LIVE from the Middle East in Transition (Part 2)

Nov 3, 2011 - 9:00 AM-10:30 AM (Eastern)

The foundations explored in Session One will be applied to the current political contexts of transition in the Middle East. Session Two will explore the distinction between legitimate legal structures and a moral set of rules governing the use (or not) of violence, and will look at the complexities around legitimate statehood and what defines a sovereign nation allowed to protect itself. Students will be exposed to some of the double standards and manipulations of such international laws, including the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the arming of Libya while insisting on non violence from Palestine, in an effort to understand what decides the right to self determination from a political perspective. Students will also explore the implications of building a new society on violence rather than on mutual understanding, and will spend time understanding why the United States has been seen as hypocritical in how it applies the rules of legitimate violence.