pjstar
Journal Star staff
“Is the Arab Spring Turning to Winter?” will be the topic at this year’s Central Illinois World Affairs Conference on April 5-6 at the Par-A-Dice Hotel in East Peoria.
Leading experts on the Middle East will discuss events of the Arab Spring as it passes its second anniversary and what direction the movements may be heading.
The Arab Spring has posed deep challenges to the United States and foreign policy actions it takes in the region. Growing anti-U.S. sentiments in the Middle East have complicated an already complex foreign policy.
Jason Zaborowski of Bradley University opens the conference with a primer on the religions of the region.
In the keynote address on Friday evening, Jerry Leach, professor emeritus of American University in Cairo, addresses the changes affecting Egypt’s social structures resulting from the Arab Spring, drawing upon his experiences at the Cairo university between 2005 and 2011.
Among other speakers at the conference, Maha Bashri of Bradley University, portrays the role of social media in the Arab Spring movements.
She describes the research project she conducted with her Bradley colleague, Sarah Netzley, concerning the use of social media on the Spring.
The conference closes with Allen Keiswetter, former Deputy Secretary of State for Near East Affairs at the State Department. Tickets information is available from the Peoria Area World Affairs Council at www.pawac.org or 677-2454.
