Where Are We Headed? The US and Middle East After Elections
Palestine Center Annual Conference
9 November 2012
Washington, DC
The Palestine Center is an independent think-tank committed to communicating reliable and objective information about the Palestinian political experience to American policy makers, journalists, students and the general public. Established in 1991, it is the educational program of the Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development.
The Palestine Center brings together people and resources within the American and Palestinian communities to educate about Palestine and the Palestinian people`s ongoing quest for sovereignty on their land, civil and political rights, and an end to Israeli occupation.
The need for an organization such as The Palestine Center can be found in the effects of the economic, cultural and political oppression Palestinians have endured and which continues on a daily basis in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the surrounding refugee camps and for Palestinians world-wide as they struggle to retain their homeland.
Palestinians` ability to maintain their daily lives and strengthen their democratic political system depends on international humanitarian and non-governmental organizations such as The Palestine Center.
Schedule of Events (Tentative)
8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Registration
9:00 - 9:15 a.m.
Welcome Remarks
9:15 - 11:00 a.m.
Panel I – U.S. Policy After Election: A Reason for Change?
What will the outcome of the Presidential election mean for U.S. Middle East policy? If re-elected, will President Obama maintain similar policies or make significant adjustments? If Governor Romney is elected, what changes can we expect? Panelists will discuss the impact of the election on US policy towards various actors in the region.
Hrair Balian
Director, Conflict Resolution Program
The Carter Center
Mark Perry
Independent Author
Helena Cobban
Independent Publisher and Journalist
11:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Coffee and Pastry Break
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Panel II – Taking Stock in the Arab Uprisings: Where are we headed?
Uprisings have led to the disappearance of some governments and the emergence of others. The political map of the region is changing and many questions remain about the direction in which the region is headed. Panelists will discuss the foreign policies of states in the region, the role of regional organizations like the Gulf Corporation Council, and the impact of election outcomes in shaping policy changes.
Nathan Brown
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs
George Washington University
Adel Iskandar
Scholar of Media and Communications, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
Georgetown University
Kristen Diwan
Assistant Professor of Comparative and Regional Studies, School of International Service
American University
1:00 - 1:45 p.m.
Break for Lunch
1:45 - 3:15 p.m.
Panel III - Public Discourse on Palestine: Reasons for Optimism?
As occupation persists and technology develops, a growing number of Americans are challenging the long-held Israeli narrative of events and history in the region. We ask what changes there have been in US media coverage, what role new and social media plays in that, and what we can expect of these trends going forward.
Samer Badawi
Communications Manager
Institute of Middle East Understanding
Will Youmans
Assistant Professor of Media
George Washington University
Yousef Munayyer
Executive Director
The Jerusalem Fund and Palestine Center
3:20 - 4:45 p.m.
Panel IV - Palestinian Strategy: Reform, Representation, and a New Framework
Two decades after the start of the Oslo process, there are more settlers and settlements in the West Bank today than ever before. Panelists will discuss whether the two-state solution is still viable and what challenges Palestinian reconciliation and representation present, and evaluate Palestinian strategies for liberation.
Noura Erakat
Freedman Teaching Fellow, Temple Law School;
Legal Advocacy Coordinator, Badil
Khaled Elgindy
Fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy
Brookings Institute
Leila Hilal
Director
New America Foundation Middle East Task Force
Click here to register.