Middle Eastern American Identities

The Ohio State University Mershon Center for International Security StudiesOver the course of the 20th century the number of Americans who trace their ancestry to the Middle East has grown substantially and their ranks have become far more diverse. Today roughly half are Arab Americans and the other half are non-Arab, including Armenians, Iranians, Israelis, Turks, and others. The Middle Eastern umbrella category conceals a host of complex and multidimensional communities that challenge current notions about pan-ethnic identity.Mershon Center for International Security StudiesOhio State University. Middle East Studies CenterEvent Web Page, Event Photo

The Middle East

The University Archives has determined that this item is of continuing value to OSU's history.Ohio State University. Middle East Studies CenterOhio State University. Mershon Center for International Security StudiesEvent webpag

Mershon and Humanities Institute Faculty Panel

Streaming video requires RealPlayer to view.Should we alter our strategy, stay the course, bring our troops home, increase their number? Afghanistan: The Choices is an interdisciplinary discussion of the way forward for the United States in Afghanistan, with a panel of leading Ohio State experts (Richard Herrmann, Peter Mansoor, John Mueller, and Alam Payind), moderated by Fred Andrle. In August 2009, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, submitted a report to be reviewed by President Barack Obama and his top national security advisers. In his report, Gen. McChrystal gave a grim assessment of the conflict in Afghanistan and later requested 40,000 more troops be sent to fight the Taliban-led insurgency, bringing the total number of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan to 108,000. The possibility that more troops will be needed to ensure success in Afghanistan has presented the Obama administration with a number of challenges and new considerations in dealing with a conflict that Obama has called the central front in the war on terror. Besides facing pressure from both conservatives and members of his own party, Obama is also facing new questions over the credibility of the Afghan government compounded with mounting American and NATO casualties. Afghanistan: The Choices will explore the future of the United States involvement in Afghanistan through an interdisciplinary discussion of strategies for success in Afghanistan. The panelists will discuss and answer questions relating to the application of a more comprehensive counterinsurgency strategy, implications of the U.S. presence on the Taliban insurgency, the level of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and the national security interest of the United States in Afghanistan.Ohio State University. Mershon Center for International Security StudiesOhio State University. Institute for Collaborative Research and Public HumanitiesOhio State University. Middle East Studies CenterEvent Web page, streaming video, event photo

The Syrian Crisis and its Impact on the Middle East

Streaming video requires Flash Player, RealPlayer, or Windows Media Player to view.Amr Al-Azm is assistant professor of Middle East history and anthropology at Shawnee State University, and an active member of the Syrian opposition. He was a first-hand observer and participant of the reform processes instigated by Bashar Al-Assad, and he serves on the executive committee of the Antalya Gathering (Conference for Change in Syria).Ohio State University. Middle East Studies CenterOhio State University. Department of Near Eastern Languages and CulturesOhio State University. Mershon Center for International Security StudiesEvent Web page, streaming video, event photo

Mershon Center and Humanities Institute Faculty Panel

Streaming video requires RealPlayer to view.The University Archives has determined that this item is of continuing value to OSU's history.The Mershon and Humanities Institute faculty panel, "America's Wars: The Way Forward in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq" will provide an in depth look at the issues surrounding America's increased military commitment in Afghanistan, military activity in Pakistan, and the planned withdrawal of United States combat troops from Iraq. A multidisciplinary panel of leading security and area experts from The Ohio State University will explore possible military, economic, cultural, and diplomatic strategies as the Obama administration seeks to wind down the U.S. commitment in Iraq, achieve success in Afghanistan, and ensure the security of Pakistan.Institute for Collaborative Research and Public HumanitiesWexner Center for the ArtsOhio State University. Mershon Center for International Security StudiesOhio State University. Middle East Studies CenterEvent Web page, streaming video, event photo

The Arab Spring: Developments in North Africa and the Middle East

Streaming video requires Flash Player, RealPlayer, or Windows Media Player to view.The Arab Spring: Developments in North Africa and the Middle East will bring perspectives from the field that give new meaning to events reported in the news. The focus will be on the supporters of the protests and revolutions — who is funding the revolutions and counter revolutions -- as well as democracy and representation in diverse Middle Eastern contexts; war's toll on Libyans and potentially on Syrians; international impact and response-in Europe; refugees; NATO involvement; and protests by Saudi women. The panel will examine the Arab Spring as a whole and in specific contexts.Ohio State University. Middle East Studies CenterOhio State University. Mershon Center for International Security StudiesEvent Web page, streaming video, event photo

Update on Extremist Jihadi Groups in Afghanistan and the Middle East

The media can be accessed here: http://streaming.osu.edu/knowledgebank/MiddleEastStudiesCenter/Payind-Jihadi_Update.m4vThe director of the Middle East Studies Center, Dr. Alam Payind, presents on jihadi extremist groups of the Middle East with an emphasis on Afghanistan

Symposium on Iraq and Afghanistan

The Middle East Studies Center, partnering with the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, presented a symposium on Iraq and Afghanistan on February 13, 2008. The symposium featured two distinguished scholars, Dr. Alam Payind and Dr. Tahir al-Bakaa, who gave their views on the current situations in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively. The scholars, who continue to be influential in their countries, provided a picture of the way recent events have been seen from insiders’ points of view, and the way that they see their countries’ histories. Professor Richard Herrmann, director of the Mershon Center, introduced the scholars and provided insights on U.S. foreign policy, which he gained from listening to their discourses.Ohio State University. Middle East Studies CenterOhio State University. Mershon Center for International Security Studie