As part of virtual micro courses that will be taking place throughout the semester, Carnegie Mellon faculty will be giving virtual lectures open to the CMU-Q community. Colin Clarke, Assistant Teaching Professor at the Institute for Politics and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon University will be speaking on, “Seeking stability in a turbulent Middle East”. 

Abstract: 

So much has changed in a region that for a long time, could be described as sclerotic. Taking stock of where things stand in the Middle East in 2020, how did we get here, and perhaps more importantly, where are we headed next? Dr. Colin P. Clarke will begin his lecture by providing a brief overview of major events in the Middle East, beginning at the end of the Cold War, moving through the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and fast-forwarding to the Arab Spring uprisings that began in earnest in 2011. The Syrian civil war will be used as a central case study, although he will also cover events elsewhere throughout the region, including Egypt, Libya, and Iran. Dr. Clarke’s lecture will present a comprehensive synopsis of the current state of geopolitics in the Middle East, describing in detail the dizzying array of alliances and rivalries and how these have shifted during the course of the war.