Football in the Middle East Working Group I

On October 27-28, 2019, the Center for International and Regional Studies held the inaugural working group for its research initiative on “Football in the Middle East.” The meeting brought together regional and international scholars and experts to discuss some of the understudied areas related to football in the region and to identify original research questions…

Sport, Politics, and Society in the Middle East

The Center for International and Regional Studies launched Sport, Politics, and Society in the Middle East at a CIRS Dialogue Series event on October 28, 2019. The edited volume examines the role that sports have played in the contemporary socioeconomic, cultural, and political milieus of the region. Danyel Reiche, Associate Professor for Comparative Politics at…

Tunisia in the Aftermath of the Arab Uprisings Working Group I

On November 10-11, 2019, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) held the first working group under its research initiative, "Tunisia in the Aftermath of the Arab Uprisings." This was a Faculty Research Project under the intellectual leadership of a member of the Georgetown University faculty, Professor Mohamed Zayani. CIRS invited a group of…

CIRS Dialogue Series by H.E. Dr. Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari

On November 27, 2019, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) invited H.E. Dr. Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, State Minister of Qatar with rank of Deputy Prime-Minister and Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) Ambassador in Residence, to deliver a talk on his experience with international institutions. In his own words, this experience “started with…

The GCC Crisis: Qatar and its Neighbors Working Group II

On December 1-2, 2019, the Center for International and Regional Studies held the second working group for its research initiative on “The GCC Crisis: Qatar and its Neighbors.” Over two days, the convened scholars presented and received feedback on their papers that tackled a wide array of issues, including: the Regional implications of the GCC crisis, impact of the crisis on Qatar’s Supply Chain, public narratives of nationalism and identity in Qatar after the blockade, Turkey’s role in the crisis, ontological security and the GCC crisis, and post-blockade relations between State and Society in Qatar.

Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine

Dana El Kurd, Assistant Professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, delivered a CIRS talk on January 13, 2020, on the effects that authoritarian strategies have had on polarization and collective action in Palestinian society. The talk was based on her recently published book, Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine, which examines…

CURA Open House

On January 14, 2020, CIRS hosted its first open house event for GU-Q students to learn more about CIRS and the CURA program for undergraduate research advancement. The CIRS Undergraduate Research Advancement program (CURA) aims to facilitate research opportunities for GU-Q undergraduate students through providing focused mentorship and a chance to publish and present their…

Big Data in the Middle East Roundtable

On January 19-20, 2020, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) hosted a Research Roundtable on Big Data in the Middle East. The meeting was held in order to generate an initial conversation on how big data can be meaningfully applied to deepen our understanding of social and political phenomena in the Middle East.…

CURA Workshop: Evaluating Credibility: Sources for Academic Research

On January 23, 2020, CIRS hosted a CURA workshop titled, “Evaluating Credibility: Sources for Academic Research,” with GU-Q Professor Jim Reardon-Anderson and Librarian Paschalia Terzi. The workshop was focused on scholarly resource analysis and determining the authenticity of sources for research projects. Professor Anderson led the workshop and outlined some of his preferred techniques in…

Qatari Cases before International Dispute Settlement Fora

On January 27, 2020, Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Dean of the College of Law at Qatar University, presented a talk at CIRS, Qatari Cases before International Dispute Settlement Fora, concerning legal actions following the blockade against Qatar that began on June 5, 2017. On that date, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the United Arab Emirates…

Economic Migration to the United States Roundtable

On February 15-16, 2020, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) held a Research Roundtable on the topic of Economic Migration to the United States with the purpose to deepen our understanding of the challenges and opportunities of skilled immigration flows to the U.S. OECD countries, and, until fairly recently, the U.S. have developed…

Fascism 2.0: Lessons from Democracy in India

Uday Chandra, Assistant Professor of Government at GU-Q, presented on "Fascism 2.0: Lessons from Democracy in India" at a CIRS event on February 25, 2020. The talk drew on his book in progress, Fascism 2.0, which traces how and why India’s heterogeneous, multi-ethnic, multi-religious society has been recast under modern democratic conditions as a homogeneous,…