Filtered by: Middle East & North Africa
Khalil Discusses the Israel-Iran Conflict and US Airstrikes With KTVU and LocalSYR
The situation is escalating in ways we have not seen before, says Professor of History Osamah Khalil. With Israeli airstrikes, rising tensions in Gaza, and now a strong U.S. military response, the risks are higher than ever. He warns Iran may try to disrupt global oil supply chains, which could have a domino effect. “If that’s the case, we could very rapidly see the global economy collapse.”
Murrett Speaks With CBS News, 570 WSYR About the Israel-Iran Conflict and the US
Haq Article on the Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan Published on MSNBC
“It’s the humanitarian crisis that almost no one wants to talk about despite several global powers exacerbating the civil war and trying to use Sudan for their own advantages,” says Nayyera Haq, assistant dean for Maxwell's Washington programs.
Koch Talks to franceinfo About Gulf Sports
“Apart from during the 2022 World Cup, you haven't seen massive ‘Visit Qatar’ campaigns. The country doesn't need to attract tourists, its 200,000 citizens are wealthy and all the infrastructure already exists,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment. “It's very different from Saudi Arabia where a large part of the population suffers from poverty.”
See related: Government, International Affairs, Middle East & North Africa
Khalil Speaks With CBS News About the New Gaza Humanitarian Aid System
“The director [of the new aid group] has already resigned and there's an interim director in place. And the director who resigned said it was because the attempts to deliver aid could not be done so with a humanitarian purpose, and that shouldn't be surprising. The United Nations is the only major organization on the ground, as well as several other NGOs, that can provide the necessary aid,” says Osamah Khalil, chair of the International Relations Undergraduate Program.
Timur Hammond’s ‘Placing Islam’ Receives Journal’s Honorable Mention
The 2025 International Journal of Islamic Architecture lauded the book for its “evocative storytelling.”
See related: Awards & Honors, Middle East & North Africa, Religion
Khalil Speaks With Clarín About Trump’s Meeting With the President of Syria
The meeting between Trump and al-Sharaa “represents a remarkable shift in U.S. policy toward al-Qaeda and its affiliates. More than 23 years after the 9/11 attacks and the declaration of the Global War on Terror, the United States is developing relations with a former leader of the organization who now declares himself a moderate,” says Osamah Khalil, professor of history.
Khalil Speaks With CBS News About US Strikes on Yemen, Nuclear Talks Between the US and Iran
“Now the Trump administration is claiming this is an attempt to pressure Iran but it's unclear to me, quite frankly, by bombing a port, killing paramedics and port workers, is somehow going to pressure Iran in negotiations,” says Osamah Khalil, professor of history. “If the United States wants to neotiate with Iran, it should negotiate with Iran. There's no reason to be bombing Yemen to do that.”
Khalil Discusses the Gaza Ceasefire With Clarín, The Hill and Reuters
“The same terms that were agreed to by Hamas and Israel were available at least eight months ago and likely a similar deal could have been achieved late last year...Instead, the Biden administration’s vociferous support for Israel’s 15-month military campaign has had a profound impact on America’s standing in the world,” says Osamah Khalil, professor of history.
Thorson Speaks With BBC News About How Meta Restricts News in Palestinian Territories
“Fundamentally, Meta's main incentive is just to keep people on the platform, that's what they want to do. And that is always going to keep priority over things like keeping people fully informed or showing both sides of the issues,” says Emily Thorson, assistant professor of political science.
See related: International Affairs, Media & Journalism, Middle East & North Africa
Khalil Talks to The Hill, LiveNOW from Fox and US News About the Fall of the Assad Regime in Syria
“What really needs to happen here is for the Biden administration to work with and ensure—with its European allies, with its Arab allies—Syria's territorial integrity, ensure transition to a democratic government, and ensure that all Syrians will be protected,” says Osamah Khalil, professor of history.
See related: Conflict, Government, International Affairs, Middle East & North Africa
Sustainability Spectacle in the Gulf
Professor of Geography and the Environment Natalie Koch examines how sustainability spectacle ultimately obscures Gulf state leaders’ refusal to shift their economies and political systems away from fossil fuels, while simultaneously justifying yet more unsustainable development—just with a new green label. Published in Current History.
See related: Economic Policy, Government, Middle East & North Africa, Sustainability
Egyptologist Shares Findings of Everyday Life of the Pyramid Builders During Phanstiel Lecture
See related: Archaeology, Centennial, Middle East & North Africa
On Continuity and Exceptionality in Our Present Crisis: A Conversation with Silvia Federici
In this conversation with Associate Professor of Sociology Selina Gallo-Cruz and her co-author, Silvia shared her reflections on the human experiences that have shaped her scholarship, the continuities of capitalist discipline observed in her early advocacy, and how she makes sense of today’s compounding global crises. Published in Capitalism Nature Socialism.
McFate Talks to Fox News About How a Trump Presidency Will Factor Into Iran’s War With Israel
“Trump’s victory will give Iran pause as it considers striking back at Israel in their tit for tat,” says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.
Koch Quoted in DeSmog Article on Saudi Arabia’s Neom Giga Project, Sustainability Claims
“When you are looking at the Gulf countries, you see that a lot of these sustainability projects are very large, and they’re very loud about them, but they hide the fact that, in fact, the rest of society is not at all sustainable,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: Government, Middle East & North Africa, Sustainability
Illuminating the Lives of the Pyramid Builders: Egyptologist Mark Lehner at Nov. 1 Phanstiel Lecture
Lehner, a world-renowned Egyptologist, will discuss his discoveries of ancient Egypt during the Phanstiel Lecture, “The People Who Built the Pyramids—How We Know,” on Friday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Leadership.
See related: Archaeology, Centennial, Middle East & North Africa
Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows Provide Diverse Expertise and Perspectives
Two of the fellows, Güler Ünlü of the Republic of Türkiye and Hyeonjee Lee of the Republic of Korea, represent that diversity. They, along with the other select Humphrey Fellows, are spending 10 months at the Maxwell School participating in graduate study, professional development and cultural exchange.
See related: East Asia, Middle East & North Africa
Murrett Comments on Israel Expanding War Into Lebanon in Rolling Stone Article
“I don’t think we have the conditions for a cease-fire. The U.S. presence will likely need to remain what it is for the foreseeable future,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. “Shuttle diplomacy can’t move people if they have an interest in keeping the hostilities going.”
See related: Conflict, Government, International Affairs, Middle East & North Africa, National Security
McFate Quoted in Business Insider Article on the Detonation of Pagers Used by Hezbollah
If Israel was indeed behind the attack, as U.S. officials have said, then it comes as no surprise from a country that has already proven its technical prowess, says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs. “Israel is a very tech-savvy state with its own ‘Wadi Valley,’ as they put it,” McFate says.
See related: Conflict, International Affairs, Middle East & North Africa, Terrorism & Extremism