• John Esposito on What a Billion Muslims Really Think

    World-renowned scholar and prolific author John L. Esposito spoke to an audience of nearly 400 guests on February 17, 2008 at the Diplomatic Club in Doha. In his remarks, the Georgetown University…

  • Ed Husain on the Jihadist Movement

    On March 4, 2008, Ed Husain visited SFS-Q to meet with Georgetown University students and to engage with them in an informal group discussion. Husain was in Qatar as a…

  • CIRS Hosts Conference on “Innovation in Islam”

    On April 5–6, 2008, the Center for International and Regional Studies hosted the "Innovation in Islam" Conference. Innovation in Islam explored topics such as the idea and reality of innovation in Islam; development of knowledge in early Islam; development and change in the Islamic legal system; the arts and artistic innovation in Islam; science and scientific innovation…

  • Documentary Film – Promises

    As part of its ongoing outreach efforts, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) hosted B.Z. Goldberg and Justine Shapiro, creators of the multiple award-winning documentary film Promises, and invited them to take part in public screenings of the film. Promises is a documentary film that follows the stories of seven children from opposite sides of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The film was a nominee in the category of “Best Feature Documentary” at the 74th Annual Academy Awards.Goldberg and Shapiro were invited to come to the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar campus, where they were welcomed by CIRS staff and where they conducted an informal workshop with SFS-Qatar students and faculty.On April 14th, 2008, CIRS organized two different screenings of Promises in one day in order to accommodate public demand and interest in the documentary. The first screening at the auditorium in the College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNA-Q) was the matinee and aimed at local Qatari and international high-school students, who attended the screening accompanied by their chaperones. The matinee was attended by 150 students from the American School of Doha and from Amna Bint Wahab School for Girls. The evening event, also held at the CNA-Q auditorium, was dedicated to the members of the general public and began with a reception for the attendees before the screening of the film. Both Goldberg and Shapiro were in attendance and took the stage after the screening of the film, in order to answer audience questions. 

  • Victoria Pedrick on Myths of Desecration in Nature

    Victoria Pedrick, Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Classics at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar), wrapped up CIRS events for the academic year 2007-2008, with a lecture entitled “A Hunger for Trees: Myths of Desecration in Nature.” The lecture was addressed to an intimate audience of 40 people made up of students, Qatar…

  • John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt on the Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy

    On June 17, 2008, The Center for International and Regional Studies hosted a lecture by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt as part of its Distinguished Lecture Series. The lecture, attended by a capacity audience of nearly 500, was based on Mearsheimer and Walt’s recent book, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.  Mearsheimer and Walt stressed…

  • International Relations of the Gulf Working Group I

    On June 18 and 19, 2008, CIRS hosted a working group to discuss various aspects of the "International Relations of the Gulf." This initial round of talks consisted of preliminary thoughts on chosen topics and brainstorming sessions to critically assess the project’s focus, parameters of analysis, and main thesis. A second working group meeting took place in January 2009. The…