MENA Think Tank Roundtable: Improving Relevance and Impact at a Time of Mounting Global Uncertainty

On February 4-5, 2023, CIRS hosted a roundtable discussion for a group of think tank representatives that operate in and produce policy research on the Middle East and North Africa region. Over the course of two days, representatives around the table discussed challenges, opportunities and possible areas for collaboration as a way forward. The roundtable…

Mapping the Mongol Steppe: Indigenous Cartography and Statecraft in 19th Century Qing China

Speaker: Anne-Sophie Pratte, Georgetown University in Qatar Location: CIRS Conference Room, Georgetown University in Qatar On January 31, 2023, Anne-Sophie Pratte, Assistant Professor of History at Georgetown University in Qatar, delivered a CIRS Dialogue titled “Mapping the Mongol Steppe: Indigenous Cartography and Statecraft in 19th Century Qing China.” Pratte argued that multiple historically meaningful “exchanges…

African Regionalism: Achievements, Challenges, and Prospects

This CIRS panel offers a discussion of the history and politics of African Regional Organizations. Moderator: Lynda Iroulo (Georgetown University in Qatar) Panelists: Norman Sempiija (Mohammed VI Polytechnic University), Oheneba Boateng (Bucknell University), Densua Mumford (Leiden University), and Dalva Raposo (Georgetown University in Qatar, Class of 2024). Location: CIRS Conference Room, Georgetown University in Qatar).

The Evolution of African Regional Organizations Working Group I

On January 29 and 30, 2023, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at Georgetown University Qatar held a book manuscript workshop under its project, “The Evolution of African Regional Organizations.” Several international and regional scholars were invited to present their papers on various African Regional Organizations (ROs) operational on the African continent. During…

POMEPS-CIRS Politics of Sports in the Middle East Workshop

On January 14 and 15, 2023, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at Georgetown University in Qatar, in collaboration with the Project on Middle East Politics (POMEPS) convened a two-day closed-door workshop to explore and study the complex relationship between politics and sports in the Middle East. During the meeting invited regional and…

Russian Foreign Policy Towards the Middle East

The panel discuses the motives behind Moscow’s behavior in the Middle East, considering Russia’s growing role in the region and its desire to protect national interests using a wide array of means. The panel considers Russian involvement in the Middle East from several points and analyze global geopolitical risks affecting Russia's Middle Eastern strategy and…

A Century of Football in the Middle East

In this Webinar, the panelists offer a historical perspective of football in the Middle East. Moderator: Abdullah Al-Arian (Georgetown University in Qatar) Panelists: Simon Chadwick (Skema Business School in Paris), Ibrahim Elhoudaiby (Bard College),Yağmur Nuhrat (Bilgi University), Maher Mezahi (Football Journalist), and Zahra Babar (Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University in Qatar)

A World Cup for Qatar or the Middle East?

In 2010, Qatar won the bid to become the first ever Middle Eastern and Arab country to host a FIFA World Cup. Even though all 32 teams will be hosted in Qatar and all 64 games will be played in local stadiums, the state is emphasizing the broader regional character of the event. Join us…

UNDP Human Development Report 2021/2022

This panel is the country launch for the 2021-2022 UNDP Human Development Report. The report authors will discuss how to understand and navigate today's uncertainty complex as explored in the report - driven by the Anthropocene, by purposeful societal transformation, and by intensifying polarization. Distinguished panelists will reflect on the report’s implications for Qatar, the…

Energy and the World Cup

This special panel is hosted as part of CIRS and GUQ's research focus on Qatar and the FIFA World Cup 2022, and addresses issues related to energy and the hosting of the tournament. In this panel, we consider what lessons and avenues the World Cup 2022 offers for the energy humanities in the Gulf region…

CIRS Lunch Talk: The Beautiful Game in America

Speaker: Andrew Guest (University of Portland in Oregon USA) Moderator: Danyel Reiche (Georgetown University in Qatar) Location: CIRS Conference Room, Georgetown University in Qatar