MONTREAL/November 2, 2004—
http://peace.concordia.ca/
http://publicaffairs.concordia.ca
As part of the ongoing Peace and Conflict Resolution lecture series, Concordia University presents a panel discussion titled The Prospects for Democratization in the Middle East: Lessons from and for Iran. The event, open to the public, will take place from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 5 in the J.A. de SËve Cinema of the J.W. McConnell Building (1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West).
The panel discussion addresses the importance of democracy as a means by which societies can address and potentially resolve political and social conflicts. It further addresses the need for an increase in the level and number of democratic regimes in the Middle East region as a tool that allows for citizens to participate in policy-making without the use of violence, fear and coercion and without fuelling conflict regionally and internationally.
Iran is a particularly compelling case when imagining a more democratic future for the Middle East. Over the past several years, a reformist movement has had supporters within the government and society at large. Given the recent demise of this reformist movement that has sought to strengthen republican institutions, it is timely to appraise the successes and failures of this recent round of political liberalization.
In order for the community to engage in an in-depth and reflective discussion about these issues, Concordia will bring together a group of scholars to discuss the prospects for democracy in the Middle East, and Iran in particular. Kaveh Ehsani (University of Illinois Chicago and Johns Hopkins University) and Ali Rezaei (University of Calgary), two researchers with intimate knowledge of the activities and debates in the reformist movement, will present papers on the specific developments in Iran.
Professor Rex Brynen (McGill University) will bring his own research and expertise on political liberalization in the Arab world to compare the Iranian case to other cases in the Middle East. Finally, Professor Stathis Kalyvas (Department of Political Science, Yale University) will bring his research on the democratization and the interaction of religion and politics to bear on the Iranian and Middle East context.
For more information about this event, contact Professor Arang Keshavarzian, Department of Political Science, at (514) 848-2424 ext. 2110 or akeshava@alcor.concordia.ca
For updates about the series, please contact Laurie Lamoureux-Scholes at peace@alcor.concordia.ca
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