Connections Podcast Episode 98
The Carter Post-Presidency and the Middle East
Join us on Wednesday, 15 January for a conversation with Hrair Balian about the Carter Presidency and the Middle East. This episode of Connections will examine Carter’s agenda in the Middle East and the role it played in defining his presidency.
Connections offers timely and informative interviews on current events and broader policy questions, as well as themes relevant to knowledge production. It combines journalism, analysis, and scholarship.
Guest
Hrair Balian served as Director of the Carter Center’s Conflict Resolution Program from 2008-2020, and remained as Senior Advisor until his retirement in 2022. During this period he led its efforts to monitor conflicts around the world and coordinated its activities in the Middle East.
Previously, Balian has worked in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, the independent states emerging from the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and Africa, serving in intergovernmental organizations (the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and nongovernmental organizations (International Crisis Group and others). He has worked on elections, human rights, and conflict resolution. In May 2009, the New England College awarded Balian the degree of doctor of laws, honoris causa, for his "lifetime commitment to the dignity, respect, and self-determination of all peoples" and for his "uncompromising effort to resolve international conflicts." Balian has also served as adjunct professor at the Emory University School of Law.
Host
Mouin Rabbani is a researcher, analyst, and commentator specialising in Palestinian affairs, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the contemporary Middle East. He has among other positions previously served as Principal Political Affairs Officer with the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Head of Middle East with the Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, and Senior Middle East Analyst and Special Advisor on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group. Rabbani is Co-Editor of Jadaliyya, and a Contributing Editor of Middle East Report.