• CIRS Research Roundtable

    In order to enhance local research productivity, and build upon its established collegial ‎relationships with other research entities in Qatar, CIRS hosted a "Research Roundtable" on November 17, 2013. During this one-day event, academics, policy analysts, and representatives of research institutions and think tanks discussed their respective research initiatives and activities in an attempt to identify research…

  • The State and Innovation in the Gulf Working Group I

    On December 8–9, 2013, CIRS held a working group to launch the State and Innovation in the Gulf Research Initiative. Regional and international scholars and experts from various multi-disciplinary backgrounds convened to discuss issues related to the pursuit of a knowledge-based economy (KBE) throughout various states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Within the last decade, members of…

  • Zahra Babar on Arab Migrants in Qatar

    Zahra Babar, Associate Director for Research at CIRS, delivered a CIRSMonthly Dialogue ‎lecture titled “Working for the Neighbors: Arab Migrants in Qatar” on December 11, 2013. Babar ‎proposed to examine some of the trends in Qatar’s dramatic population increase over the past ‎few decades, paying particular attention to the demographic patterns of non-GCC Arab migrant ‎populations. “The…

  • Social Currents in the Maghreb Working Group I

    On January 7-8, 2014, CIRS held its inaugural Social Currents in the Maghreb Working Group in Washington D.C. While much of the mainstream media and recent scholarship on the Maghreb has focused on the political and security dimensions of the region, participants gathered over two days to discuss the social changes and fluxes in contemporary Morocco, Libya, Tunisia,…

  • Sustainable Development for ‎Economies and Corporations

    R. Seetharaman, Group Chief Executive Officer of Doha Bank‎, delivered the first ‎CIRS ‎Monthly ‎Dialogue of 2014 with a lecture on “Sustainable Development for ‎Economies ‎and ‎Corporations”‎ ‎on January 20, 2014‎. Drawing on his experience as the head of a major ‎financial institution, he explained how, as a result of the global financial crisis, ‎economic ‎systems…

  • The Paradox of Renewable Energy in Qatar

    Omran Al-Kuwari, co-founder and CEO of GreenGulf, delivered a CIRS Focused Discussion lecture on “The Paradox of Renewable Energy in Qatar” on February 12, 2014. The talk was centered on the drivers of investing in renewable energy in the context of Qatar, and how these have been radically transformed over recent years. The Gulf is seen as a single…

  • Transitional Justice in the Middle East – Working Group I

    On February 15-16, 2014, Regional and international experts gathered for the inaugural meeting of the CIRS "Transitional Justice in the Middle East" research initiative. While much of the scholarship on transitional justice has been conducted in other regions of the globe, recent political transitions in the region have invigorated studies on the manifestation and application of transitional justice…

  • Why did the Arab Spring miss the Maghreb?

    Matt Buehler, the 2013-2014 Postdoctoral Fellow at CIRS, delivered aMonthly Dialogue lecture on“Why did the Arab Spring miss the Maghreb? Continuity through Co-optation in Morocco and Mauritania,” on February 17, 2014. The talk summarized the results of in-depth fieldwork undertaken in Morocco and Mauritania, where Buehler conducted over 100 interviews with politicians and policymakers. The central question…

  • Arab Migrant Communities in the GCC Working Group II

    On March 15, 16 2014, The final working group of CIRS’ research project Arab Migrant Communities in the GCC was held in Doha. Grant recipients of this research grant cycle gathered with an additional cohort of migration experts and scholars to discuss their research findings and to solicit feedback on their draft paper submissions. The topics investigated ranged…

  • Gas and Alternative Fuels: Present and Future Shares and Challenges

    Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli is the Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF). A career diplomat, Dr. Adeli has served as Iran’s ambassador to Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. His previous positions also include Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic and Energy Affairs, and Advisor to President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Upon retiring from the diplomatic corps, he founded the Ravand Institute for Economic and International Studies, which is today one of Iran’s premier research and consulting firms. Dr. Adeli holds two PhD degrees, one in business administration and the other in economics. 

  • Prehistoric Myths in Modern Political Philosophy

    CIRS supported the publication of Karl Widerquist and Grant S.McCall’s book Prehistoric Myths in Modern Political Philosophy (Oxford University Press/Edinburgh University Press, 2017).

  • The Evolution of Gulf Global Cities Working Group II

    On April 12-13, 2014, CIRS held the final Working Group of "The Evolution of Gulf Global Cities" research initiative. Academics from various disciplinary backgrounds as well as architects, urban planners and designers gathered for the second meeting to discuss their research findings and papers around the theme of Gulf cities. The topics discussed ranged in their geographic…