Seminar: Amerikansk politik i Mellemøsten – et skridt frem og to tilbage?

TIME: Wednesday, 9 November, 10.00-11.30

VENUE: Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, Strandgade 71, ground floor, Christianshavn, 1401 Copenhagen K

TIME: Wednesday, 9 November, 10.00-11.30

VENUE: Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, Strandgade 71, ground floor, Christianshavn, 1401 Copenhagen K

Optimism ran high in the Middle East after Obama took office. In Cairo, the administration promised a “new beginning”, based on engagement and dialogue, prioritizing a two-state solution and improving relations between the US and the Muslim world.

However, three years later, it appears as if the US’s capability and willingness to influence events in the Middle East is at an all time low. The Middle East Peace Process has collapsed; the Arab Spring is altering patterns of alliances in the region, while the US still juggles to find a consistent strategy on the dire situation in Syria.

Speaker:
Jon Alterman is Director and Senior Fellow of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC (CSIS). Prior to joining CSIS, he served as a member of the Policy Planning Staff at the US Department of State and as a special assistant to the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs.

He is a member of the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel and served as an expert adviser to the Iraq Study Group (also known as the Baker-Hamilton Commission). In addition to his policy work, he teaches Middle Eastern studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the George Washington University.

Programme:

10.00-10.05: Introduction; Helle Malmvig, Senior Researcher, DIIS

10.05-10.35: US Policy in the Middle East: One Step Forward Two Steps Back?; Jon B. Alterman, Director and Senior Fellow, CSIS

10.35-10.55: Discussants; Helle Malmvig, Senior Researcher, DIIS and Rasmus Alenius Boserup, Project Researcher, DIIS

10.55-11.30: Q and A

The seminar will be held in English.

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Please use the online registration form from the website no later than Tuesday, 8 November 2011 at 12.00 noon.

Please await confirmation by e-mail from DIIS for participation.