Sense and Nonsense about Protests and Turmoil in Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon

February 8, 2011 @ 12:00pm
Student Union II, Room 5
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

Presented by Middle East Studies/Global Interdisciplinary Programs

The social upheaval and protests in Tunisia and Egypt recently cannot be underestimated, whether or not the outcome is what the protesters desired. The magnitude of these developments cannot be adequately understood without a sober account of the authoritarian legacy of these regimes and their international supporters. One would also have to sift through the largely superficial accounts that pervade the mainstream press. As for Lebanon, the question of the International Tribunal on the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri continues to cause ample conflict and turmoil in an already divided polity, with both regional and international implications. Both sets of developments were addressed in this brown bag lunch.