Cultural and Political Revolution
Samer Ali
Associate Professor, Department of Middle Eastern Studies
512-471-3881
saali@mail.utexas.edu
Ali teaches courses on Arabic literature, art, culture and politics. He is interested in Islamic religion, Quran, women and gender in Islam, and Arabo-Islamic history and civilization. He is available to discuss how the Arab Spring uprisings have shifted the political and cultural landscape in the Middle East.
Iran’s Role in the Arab Spring
Kamran Scot Aghaie
Associate Professor, Department of Middle Eastern Studies
Director, Center for Middle Eastern Studies
512-475-6400
kamranaghaie@austin.utexas.edu
Aghaie studies modern Iranian history, Middle Eastern history and Islamic rituals. He is the author of “The Martyrs of Karbala: Shi’i Symbols and Rituals in Modern Iran,” which explores patterns of change in Shi’i symbols and rituals over the past two centuries, revealing how modernization has influenced the societal, political and religious culture of Iran. He is available to discuss Iran’s role in the Arab Spring.
America’s Role in the Arab Spring
Bruce Buchanan
Professor, Department of Government
512-232-7212
bruceb@mail.la.utexas.edu
Buchanan specializes in presidential and American politics, American institutions, public policy and political behavior. He is available to comment on the Arab Spring and the impact on U.S. foreign policy, and President Barack Obama’s role in addressing political dissent outside the borders of the U.S.
Women in Islamic Societies and the Arab Spring
Mounira Charrad
Associate Professor, Departments of Sociology and Middle Eastern Studies
512-232-6311
charrad@austin.utexas.edu
Charrad’s research addresses women’s rights, Islamic law and citizenship in the Middle East and North Africa. She is the author of “States and Women’s Rights: The Making of Postcolonial Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.” She is available to comment on the Tunisian Revolution of 2011 and the role of female protesters in the Middle East’s pro-democracy uprisings.
Origins of Arab Spring Uprisings
Yoav Di-Capua
Associate Professor, Department of History
512-965-8142 (cell)
512-475-7259 (office)
ydi@mail.utexas.edu
Di-Capua researches Arab intellectual history, including modernism and the rejection of modernism in 20th-century Arab thought. He is available to discuss the impact of the civil uprisings against the governments in the Arab world and Israel.
American Foreign Policy in the Middle East
William Inboden
Assistant Professor of Public Affairs
512-471-2411
inboden@austin.utexas.edu
Inboden has served as senior director for strategic planning on the National Security Council at the White House, where he worked on a range of foreign policy issues including the National Security Strategy. He is available to discuss topics related to U.S. foreign policy in Libya, Syria, Egypt and other countries in the region.
Military Intervention and Ethnic Conflicts in the Middle East
Alan Kuperman
Associate Professor of Public Affairs
512-471-8245
akuperman@mail.utexas.edu
Kuperman has published articles and book chapters on ethnic conflicts, military and humanitarian intervention and nuclear proliferation. Kuperman is available to discuss burgeoning ethnic conflicts in Middle Eastern countries. He can also analyze military and humanitarian intervention in this region.
What’s Next for the Arab World?
Jeremi Suri
Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs
Professor of History
Professor of Public Affairs
512-475-7242
suri@austin.utexas.edu
Suri is the author of five books on contemporary politics and foreign policy, including “Liberty’s Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama.” He looks to America’s history to see both what it has to offer to failed states around the world and what the nation should avoid. Suri is available to discuss topics related to nation-building efforts in Libya and other Middle East societies.
