeds

Sebastian Sons, Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO)

Assile Toufaily, PhD candidate

Onur Yildirim, Middle East Technical University in Ankara

Article by Misba Bhatti, Research Analyst at CIRS

CIRS Open House
2025-09-01 13:00 - 14:30
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 to presentations by Misba Bhatti, Research Analyst at CIRS, and Noor Hussain, Research Program Specialist at CIRS, alongside valuable contributions from Professor Firat Oruc and GU-Q’s Author in Residence, Kamila Shamsie.

In the presentation, Misba outlined the Center’s work in academic research, policy analysis, and its broader thematic clusters. She emphasized the ways in which CIRS organizes its projects under sustained themes, drawing attention not only to long-standing clusters such as regional and environmental studies, but also to new areas of inquiry including race and society, as well as the Center’s growing engagement with the Hiwaraat conference series, an initiative of the Dean’s Office that is closely connected to CIRS’s intellectual mission. She further highlighted the Center’s extensive publications program. Aside from the web-based projects that feature interactive content, CIRS has produced over forty academic publications since 2005, many of which are available in the GU-Q Library and bookstore, with additional titles freely downloadable from the CIRS website.

Noor then expanded on the CURA program, which remains one of the ways for undergraduate students to connect directly with the Center’s work. The CURA program revolves around three interlinked components: student research presentations, research skills workshops, and the Beyond the Headlines series. In research presentations, students are invited to present findings their research findings ranging from honors thesis to class papers to the GU-Q community. These sessions, held as open lunch talks, provide a valuable opportunity for students to practice the art of presenting complex research clearly and concisely, while learning to respond to questions and critique in a professional and intellectually engaged setting.

The CURA workshops introduce students to the craft of research itself, giving them hands-on experience with foundational skills that can be applied across disciplines. Noor drew attention to the upcoming workshop led by Khalid Albaih, GU-Q’s Artist in Residence, on making political art across mediums. This workshop, at once artistic and political, reflects CIRS’s ongoing commitment to expand the boundaries of how research and public engagement are conceived, understood, and practiced on campus.

Misba Bhatti spoke about the Beyond the Headlines series, which provides students with a space to examine current events in greater depth. Panels bring together GU-Q faculty and students to interrogate the historical and cultural contexts behind the news, encouraging dialogue that goes beyond immediate coverage. In these conversations, students consider pressing global issues alongside GU-Q faculty, interrogating the historical context, the silences, and the wider implications that lie beneath the surface of headlines. Students are invited to propose topics and join discussions. Professor Firat Oruc, who moderates the series, also spoke at the open house. He emphasized how Beyond the Headlines offers students a platform to connect their perspectives with faculty expertise and to situate global events within broader intellectual debates.

Professor Oruc also introduced the upcoming Hiwaraat conference, Seeing Sudan: Politics through Art, organized by CIRS. He stressed how the Center is cultivating critical spaces where conflict, displacement, and questions of politics can be interrogated not only through the lens of international relations, but through the textures of culture, art, and literature. He noted how art and cultural production often provide unique avenues to understand the lived experiences of war and authoritarianism, and why they remain central to grasping Sudan’s present and imagining its possible futures. This point was echoed by Kamila Shamsie, GU-Q’s distinguished Author in Residence, who reflected on how poets and writers have historically been among the first voices silenced in times of repression. She drew from her own experiences and authorship and highlighted how listening to artists and poets offers a raw and urgent interpretation of political crises that cannot be captured by official discourse alone.

The event concluded with an open reception, during which students and faculty continued their conversations with CIRS staff, asked questions about the CURA program, and explored concrete ways to become involved in the work of the Center.

Article by Maryam Daud, CIRS Administrative Coordinator

CURA Research Workshop: From Idea to Impact: Making Political Art Across Mediums
2025-09-11 12:30 - 15:00
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 a political idea to creating a focused visual study rooted in drawing and interpretation.

Where do political artworks come from, and where can they go? In this interactive workshop, Khalid Albaih guided students through the creative process of transforming political ideas into visual expression. The session began by exploring the origins of political art and how it often emerges from personal experience, social memory, or the emotional weight of a headline or online post. Through discussion and hands on exercises, participants reflected on issues that resonated with them and developed those ideas into drawings and visual interpretations.

Using simple multimedia materials, students experimented with symbolism, visual metaphors, and narrative framing to communicate their perspectives. The workshop encouraged participants to think critically about how political art functions as both commentary and resistance, and how a single image can invite reflection, dialogue, or change. By the end, many participants had produced captioned cartoon studies, poster style compositions, and small panel sequences that translated reflection into clear visual messages.

About the Artist

Khalid AlbaihArtist-in-Residence

Khalid Albaih is a Sudanese independent political cartoonist renowned for his incisive human rights advocacy, shared globally under the name Khartoon. His cartoons have been exhibited worldwide, and his writings have appeared in major international publications. Albaih was the central figure in The Guardian’s short documentary The Story of Civil Rights is Unfinished (2016) and has published two influential books: Khartoon! and Sudan Retold, an art book he co-edited featuring contributions from 31 Sudanese artists documenting Sudan’s rich history.

His work extends beyond drawing, with installations such as Bahar — a poignant video piece using found footage of refugees at sea — The Walls Have Ears (Documenta 15), Shahid (Mathaf, Qatar, 2024), and Season of Immigration to the North (Brescia Musei, Italy, 2024), all exploring themes of displacement and social justice. In 2024, he broadened his influence by hosting Alhasil Shino? on AJ+. Albaih is also the editor-in-chief of KhartoonMag.com, a platform for displaced Sudanese cartoonists, and creator of the award-winning @DohaFashionFridays, which amplifies marginalized voices. Through his work, Albaih remains a vital force in art activism, championing global social justice and freedom of expression.

Sudan: Past Lives/New Stories
2025-09-17 12:30 - 13:00
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 shared desire to unify a scattered archival diaspora, the works presented here reflect the living nature of archives—not as static records, but as continuous expressions of culture, memory, and identity. This exhibition is just a fragment of a much larger, collective archive—one that holds the layered past, contested present, and imagined futures of Sudan. Through art, we breathe new life into old stories, reasserting ownership over our histories and forging new pathways forward.

The exhibition reflects on how Sudan’s past continues to shape its present. Historical images are placed alongside contemporary works to surface voices that have often been overlooked. Trade beads that once moved along regional and transcontinental routes appear here as objects of identity and ceremony. Hebron glass beads, Venetian millefiori, and Bohemian glass are shown for their craft and for the meanings they gathered in Sudanese life, including protection, social status, and memory.

A selection of traditional jewelry reveals how aesthetics, belief, and community practice come together. Viewers will find pendants inspired by palm frond boxes associated with blessing and protection, drum shaped ornaments marked with a five pointed star, and a coin based necklace that recalls the long circulation of British gold coins in Sudanese adornment. The display also introduces the shawshaw hairpin, crafted in silver or gold with a ring, bead, red thread, and delicate chains. It has been worn in late pregnancy within protective rituals and speaks to women’s roles in carrying heritage forward. Collectively, these objects illustrate how Sudanese makers transformed materials into symbols that hold memory, faith, and social meaning.

Archival photographs and contemporary images deepen this story. Early twentieth century pictures, often produced through foreign lenses, sit in dialogue with work by Sudanese photographers who document everyday gatherings, streets, and moments of political change. The result is a layered view of Sudan that centers community knowledge, artistic practice, and cultural resilience.

Memories of a Changing Sudan

Curated by Ala KheirGU-Q Brown Wall Photography Exhibition

Complementing the library exhibition, Memories of a Changing Sudan presents an evocative collection of photographs by Sudanese artists. On view on the GU-Q Brown Wall until October 6, 2025, the exhibit features intimate portraits, street scenes, and revolutionary moments that capture the pulse of Sudanese life, from everyday gatherings to the historic sit-in of 2019.

Sudan has long been photographed through outsider perspectives, often shaped by colonial curiosity or distance. Over the past two decades, however, a generation of self-taught Sudanese photographers has reframed this narrative, documenting their communities with empathy, immediacy, and authenticity. Their work forms a living archive, a collective act of witnessing that preserves the spirit of Sudan through its people, homes, and histories.

Article by Maryam Daud, CIRS Administrative Coordinator

Sudanese Culinary Anthropology by Omer Al Tijani
2025-09-17 13:00 - 14:00
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 on its role in sustaining communities, narrating histories, and everyday practices that carry the memory forward. He is also the author of the The Sudanese Kitchen book and “Humble Salt: Archiving the Sudanese Kitchen,” essay which appeared in After Memory: Essays on the Sudanese Archive.

Hiwaraat | Seeing Sudan: Politics Through Art
2025-09-18 18:00 - 2025-09-20 18:00
In Sudan, a war too often ignored has torn apart lives, crippled institutions, and forced more than thirteen million people from their homes. A humanitarian crisis ravages the present and threatens both past and future, jeopardizing a rich cultural legacy. SEEING SUDAN: POLITICS THROUGH ART will convene a historic gathering of academics, artists, and activists to examine the relationship between sociopolitical dynamics and cultural production. This conference, the tenth installment of Georgetown University in Qatar’s acclaimed Hiwaraat series, will generate critical insights into Sudanese creativity and resilience in the face of violence and displacement.

Location: Four Seasons Hotel, Doha

about the conference

Sudan Retold Exhibition & Book Launch
2025-09-19 19:00 - 20:00
As part of GU-Q’s Seeing Sudan: Politics Through Art Hiwaraat Conference, CIRS inaugurated the second edition of Sudan Retold exhibition and book launch on September 19, 2025, in partnership with Almas Art Foundation and Alhosh Gallery. Curated and edited by Suzi Mirgani, Khalid Albaih, Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann and Rahiem Shaddad, the project explores Sudanese intellectual achievement and cultural wealth, bringing Sudanese artistic endeavors into conversation with space, memory, and community. It explores how artistic and cultural production offer new ways of understanding Sudan, challenging dominant narratives and creating space for alternative stories.

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(Re)Collecting Sudan: Art and Culture Archives Workshop II
2025-09-21 09:00 - 17:00
On September 21, 2025, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) hosted its second workshop for the “(Re)Collecting Sudan: Art and Culture Archives” research initiative. ​This workshop served as a platform for project contributors to engage in detailed discussions and receive constructive feedback on their submitted papers.

To ensure a thorough review process and provide robust feedback for all submissions, the workshop was organized into five thematically focused sessions. These sessions included Historical Archives, Digital Archives, Art Archives, Lyrical Archives, and Archives of Exile. This strategic segmentation allowed for in-depth engagement with each paper, ensuring that discussions were contextualized within their specific scholarly domains and fostering specialized insights.

The “Historical Archives” section initiated the discussions, featuring two prominent papers. Eiman Hussein, Talal Afifi, and Erica Carter’s paper “Experiencing Hussein Shariffe: Encounters with the Archives—A Collective Auto-Ethnography,” offered a unique, shared exploration of historical interactions. This was followed by Ahmad Sikainga’s “The Archives of Leisure and Popular Culture in Colonial and Post-Colonial Khartoum,” which meticulously examined the cultural nuances preserved within these historical records.

Transitioning to contemporary approaches, the “Digital Archives” session showcased three insightful papers. Amna Elidrissy, Zainab Gaafar, and Helen Mallinson co-authored “Live Museums: An Ecosystem for Safeguarding Heritage,” highlighting innovative digital platforms for cultural preservation. Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann and Aya Hassan then explored modern archiving in “Instagram as Archive: Sudanese Artists and Political Memory,” demonstrating the role of social media in capturing historical narratives. The session concluded with Marilyn Deegan, Wahbi Abdalfattah Abdalrahman, and Locale’s “Sudan Memory: Building and Narrating the Digital Archive,” detailing efforts in constructing comprehensive digital repositories.

Further expanding the scope, the “Art Archives” session addressed the intersection of art and historical documentation through two compelling papers. Reem Aljeally and Katarzyna Grabska’s “Accidental Archiving? Questioning Curation and Research as Forms of Archiving in the Midst of Political Violence and War in Sudan” critically examined spontaneous archiving practices during conflict. Rahiem Shadad then presented “What Can We Learn from Sudan’s Collective Image-Making History?” emphasizing the value of visual cultural heritage.

The “Lyrical Archives” session highlighted the power of oral and poetic traditions, featuring Qutouf Elobaid’s “Songs of the Barracks: Sudanese Poetic Archives of the 2018 December Revolution,” and Ruba El Melik and Reem Abbas’s “Women Archiving Sudan: How Women Use Fashion, Songs, and Poetry to Preserve History,” both illustrating the profound role of lyrical expression in documenting historical events.

The workshop concluded with the “Archives of Exile” session, which explored the preservation of cultural memory in diaspora. Bentley Brown’s paper, “Despite the Distance Between Us: Attempts to Preserve Cultural Memory through Filmmaking-in-Exile,” showcased cinematic endeavors to bridge geographical divides. Finally, Anna Reumert’s “An Archive of Exile: Sudanese Migrant Labor and Political Solidarity in Lebanon” shed light on the archival significance of migrant experiences and collective action.

The final revised drafts will be collected by CIRS with an aim of publishing either an edited volume or a special issue of a journal in the future.

To view the working group agenda, click here

Read more about this research initiative

Participants and Discussants:

Wahbi Abdulrahman, Nile Valley University, Sudan

Rund Alarabi, The Städelschule (Hochschule für Bildende Künste), Germany

Muez Ali, Earthna: Center for a Sustainable Future at Qatar Foundation

Reem Aljeally, The Muse Multi Studios

Zahra Babar, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Misba Bhatti, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Bentley Brown, American University of Sharjah

Erica Carter, King’s College

Marilyn Deegan, King’s College

Amna Elidrissy, Safeguarding Sudan’s Living Heritage (SSLH)

Ruba El Melik, Independent Researcher

Qutouf Elobaid, Locale

Nafisa Eltahir, Locale

Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt

Katarzyna Grabska, University of Geneva

Suha Hasan, Mawane

Aya Hassan, Georgetown University in Qatar

Noor Hussain, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Eiman Hussein, King’s College

Ala Kheir, Independent Researcher

Helen Mallinson, Safeguarding Sudan’s Living Heritage (SSLH)

Suzi Mirgani, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Anna Simone Ruemert, The New School, US

Rahiem Shadad, Downtown Gallery

Aala Sharfi, Locale

Omnia Shawkat, Andariya

Haneen Sidhahmed, Sudan Tapes Archive

Ahmad Sikainga, Ohio State University

Sabreen Taha, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Article by CIRS Research Analyst Misba Bhatti

Book Talk: Remittance as Belonging
2025-10-21 18:00 - 19:00
The Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) hosted a thought-provoking book talk with Professor Hasan Mahmud, author of Remittance as Belonging: Global Migration, Transnationalism, and the Quest for Home (Rutgers University Press). Moderated by Zahra Babar and Professor Amanda Garrett, the conversation delved into the moral, social, and emotional dimensions of remittances, reimagining them as acts of care, obligation, and identity that link migrants to their homes across borders. Drawing from ethnographic research with Bangladeshi migrants in Los Angeles and Tokyo, Professor Mahmud explored how remittance practices challenge conventional understandings of integration, citizenship, and belonging, revealing the deeply human stories behind economic exchange and migration.

Opening remarks introduced the book’s core proposition: remittances are not simply economic transfers. Rather, they are social acts grounded in obligation, care, and identity. The event also formed part of a broader CIRS research initiative on migration from the Global South. Drawing on three and a half years of ethnographic fieldwork with Bangladeshi migrants in Los Angeles and Tokyo, Professor Mahmud advanced a multidimensional conception of “home” as locational, relational, and aspirational. He showed how migrants enacted belonging across borders through financial support, investments, and gifts, and he challenged economic models that reduced remittances to altruism versus self interest. Instead, he located remitting in enduring social relationships and cultural expectations that shaped who sent money, to whom, and why.

Professor Mahmud contrasted incorporation contexts. In Japan, restrictive legal pathways and persistent social exclusion encouraged migrants to imagine their stays as temporary; remittances there tended to be frequent and oriented toward return, including investments in land and housing. In the United States, even with opportunities for settlement, citizenship, and family reunification, migrants continued to remit, although motives shifted over time: early transfers sustained relatives, later transfers helped restore status through property investments, and established professionals often turned to philanthropic giving in home communities. Across both sites, Bangladesh remained an anchor of belonging.

Audience questions highlighted the emotional labor that underwrote remittances on both sides of the border, including gendered obligations and intra family negotiations. Participants also raised the phenomenon of reverse remittances, when families in Bangladesh temporarily supported migrants during periods of precarity abroad. These dynamics complicated policy narratives that instrumentalized remittances as development finance and underscored the limitations of treating money in motion as a simple economic variable.

Article by Maryam Daud, Administrative Assistant at CIRS.

Speakers:

Hasan Mahmud is assistant professor in residence at Northwestern University in Qatar. He has a PhD in sociology from the University of California Los Angeles, an MA in global studies from Sophia University in Tokyo, and an MSS and a BSS in sociology from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh. He was a visiting faculty member in the Department of Sociology at Ball State University prior to coming to NU-Q. His teaching and research interests include sociological theories, globalization, international migration and development, identity politics, and global ethnography. His research has appeared in such publications as Current Sociology, Migration & Development, Contemporary Justice Review, and Journal of Socio-economic Research and Development.

Amanda Garrett is Assistant Professor of Comparative and International Politics at Georgetown University in Qatar. Her research focuses on migration and ethnic diversity in advanced democracies, including immigration and integration, ethnic violence, minority political incorporation, and Islam in Western societies. Her current book project, developed from her Harvard PhD dissertation When Cities Fight Back, examines when religious or ethnic minorities use violence as political expression in France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. She has held appointments at Harvard University, New York University, Sciences Po, and the German Bundestag, and received the 2014 APSA Ernst B. Haas Best Dissertation Award.

Zahra Babar is the Executive Director at CIRS at Georgetown University in Qatar. Previously, she has served with the International Labor Organization and the United Nations Development Program. Her current research interests include rural development, migration and labor policies, and citizenship in the Persian Gulf states.

CURA Research Presentations
2025-10-27 13:00 - 14:00
“The Anticipation Gap: South Asian Students in Georgia and the Intersecting Burdens of Discrimination and Aspiration” and “Echoes of Martial Law: Memory, Politics, and the Marcos Restoration in the Philippines”

On October 27, 2025, two student researchers who received Georgetown University in Qatar research grants presented their research findings and methodologies as part of CURA Research Presentation series.

Haala Qamar, a senior majoring in International Economics with a minor in Arabic and a Student Research Assistant at CIRS, presented her research titled The Anticipation Gap: South Asian Students in Georgia & the Intersecting Burdens of Discrimination & Aspiration. Haala examined how South Asian international students in Georgia balanced high educational aspirations with perceived and experienced discrimination. Using a mixed method design, she discussed how anticipation of bias informed academic choices, employment expectations, and coping strategies. She highlighted both emotional and structural dimensions of the anticipation gap and showed how discrimination, whether real or expected, intersected with ambition, identity, and belonging.

Jazmaine Simbulan, an International Politics major with an independent minor in Environmental Humanities and a Research Assistant for both CIRS and the Energy Humanities Department, presented her research titled Echoes of Martial Law: Memory, Politics, and the Marcos Restoration in the Philippines. Simbulan investigated narratives that invoked memory of the Martial Law period and the Marcos regime and explained how those narratives enabled political legitimacy and the subsequent restoration of the Marcos family in government. She situated contemporary discourse within practices of remembrance and forgetting and analyzed how memory shaped national narratives and political outcomes. Through observational analysis Jazmaine noted how museums in Ilocos Norte and Manilla have been sites of sites of political power and historical revisionism. She also reflected on the methodological challenges of working with politicized memory and fragmented archives in the context of state surveillance and authoritarian control in the Philippines.

The session concluded with questions from students, faculty, and staff that focused on research design, ethical considerations, and future directions.

Article by Maryam Daud, CIRS Admin Assistant

Sudan in the Picture: Research on Sudanese Cinema Workshop I
2025-10-30 08:00 - 2025-11-01 17:00
From October 30 to November 1, 2025, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at Georgetown University in Qatar (GUQ) hosted a workshop under its research initiative, Sudan in the Picture: Research on Sudanese Cinema. The gathering brought together a diverse group of scholars, academics, artists, filmmakers, and practitioners from across the globe to deliberate on the historical trajectory of Sudanese cinema, as well as emerging cinematic trends amidst the ongoing conflict.

The workshop commenced with a discussion led by Khalid Ali, titled “The Wedding of Zein: A Case Study for Remembering the Past, Informing the Present, and Shaping the Future of Sudanese Cinema.” He explored the collaborative effort between Sudanese author Tayeb Salih and Kuwaiti filmmaker Khalid Al Siddiq in adapting “The Wedding of Zein” into a 1976 film. He underscored this as a groundbreaking Arab-African artistic partnership, fusing literature and cinema to portray Sudan’s multi-ethnic cultural heritage. The film centers on Zein’s wedding as a micro-narrative reflecting Sudanese village life, illustrating the transformations and complexities following Sudan’s 1956 independence, and engaging with themes such as postcolonial evolution, feminism, religion, and cultural diversity. Despite its critical acclaim and international recognition, the film’s external directorship sparked debates regarding cultural authenticity; nevertheless, it remains significant for its role in globally promoting Sudanese culture. His paper aims to connect this film to contemporary Sudanese cinematic works, emphasizing ongoing efforts to restore and analyze its legacy, and advocating for cinema as a catalyst for cultural dialogue and peaceful coexistence in modern Sudan.

Samar Abdelrahman then presented “Repairing the Audiovisual Archive: Hussein Shariffe,” which is rooted in a multidisciplinary project. This initiative focuses on developing practice-based approaches to African audiovisual heritage restitution through transnational collaborations among partners from Sudan, Egypt, Germany, and the UK. She highlighted the severe threats confronting Africa’s cinematic heritage due to historical, political, and infrastructural challenges, particularly in Sudan. She posited a redefinition of restitution as “archival repair,” characterizing it as a participatory, justice-oriented process that prioritizes preservation, creative access, and the empowerment of affected communities over the mere repatriation of physical artifacts. Utilizing the Hussein Shariffe archive as a central case study, her work seeks to demonstrate how archival survival is intricately linked to issues of displacement, diasporic memory, and intergenerational cultural transmission. The project challenges conventional models of restitution, instead advocating for innovative forms of access, engagement, and collaboration that address current crises while fostering opportunities for Sudanese cinema’s creative future and intergenerational dialogue.

Following this, Abdelrahman Elbashir presented “Sudanese Cinema: A Retrospective Archaeology,” which investigates Sudanese cinema as a crucial cultural and urban phenomenon that shaped social life and collective identity throughout the 20th century. He emphasized cinema theaters as distinctive architectural forms and civic spaces, integral to Sudan’s urban fabric and modernist aspirations, particularly through open-air, climate-adapted designs. His work documents the decline of this cinematic culture due to political instability, censorship, and neglect, leaving behind deteriorating theaters and fragmented archives that serve as potent cultural artifacts. Methodologically framed as retrospective archaeology, the paper incorporates photographic surveys, spatial analyses, and a 3D digital reconstruction of a pivotal theater to reinterpret these remnants. He underscored the imperative for preserving and critically analyzing cinema heritage within Sudan’s broader cultural history and urbanism, also stressing the leveraging of this heritage in post-conflict urban restoration, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on cinema as urban infrastructure, architecture as cultural memory, and the potential role of cultural preservation in rebuilding Sudanese society.

Frédérique Cifuentes presented “Cinema in Sudan and Its Legacy,” a multimedia project exploring Sudan’s cinematic history through outdoor cinema houses, pioneering filmmakers like Gadalla Gubara, and the Sudanese Film Group. Her work, originating from photographic research of Khartoum’s cinema architecture, aims to preserve this distinctive cultural heritage. The presentation delved into the colonial origins of photography and cinema in Sudan, highlighting their role in documenting and shaping national identity, and underscoring the fragility of these historical archives. She detailed Gubara’s impactful career, from photographer to a pivotal figure in Sudanese cinema, whose work transitioned from government roles to independent productions.

Hatim Eujayl then discussed “The Mother, The Farmer, and the Sheikh: Cinematic Portrayals of Rural Central Sudan,” which analyzes how four films—The Tomb (1977), You Will Die at Twenty (2019), Al-Sit (2020), and Cotton Queen (2025)—depict life in agricultural villages along the Blue Nile. The paper aims to explore how these films utilize cinematic techniques to construct ideas of regional and national identity through portrayals of gender, religion, economy, and tradition. Eujayl argued that rural central Sudan is frequently presented as the archetype of Sudanese authenticity, simultaneously idyllic and patriarchal, where young protagonists challenge entrenched social norms. By examining production contexts, filmmaker perspectives, and ideological messaging, he seeks to uncover how depictions of this region reflect broader political and cultural narratives. Ultimately, the work aims to establish a framework for analyzing regional representation in Sudanese cinema, advancing understanding beyond national generalizations toward nuanced regional study.

Danya Elmalik explored “Sudanese Cinema and the Archive of Tomorrow,” which investigated the fragile relationship between Sudanese cinema and archival preservation, focusing on the erasure, loss, and revival of Sudan’s film heritage. Utilizing Suhaib Gasmelbari’s Talking About Trees (2019) and Sudan’s Forgotten Films (2017) as case studies, the paper aims to examine how films themselves become archives in the absence of formal preservation systems. Drawing on theories such as Schwartz and Cook’s concept of “archives and power” and Marie-Aude Fouéré’s idea of “film as archive,” she contended that Sudanese films now function as cultural records and memory keepers amidst political and economic instability. The paper will highlight the importance of access and digitization, referencing Caroline Frick’s notion of “access as preservation,” to counteract the marginalization of Sudanese history. Ultimately, she frames this work as part of a broader endeavor to safeguard and reimagine Sudan’s cinematic and cultural memory—the “archive of tomorrow.”

Umloda Ibrahim’s presentation, “Return of Sudanese Cinema and its Aesthetics of Resistance,” traced the historical evolution and political dimensions of Sudanese filmmaking, from its colonial introduction to its post-independence growth, decline, and present-day revival. She elucidated how contemporary Sudanese and diasporic filmmakers express resistance and identity through cinema. Analyzing Our Beloved Sudan (2012), Al-Sit (2020), and You Will Die at Twenty (2019), she argued that diasporic filmmakers employ the concept of “homeplace” as a radical political space, shaped by displacement, exile, and hybrid identity. Drawing on Hamid Naficy’s theory of “accented cinema” and bell hooks’ idea of the home as a site of resistance, the paper aims to explore how gender, colonialism, and cultural memory intersect within Sudanese cinematic narratives.

Mamoun Eltlib subsequently traced the rise and decline of Sudanese cinema with his presentation, “Sudanese Cinema: Intersections of Politics and the Dream of the City.” Using personal interviews and historical research, he explained how political events such as socialist-nationalist shifts, Sharia law enforcement, and suppression under the National Islamic Front, profoundly shaped film culture and institutions in Sudan. His work will illustrate the distinct histories of El-Obeid and Atbara, highlighting the cultural vibrancy and civic role of their cinemas before state interventions and censorship began eroding the industry in the 1970s. Interviewees identified the nationalization of film distribution as the onset of cinema’s collapse, exacerbated by a lack of institutional support and creative freedom. The enduring appeal of Indian popular films offered solace to marginalized groups as local production diminished. The paper will consider how the Sudanese “Dream of the City”—reflected in the symbolic place of cinema—can only be fully realized in a true democracy and remains central to Sudan’s collective aspirations for cultural renewal.

In a subsequent session, Raga Makawi and Abubakr Omer analyzed Sudanese image-making in film with their presentation, “Literal Death or Symbolism, the Liberalization of Political Meaning-Making in Sudanese Films.” They highlighted the historically obscure and politically charged nature of Sudanese cinema, examining the sociopolitical context of the 1970s when cultural productivity was dominated by poetry and music, with film largely absent as a medium for reflecting Sudanese history and future. Since the political opening following the 2005 Peace Agreement, Sudanese filmmaking has expanded, particularly in Khartoum, primarily fueled by donor-funded projects aligned with liberal narratives focusing on conflict and resistance. Using the 2019 film You Will Die at 20 as a case study, they scrutinized the tension between local meaning-making and international reception, suggesting that Sudanese filmmakers adapt narratives to conform to dominant global liberal discourses, often resulting in simplified or orientalized interpretations. The paper proposes the development of oral mapping tools to recover richer local epistemologies in Sudanese cinema, aiming to balance external influences with authentic cultural expression and political storytelling. The research is scheduled to proceed through workshops, literature reviews, and data collection through early 2026.

Roman Deckert investigated Sudanese cinema from the perspective of German-language sources with “Sudanese Cinema Behind the German Language Barrier,” which highlighted Germany’s historically significant yet often overlooked role in Sudanese cultural relations. His work aims to overcome the “German language barrier” by systematically researching archival materials in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland pertaining to Sudanese cinema, including Cold War-era cultural exchanges between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) that involved Sudan. Key foci include the biography of Mahjub bin Adam Mohamed, an early Sudanese actor in German films, and the influence of controversial figures such as Leni Riefenstahl on Sudanese film. The paper will also explore German contributions, such as the establishment of television in Sudan and film education. Additionally, it will review private archives and rarely seen film footage, revealing complex layers of Sudanese cinematic history connected to German-speaking countries.

Sarra Idris’s presentation, “Double Vision: From Imperial Gaze to Intimate Knowing in Sudanese Cinema,” explored how Sudan’s cinematic representation has evolved from colonial distortion to self-authored storytelling. She traced early depictions, such as Khartoum (1966), which glorified British imperialism while dehumanizing Sudanese characters through caricature and erasure. Even later humanitarian films like The Good Lie (2014) perpetuated the “white savior” trope, centering Western emotional narratives. In contrast, contemporary Sudanese filmmakers reclaim their image, crafting works rooted in memory, resistance, and authenticity despite censorship and resource constraints. Framed through W.E.B. Du Bois’s concept of “double consciousness,” she introduced “double vision”—the tension between Western portrayals and her own lived knowledge as a Sudanese raised partly in the West. Her paper aims to bridge academic analysis and personal reflection, interrogating how film shapes cultural self-perception and exploring cinema as both a site of historical trauma and reclamation.

Roopa Gogineni’s session, “Politics of Collective Filmmaking and Distribution in Sudan,” explored how Sudanese filmmakers utilize collective labor and mutual aid (nafeer) to produce and distribute films amidst censorship, displacement, and war. Drawing on her experience as a documentary filmmaker and coordinator of a mobile cinema network, she employed practice-based research combining oral histories, film analysis, and field observation. She highlighted grassroots initiatives, such as the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement’s mobile cinema club, which screens films for large refugee audiences and fosters collaborative production. These community-driven practices transform filmmaking into a political and pedagogical act, creating shared spaces for dialogue and cultural resistance. By comparing Sudanese collectives with similar movements in Nigeria, Syria, Brazil, and India, she situated them within global traditions of Third Cinema and activist filmmaking. Her work aims to reframe cinema as a collective infrastructure for social movements, emphasizing collaboration, mobility, and cultural self-determination beyond state and market control.

In the subsequent session, Leena Habiballa discussed “Gendered Representations in Sudanese Cinema,” examining how portrayals of gender and the subaltern in Sudanese films from the 1970s to the present mirror the nation’s shifting social and political realities. Early cinema, exemplified by Gadalla Gubara’s Tajouje (1977), reinforced patriarchal ideals of stoic masculinity. In contrast, recent films such as You Will Die at Twenty (2019) and Goodbye Julia (2023) challenge these norms by presenting emotionally complex male characters grappling with social change and instability. The rise of women filmmakers, notably Marwa Zein with Khartoum Offside (2019), has further transformed representation, foregrounding agency, solidarity, and resistance by subaltern groups against patriarchal and state oppression. She argued that these evolving depictions signify a critical reimagining of gender and the subaltern in Sudanese cinema, where the voices of these groups increasingly shape national narratives and redefine cultural understandings of identity, power, and belonging.

Next, Taghreed Elsanhouri presented “Our Beloved Sudan: Reflexive Ethnographic Enquiry on the Filming of Sudan’s Partition.” She addressed her ethnographically inspired approach to documenting Sudan’s partition through her film Our Beloved Sudan. The project explores how the 2011 South Sudanese self-determination referendum redefined conceptualizations of Sudan as a nation, intertwining public and private narratives by engaging political figures and an ordinary mixed-race family experiencing national division. She emphasized a dialogic process, treating filmic inquiry as an ethnographic encounter, examining how Sudanese people articulate nationhood, memory, and identity at a historical crossroads. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from Edward Said and Bakhtin, she investigated how different voices, both dominant and marginalized, participate in constructing or challenging national identity, emphasizing situated, often contradictory, perspectives.

Mohanad Hashim explored the historical and contemporary challenges facing Sudanese cinema with his presentation, “The Quest for a Sudanese Cinema.” He highlighted the scarcity of archives and resources, exacerbated by the impact of the 2023 war. Historically, Sudanese cinema experienced brief state support in the 1970s and a recent resurgence led by young diaspora and local artists. Early film culture, dating back to 1911 with screenings in El-Obied and flourishing in Khartoum and Omdurman by the 1940s, featured cinema as both entertainment and a political instrument, notably during World War II when colonial authorities used film for mobilization. He stressed the dearth of research on Sudanese audiences, their viewing habits, taste formation, and socio-political influences. He proposes to investigate cinema appreciation and consumption through archival newspapers, magazines, and other sources, aiming to understand how Sudanese cinephiles navigated scarcity, class divides, urban politics, and national identity formation amidst structural challenges to the cinema industry.

Razan Idris presented “Sudanese Filmmakers and Egyptian Audiences: From Decolonization to Displacement,” which examined the often-overlooked history of Sudanese filmmakers working in Egypt throughout the 20th century and their representation of Sudanese identities to Egyptian audiences. She revealed that the well-known Sudanese filmmaker Saeed Hamed directed the 1998 Egyptian film An Upper Egyptian in the American University, which contains anti-Black stereotypes criticized across the Arab world. Her work seeks to uncover how Sudanese filmmakers, many of whom studied or lived in Egypt, have navigated racial, cultural, and political dynamics in their films, both during Sudan’s national struggles and periods of exile. The paper will highlight Sudanese cinema’s diasporic nature, where displaced filmmakers produce work in Egypt, engaging with themes of identity, displacement, and representation amidst political turmoil. The aim is to excavate lost films and histories, questioning how Sudanese cinema abroad has shaped perceptions of Sudanese identity and how this legacy can inform future filmmaking practices within and beyond Sudan.In the final session, Mai Abusalih examined “Khartoum (2025): The City as the Sixth Protagonist,” portraying it as both a documentary portrait of five residents and an exploration of the city as a “sixth protagonist,” shaping their experiences amidst political upheaval. Filmed between the 2019 revolution and the 2021 military coup, the work documents Khartoum’s transition toward intensified militarization and the disruptions that preceded the 2023 war. Through street-level perspectives, the film employs walking as a narrative method to reveal how spatial hierarchies, planning politics, and everyday urban informalities structure life in the capital. Juxtapositions between marginalized peripheries such as Jabarona, an area historically housing displaced communities, and central protest sites highlight the city’s entrenched social inequalities and contested notions of citizenship. Constraints imposed by surveillance and censorship shaped the film’s iPhone-based production, underscoring the tension between public space and state control. She will utilize interviews, mapping, and comparative cinematic analysis to interrogate representation, agency, and the right to the city.

To view the working group agenda, click here

To read the participants’ biographies, click here

Read more about this research initiative

Participants and Discussants:

Samar Abdel-Rahman, University of Liverpool

Bayan Abubakr, PhD candidate,Yale University

Mai Abusalih, Dcomomo Sudan | Modern Sudan Collective

Khalid Ali, Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Zahra Babar, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Misba Bhatti, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Khalid Albaih, Artist in Residence, Georgetown University in Qatar

Frédérique Cifuentes-Morgan

Maryam Daud, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Roman Deckert, Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT)

Danya Elmalik

Abdelrahman Elbashir,

Taghreed Elsanhouri,

Mamoun Eltlib

Hatim Eujayl

Roopa Gogineni

Leena Habiballa

Mohanad Hashim, BBC

Noor Hussain, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Razan Idris, University of Pennsylvania

Sarra Idris

Umloda Ibrahim

Raga Makawi, London School of Economics and Political Science

Suzi Mirgani, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Abubakr Omer

Sabreen Taha, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Article by Misba Bhatti, Research Analyst, CIRS

Launch Event: Migrant Stories from Qatar
2025-11-10 13:00 - 14:00
Join us for the launch of the Migrant Stories from Qatar project website!

This project brings together oral histories from migrant workers across Qatar, offering rare insight into their lived experiences and contributions to the country’s social and economic fabric. The six principal investigators will reflect on the research process, its findings, and the broader significance of archiving migrant voices in Qatar, an endeavor that seeks to reframe narratives of labor, belonging, and memory in the Gulf.

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On November 10, the Center for International and Regional Studies held the official launch of the Migrant Stories in Qatar project website, a digital platform dedicated to preserving and sharing the lived experiences of migrant workers in Qatar. Conceived as a long–term public resource, the project curates oral histories, testimonials, and personal narratives that illuminate the social worlds, aspirations, and challenges of the migrant communities whose labor has shaped the contemporary Gulf. It seeks to democratize knowledge production by placing migrant workers not merely as subjects of study, but as active contributors and curators of their own histories.

Zahra Babar, the project emerged from intimate exchanges with migrants and from frustration with how their voices are routinely mediated, silenced, or reduced to anonymous data points. The website functions as a counter archive that democratizes knowledge production by coproducing narratives with migrant workers themselves and making these stories accessible to migrants, their families, and wider publics.

Speakers at the launch highlighted the project’s methodological, ethical, and political stakes. Trish Kahle and Nadya Sbaiti situated the archive within broader efforts to document global south histories at a time when formal state archives remain inaccessible, arguing that migrant narratives reveal migrants not as marginal to the Gulf, but as central to its social and economic order.

Noha Aboueldahab drew attention to the global significance of these testimonies, observing that themes of law, its absence, and its uneven application recur across the interviews. She argued that oral histories offer multiple truths that complicate existing legal narratives and have important implications for fields such as international law and transitional justice. Integrating such testimonies into legal analysis, she suggested, could transform understandings of rights, accountability, and lived experience.

The project also involves extensive technical and linguistic labor. Suzi Migani, responsible for recording and editing the English–language podcasts, spoke about the logistical challenges of conducting interviews and the delicate process of editing without inadvertently shaping the narrative. She explained that the platform provides two versions of each interview: a full recording with only identifying details removed, and a shorter public podcast episode of approximately fifteen minutes. Misba Bhatti, who leads editing in hindustaani, described the complexity of translation and the responsibility to convey meaning and emotion with accuracy and integrity.

Together, these interventions articulate Migrant Stories in Qatar as both an archive and a collaborative intellectual project that reclaims authorship for migrant workers in and beyond Qatar.

CIRS Lunch Talk: Masterclass with Professor Arjun Appadurai on "Global Cultural Flows"
2025-11-11 13:00 - 14:00
In the 1990’s, the world began to see a massive growth in transnational traffic in images, ideologies and commodities, a process which popularized the term globalization. Today, almost four decades later, the world order is multipolar, highly unstable and full of obstacles to free cultural flows. How can we interpret these changes?

Hosted by CIRS, in collaboration with the Indian Ocean Studies Working Group, this masterclass brings together scholars and students for an engaging discussion on the dynamics of globalization and cultural movement. Renowned anthropologist Arjun Appadurai will reflect on how people, objects, and ideas circulate across borders, and how imagination, media, and markets shape these flows. Drawing on his influential works Modernity at Large, The Social Life of Things, Fear of Small Numbers, and Banking on Words Professor Appadurai will offer a framework for understanding disjuncture, modernity and power in the present moment.

Laboring to Keep the Dead Alive: Commemoration and Social Reproduction in the Kurdish Movement
2025-11-13 13:00 - 14:00
Speaker: Marlene Schäfers, Associate Professor, Department of Cultural Anthropology, Utrecht University

On November 13, CIRS hosted a lunch talk in collaboration with the Critical Security Studies Hub at the Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South at Northwestern University, titled “Labouring to Keep the Dead Alive: Commemoration and Social Reproduction in the Kurdish Movement.”

In this talk, Dr Marlene Schäfers explored how the Kurdish movement understands and mobilizes martyrdom as a form of labour that sustains the community. Drawing on examples of funerals, memorial ceremonies, social media tributes, and the production of “martyr albums,” she showed that these practices constitute a vital mode of reproductive labour, one that preserves continuity and identity when biological kinship cannot be relied upon.

What emerged clearly is that these acts of remembrance are not peripheral or decorative. They are central to how the movement reproduces itself. In contexts where traditional forms of kinship or biological reproduction cannot be relied upon, especially in guerrilla camps marked by precarity and constant threat, memory becomes a primary means of sustaining life. The speaker drew attention to the idea that narration itself becomes a reproductive act. Each story, each obituary, each ceremony extends the presence of the dead into the lives of the living. Through this narrative labour, the community cultivates what one might call descendants or extended selves, people whose identities form through their attachment to martyrs and to the struggle they represent.

A striking quote from the presentation captured this ethos: “We have learned that there are other ways of multiplying.” In other words, the reproduction of the community does not depend on producing biological offspring. Instead, it comes from producing affective ties, political commitment, and a shared sense of continuity. As one Kurdish interlocutor explained, “If you go to Kurdistan, to Rojava, and ask who Martyr Zîlan is, everyone will tell you. In this way martyrdom becomes a means of reproducing the existence of the people, and of the person herself.” Martyrs do not disappear; their memory generates new forms of political life.

The presentation also highlighted how internationalist volunteers in Rojava engage with this culture of martyrdom. For many of them, the emotional and ethical demands of this form of commemoration require a departure from liberal Western assumptions that individual life is the highest good. Instead, they are encouraged to adopt a long-term, historical view: to understand their lives as part of a continuum that includes those who fought before them and those who will continue the struggle after. This shift in orientation is both necessary and unsettling. It asks individuals to situate their grief within a broader collective horizon.

This does not mean that death becomes easy. On the contrary, participants repeatedly acknowledged that death remains bitter. One writer described rebelling against each new announcement of martyrdom, asking, “Why is there death? Are we condemned to lose our beautiful friends forever?” Even language seems insufficient. “No single word does justice to them,” another wrote. The task of writing about the dead becomes a dilemma: if one writes, the attempt feels inadequate; if one does not write, the memory risks disappearing. This tension is precisely what pushes many to take up the pen again, despite what they describe as their own lack of skill. Writing becomes a moral responsibility.

Ultimately, the speaker argued that martyrdom in the Kurdish movement is not only a political symbol. It is a mechanism of social reproduction, a way of keeping the community alive under conditions of war, displacement, and uncertainty.

Article by Maryam Daud, Administrative Assistant at CIRS

Marlene Schäfers is associate professor at the Department of Cultural Anthropology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Her research focuses on the impact of state violence on intimate and gendered lives, voice and memory, and the politics of death and the afterlife. She specializes in the anthropology of the Kurdish regions and modern Turkey. Her first monograph, Voices that Matter: Kurdish Women at the Limits of Representation in Contemporary Turkey, was published with the University of Chicago Press in 2023 and awarded the annual Book Prize of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association in 2024.

Migration Studies from the Global South: Rethinking Theory and Method Workshop
2026-01-11 08:00 - 17:00
On November 16 and 17, 2025, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at Georgetown University in Qatar (GUQ) held a brainstorming session under its research initiative Migration Studies from the Global South: Rethinking Theory and Method. This inaugural meeting brought together scholars and practitioners of migration from the Global South to explore key themes and suggest future research directions. The main themes that emerged from collective sessions and focus groups emphasized a shift towards decolonized, context-specific, and migrant-centric approaches. Throughout the discussions, participants consistently highlighted the need to move beyond Eurocentric perspectives and established categories in migration studies.

The discussion began with a focus on “State Formation, Sovereignty, and Borders.” This session explored how state formation, sovereignty, and borders influence migration patterns. Participants examined why people undertake irregular migration, how migrants cope with challenges, and the role of solidarity and agency in navigating policy obstacles and structural inequalities. The session reimagined sovereignty as a shared concept, questioning its traditional definition, and explored a decolonial perspective on borders, including pre-state migrant political communities. Notably, the focus shifted from receiving states to origin states in migration integration, analyzing sending states’ motivations and migrants’ responses. Discussions covered the Kafala system, theories of the state from the Global South, and challenges to sovereignty through social and cultural dynamics. The session also addressed gender and borders, development finance through diaspora capital, and the complexities of regular and irregular mobilities. Participants emphasized understanding migrant operations at a micro-level, utilizing digitalization, and critically assessing knowledge production in migration studies.

The second session, “Decolonization, Race, and Nationalism,” investigated power modalities, resistance forms, and research methods in migration. The session examined how race and categories shape belonging and wider power structures. The discussion emphasized ‘de-exceptionalizing’ the Gulf region and examined the continuity of colonial power structures through a postcolonial lens on migration. Anti-trafficking policies were scrutinized for blurring consent, differentiating inadequately between trafficking and smuggling, and failing to account for migrants’ coping strategies with coercion. The session stressed the need for decolonizing research through alternative methods and indigenous knowledge while addressing structural inequalities and the power of negotiation. Participants emphasized that decolonization, race, and nationalism carry different meanings across contexts, highlighting the need for both intellectual and institutional decolonization. The definition of the Global South and its role as the “majority world” were also discussed, alongside global mobility, passports, and using social media to amplify migrant voices.

In the next session, “The Problem of Migration Categories,” participants critically analyzed the impact of migration categories, advocating for new vocabularies and a “demigration” of migration studies. The unit of analysis was questioned, and regional variations in existing categories were highlighted, particularly challenging the legal versus illegal distinction as unconventional. A core focus was the need for “categories from below,” advocating for local, indigenous classifications that reflect migrants’ lived experiences and agency rather than state-imposed definitions. The group critiqued white versus non-white binaries and the homogenization of categories for specific jobs. Participants also differentiated between categorization and classification, emphasizing the unstable and evolving nature of these categories and the importance of understanding their contextual meanings.

In the “Identity, Belonging, and Citizenship” session, the discussion explored how racial capitalism constructs identities, often deeming people as “surplus” and producing “hyper mobile citizens.” Participants examined race, class, and identity as intertwined characteristics of citizenship while acknowledging the complex self-identification of people on the move. The discussion included carceral migration, detailing detention tactics and prison-industrial complexes that limit movement. Participants stressed rethinking the citizenship-belonging nexus, questioning traditional notions of loyalty and civic attachment, and contrasting the perceived value of a “strong passport” with actual belonging. Migrant identity mobility, including migrant capital and onward migration, was also analyzed. The session differentiated between “desirable” and “surplus” migrants, critiqued homogeneous categories, and sought new language beyond “blue collar” terms to define migrants. Participants also addressed how migration impacts family structures, called for a post-nationalist liberal theory of citizenship, viewed remittances as a form of belonging, and highlighted the role of networks in providing safety and security.

In the session “Labor, Capitalism, and Political Economy of Migration,” participants examined theories of migration states in the Global South, including nationalization, neoliberal, and developmental approaches, and their impact on sending countries’ economies, with particular attention to the gendered dimensions of remittances. The discussion highlighted the need for better theories on return migration, focusing on reintegration and communication with policymakers. Destination imaginaries were explored, including the evolving perception of the West as a dream destination, transient migration, and alternative routes. Remittances were critically analyzed as both a politically engineered necessity that can create dependency but also as a resource with social, human, and political value. The session also addressed tracking money flows, including reverse remittances and debt circulation, and the challenges of measuring remittances, their household impacts, taxation effects, and diverse uses.

In the next session, “Unpacking Migration and Development,” participants examined the often assumed link between migration and development, labeling it Eurocentric and non-causal. They highlighted the need to rethink this nexus through social transformation and human capabilities while exploring informal economies and their bi-directional impacts. The session sought a Global South epistemology for migration and development, focusing on social processes and knowledge production. Participants highlighted remittances as crucial, often exceeding foreign direct investments, and discussed diaspora contributions to national development through various forms. Climate migration was introduced as a new development issue, linking climate change, security, and human movement. The session questioned restrictions on free movement and promoted using regional knowledge for solutions. Participants critiqued “white saviorism” in migration development and emphasized the practical application of lived experiences. The discussion aimed for a ground-up vision of development, advocating for alternative lexicons and challenging the argument that development reduces migration.

For the session focused on “Gendered Experiences of Migration and Mobility,” participants highlighted the lack of gender-focused policies and data, which renders female migration largely invisible. They emphasized reclaiming human trafficking as a gendered issue vital for migration studies and advocated for research beyond traditional family units. The session highlighted how reintegration often neglects female returnees’ vulnerabilities, urging policies tailored to their specific needs. Participants critiqued governance’s legal focus for overlooking the care economy and transnational care networks, challenging the assumption of women as domestic caregivers regardless of professional background. Data indicate that women send remittances more frequently and in larger amounts than men, often also serving as primary recipients in origin countries and efficiently managing household finances. However, methodological gaps persist, with insufficient data disaggregated by gender and age. The discussion also addressed phenomena such as “self-deportation” triggered by policy changes, gender disparities in digital platforms, and the role of social media in increasing visibility. Migration was considered both a form of protection from and a context for violence. The session highlighted female migrants’ life cycles, the rise of mail-order brides, and the effects of male return on women’s empowerment. It further emphasized the importance of pre- and post-departure orientation and the need to recognize diverse family structures, including single mothers.

In the last session, “Conflict and Climate Mobilities,” participants highlighted the need for community-centric solutions in conflict and climate induced mobilities while addressing citizenship and belonging during displacement. The discussion examined the 1951 Convention’s relevance, advocating for refugees’ self-definition and re-evaluating classification systems. Localized knowledge is crucial for climate mobilities, with participants acknowledging that displacement often stems from both climate change and conflict. The session highlighted trapped populations, such as those with disabilities, who cannot relocate. Participants emphasized communal efforts, in preparing for and reacting to climate events. The health consequences of climate change were also explored, stressing sending states’ and embassies’ roles in awareness and preparedness.

The discussions from this workshop will inform a series of CIRS-led projects, fostering studies and publications on migration that advance innovative theoretical and empirical approaches in and of the Global South.

To view the working group agenda, click here

To read the participants’ biographies, click here

Participants and Discussants:

Rogaia Mustafa Abusharaf, Georgetown University in Qatar

Idil Akinci, University of Edinburgh

Haya Al Noaimi, Northwestern University in Qatar

Hessa Alnuaimi, University of Sharjah

Zahra Babar, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Misba Bhatti, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Maryam Daud, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Denisse Delgado Vázquez, Georgetown University

Priya Deshingkar, University of Sussex

Bina Fernandez, University of Melbourne

Amanda Garrett, Georgetown University in Qatar

Noor Hussain, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Neelima Jeychandran, Virginia Commonwealth University, Qatar

Syed Taha Kaleem, PhD candidate at Brandeis University

Leander Kandilige, University of Ghana

Anju Mary, New York University Abu Dhabi

Themrise Khan, Independent Researcher

Hasan Mahmud, Northwestern University in Qatar

Suzi Mirgani, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Laila Omar, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies

Linda Adhiambo Oucho, African Migration and Development Policy Centre (AMADPOC)

Rhacel Salazar Parreñas, Princeton University

Zarqa Parvez, Georgetown University in Qatar

Md Mizanur Rahman, Qatar University

Dina Taha, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies

Sabreen Taha, CIRS, Georgetown University in Qatar

Brenda S.A. Yeoh, National University of Singapore (NUS)

Meron Zeleke, University in Ethiopia

Article by Misba Bhatti, Research Analyst at CIRS

Africana Studies Across Regions: In Conversation with Dr. Su’ad Abdul Khabeer and Professor Akintunde Akinade
2026-01-22 13:00 - 14:00
In Conversation with Dr. Su’ad Abdul Khabeer and Professor Akintunde Akinade

What does Africana Studies look like depending on where it is practiced? This lunch talk brings scholars into conversation on how institutional location, disciplinary training, and regional context shape the questions, methods, and stakes of Africana Studies. The discussion considers the relationship between scholarship and community, and how recognition, accountability, and relevance vary across contexts.

On January 22nd, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) hosted Dr. Su’ad Abdul Khabeer, a scholar of anthropology and Africana Studies at the University of Michigan, in conversation with Professor Akintunde Akinade, Professor of Theology at Georgetown University in Qatar. The dialogue explored the intersections of theology, Africana Studies, pedagogy, and resistance within increasingly hostile academic environments. The conversation began with both scholars reflecting on their experiences teaching liberation theology and Africana Studies, with Professor Akinade sharing that after nearly 30 years of teaching, he remains passionate about doing “theology for the people” and moving students beyond Eurocentric frameworks to engage with theologies from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. He described teaching a course on liberation theologies at GU-Q and noted that students are responsive and engaged, coming to class ready to move beyond dogma and think critically.

The discussion outlined the challenges of teaching in the current political climate, particularly around issues of white supremacy and institutional resistance. Professor Akinade shared a powerful teaching moment from his recent class where he defined white supremacy as sin, explaining that from a theological perspective, sin is separation—separation between humanity and divinity, but in the context of white supremacy, it manifests as separation between people through hierarchies that deny our shared humanity. Dr. Abdul Khabeer added Islamic theological perspectives on this, citing scholars like Sherman Jackson who frames white supremacy as shirk, the association of partners with God that destabilizes the fundamental Islamic principle of tawhid, the oneness of God. She also mentioned feminist Islamic theologian Amina Wadud who makes similar arguments about patriarchy usurping divine authority. Both scholars emphasized that these theological framings ground their resistance to oppression in core spiritual principles.

The conversation addressed how space and place shape what can be taught and said. Professor Akinade contrasted his experience teaching in Doha, where he feels freedom to speak openly, with his previous position in High Point, North Carolina, where students were more resistant to revolutionary content. Dr. Abdul Khabeer spoke candidly about the contemporary reality of teaching in the United States, including students recording classes to try to “catch” professors saying something controversial, the need to have attorneys on standby, meticulous documentation of all interactions, and the recent elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion programming at the University of Michigan where she teaches. Despite these hostile conditions, both scholars emphasized the absolute necessity of continuing the work.

A significant portion of the discussion focused on teaching the humanity of Black people and moving beyond caricatures and stereotypes. Professor Akinade grounded this in the theological concept that everyone is created in the image of God, making every person precious and important with a divine spark. Dr. Abdul Khabeer described teaching a hip-hop course where she uses albums like Biggie Smalls’ “Ready to Die” to help students understand Black humanity in three dimensions rather than one-dimensional caricatures. She explained that by analyzing songs like “Suicidal Thoughts” and Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me,” students learn to understand the socioeconomic contexts shaping people’s lives, recognize the community and relationships that exist, and see the solidarity and care present even in difficult circumstances. The goal is to move students beyond seeing Black people as hypersexual and hyperviolent stereotypes to understanding the fuller context of lived experiences, mental health struggles, and community support systems.

Both scholars emphasized the importance of embodiment and experience as forms of knowledge, challenging the Enlightenment paradigm’s overemphasis on reason alone. Dr. Abdul Khabeer, who is also a dancer trained in Katherine Dunham’s dance anthropology technique, explained how everyday life, how one dresses, moves through space, and physically exists, is deeply tied to history and politics. She shared an example of applying to Vassar College and discovering that the staircases were built for “women’s gaits” but her feet were too large for them, teaching her viscerally about who institutions are designed for and who they exclude. Professor Akinade connected this to his theological work, arguing that experience—particularly the experience of those raised in villages, those who have suffered, those marginalized—must be used to redefine orthodoxy and challenge monolithic paradigms. He referenced James Cone’s declaration that “God is Black” not as a statement about skin color but as an ontological connection with suffering, as Cornel West says, letting suffering speak.

The conversation highlighted the expansiveness that Africana Studies offers as an epistemology. Dr. Abdul Khabeer explained that unlike the traditional Euro-American tradition that says “you do it this way or that way and that’s it,” Africana Studies provides more options, more possibilities, and therefore more solutions. She attributed this expansiveness to the fact that Black people, particularly descendants of enslaved people, are “miracles walking” because they were not meant to survive but did survive through imagination and refusing to accept oppressive narratives as truth. This survival through creativity and alternative ways of knowing gives Africana Studies its power to envision futures and discover opportunities that dominant frameworks foreclose.

Professor Akinade challenged who gets to define rigorous scholarship, questioning why work not done at elite Western institutions like Rome, Columbia, or Yale is deemed less rigorous. He invoked Steve Biko’s book title “I Write What I Like” to assert his own approach: “I write what I like, I teach what I like, and I’m accountable, accountable to my people.” Both scholars emphasized that scholarship cannot be abstract but must be connected to life, must be life-giving, must help things grow. They discussed the danger of “dead scholarship” that exists only in ivory towers disconnected from the communities it purports to study, though Dr. Abdul Khabeer nuanced this by noting that death itself is a portal to other things in many traditions, so perhaps the better term is scholarship that is not life-giving, that doesn’t allow things to grow and flourish.

Article by Maryam Daud, Administrative Assistant at CIRS and Honore Mugiraneza, CIRS Publications Assistant

Cotton Queen | Film Screening and Panel Discussion
2026-01-26 18:30 - 21:00
Join us for the screening of Cotton Queen, register below!

Register Here

Cotton Queen is a 2025 internationally co-produced drama written and directed by Suzi Mirgani in her feature directorial debut. Set in a cotton-farming village in Sudan, the film follows Nafisa, a young woman raised on her grandmother’s stories of resistance against British colonial rule. When a businessman arrives with a development scheme centered on genetically engineered cotton, Nafisa finds herself at the heart of a quiet but fierce power struggle that exposes the entanglements of land, memory, gender, and exploitation.

The film had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2025 and has since received wide international acclaim, including the Golden Alexander Award for Best Feature Film at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. With a haunting score by Amine Bouhafa and striking cinematography by Frida Marzouk, Cotton Queen is a powerful meditation on resistance, inheritance, and the cost of so-called progress.
