On 8 February 2011 the Department of International Relations and European Studies (IRES) hosted a roundtable entitled “IRES Current Affairs Roundtable—Uprisings in the Middle East: Egypt and Beyond,” bringing together a group of academic experts who shed light on the current uprisings in the Middle East, with a special focus on the situation in Egypt.
Roundtable participants were John Shattuck, President and Rector/Professor, Department of Legal Studies, CEU; Selim Deringil, Visiting Professor, Nationalism Studies Program, CEU/Professor, Department of History, Bogazici University, Istanbul; Julius Horvath, Head, Department of Economics, CEU; Emel Akcali, Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations and European Studies, CEU; Daniel Monterescu, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, CEU; Mate Tokic, Assistant Professor of History, American University in Cairo. The event was chaired by Matteo Fumagalli, Head, Department of International Relations and European Studies, CEU, and introduced by CEU President and Rector John Shattuck.
Likening the evening to the American civil rights "teach-ins" of the 1960s, John Shattuck led discussants in a wide ranging conversation about political activism and democratization in the Middle East; about the future relationship between Middle Eastern states and the US and the EU; and about what the world has learned from past revolutionary movements of the 20th century. Short introductory presentations by the participating panelists about multidisciplinary analysis of the causes of the current uprisings in the Middle East and of the issues at stake, and a nuanced preliminary assessment of their significance at regional and global level followed.
Selim Deringil opened the panel with his remarks focusing on the broader historical context within which the events have unfolded; while Julius Horvath discussed the potential financial fallout of the events with an eye on the prior global repercussions of earlier Middle Eastern crises. Emel Akcali, Daniel Monterescu and Mate Tokic dissected the notions of revolts, revolutions, and protests by outlining the heterogeneity of the popular movement protesting against the regime and the different strategies of Egypt’s political activism, which includes youth/student groups, workers’ organizations and various religious associations. Against the background of a situation in continuous flux John Shattuck reflected on the role of the US and EU during the protests, and on the possible scenarios that may derive from the evolving political dynamics. The regional spill-over and the way in which regime change may affect ties with Israel were also discussed. Questions from the floor created a lively discussion between the panelists and the audience.
Event highlights video
The Department of International Relations and European Studies (IRES) integrates international relations scholarship with regional expertise in both the Eastern and Western parts of the enlarged European Union together with the wider European neighborhood. The department's devotion to the time-honored traditional canons of international relations theory and to the two major sub-disciplines of security studies and international political economy forms the foundation of the program content, complemented by a necessarily multi-disciplinary approach to EU integration and expansion and the EU's relations with the former Soviet Union. Its highly competitive program provides an enriching environment that generates research on relevant topics in a globalizing world. An interdisciplinary faculty (including scholars from international relations, history, law, economics and political science) and a broad scope of course offerings attract top-level graduate students from around the world. Interest in, and respect for, cultural, national and religious diversity are highly valued at the department, which has one of the most diverse faculty and student populations at CEU. It encourages its students to think of international relations scholarship as a historically and culturally contingent practice, and to enter the classroom prepared to contribute to an ongoing conversation about international relations and public policy. Above all, it is committed to educating a new generation of professionals in the region who will help ensure the peace and stability of Europe in the 21st century.
Full length video