Scholars from Middle Eastern states discussed about most influential issues of the region at a symposium organised by Qatar University.
The Department of International Affairs (DIA) at Qatar University College of Arts and Sciences (QU-CAS) held a two- day symposium on ‘Trending Middle East Politics: Tentative Dialogues.’
It brought together scholars from Qatar, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunis, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) to share their ideas.
CAS associate deans for Research and Graduate Studies Prof Hala Sultan Al Essa, for Academic Affairs Dr Hassan Abdel Aziz and for Students Affairs Dr Yaser Hussein, and DIA Head Dr Ahmed Ibrahim, as well as CAS faculty and students were present, besides dignitaries at the opening session of the symposium.
The event included a series of dialogues aimed to map and assess conflicting trends within and across the Middle East states and societies. They discussed a wide range of topics such as ‘Iran’s Role in the Region,’ ‘Islamists and Governance: the Test and Contest of Power,’ ‘Religion: Systemic vs Anti-Systemic’ and ‘In Search of A Conceptual Framework: Theory, Practice and Research.’
Prof Al Essa said, “There is no doubt that the Arab region is going through serious challenges which require working on finding political solutions to face the crisis taking place in many countries in the Arab world. Thus, there is an urgent need to organise this conference, which aims to re-read the Arab political scene from the perspective of interdisciplinary studies through discussions and dialogues between researchers in the field of political science, international relations, and humanities and social sciences on various themes such as state and society; religion, freedom and security; and identity and colonialism.”
“This symposium brings together CAS’ academic departments and research centres along with other research centres within and outside Qatar, which is in line with QU and CAS vision to encourage interdisciplinary research and studies through various events,” she added.
Dr Ahmed Ibrahim said, “This conference comes at a critical time when many sectarian and political groups are impacting the Arab political scene. It is also an excellent opportunity to stimulate the intellectual movement and deepen interventions among academics and politicians.”
“The Department of International Affairs is unique of its kind in Qatar and the region in terms of focusing on modern and diverse approaches in the study of international relations, and we cherish the presence of a number of researchers within the cadre of faculty members in the department, especially those who contributed to strengthening the academic and intellectual cooperation with many institutions worldwide,” he added.
