Open AccessChallenges Facing the New President in the Greater Middle East
Author(s) -
Nada Zohdy
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
american journal of islam and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2690-3741
pISSN - 2690-3733
DOI - 10.35632/ajis.v26i1.1432
Subject(s) - middle east , politics , islam , state (computer science) , political science , administration (probate law) , public administration , international relations , muslim world , sociology , political economy , law , history , archaeology , algorithm , computer science
In November 2008, students, scholars, and interested citizens convened inEast Lansing to hear experts speak about the Middle East. This event, “ChallengesFacing the New President in the GreaterMiddle East,” was hosted byMichigan State University’s Muslim Studies Program with generous cosponsorshipby the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) andthe Association of Muslim Social Scientists of North America (AMSS).Speakers highlighted the topic’s timeliness, given the current global politicalclimate. Experts agreed that by heeding the nuances surrounding MiddleEastern issues and contextualizing them, a positive transformation ofAmericanpolicy can be achieved.Professor Mohammed Ayoob (Michigan State University) articulatedwhy the Middle East is significant: as the Muslim world’s spiritual and politicalheartland, understanding its politics is essential to understanding thatworld’s politics, and being the home ofmore than 60%of the world’s provenoil reserves and 40% of its natural gas makes it strategically important. Thisoverview contextualized the challenges facing the Obama administration onsuch critical regional issues as political Islam, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,and the Iraq War as well as the United States’ tenuous relations withPakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and SaudiArabia ...