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Voices from Syria
Wendy Pearlman, Jonathan Curiel
Wendy Pearlman has spent years living in the Arab world. She will discuss her latest book, We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria, a fierce and poignant collection of stories based on…
Past Event: February 9, 2018
Life in the Sinai: Egypt’s Wild West
Frazer Thompson, Jonathan Curiel
Frazer Thompson will describe the Bedouin of the Sinai's struggle to survive in the face of Egyptian absolutism as well as growing extremist threats from terrorist groups such as the Islamic State.…
Past Event: November 13, 2017
Battle For Syria: International Rivalry in the New Middle East
Christopher Phillips, Jonathan Curiel
Phillips will discuss The Battle for Syria, his latest, highly praised book, and how six external protagonists, including the U.S. and Russia, have competed for influence in Syria—a key battleground…
Past Event: April 21, 2017
Afghanistan: Current Challenges and Future Prospects
Mohammad Qayoumi, Jonathan Curiel
Dr. Qayoumi, former member of The Commonwealth Club’s Board of Governors, is presently advisor to President Ghani of Afghanistan on infrastructure, human capital and technology. He will give a brief…
Past Event: February 28, 2017
Alliance for Smiles
Anita Stangl, Jonathan Curiel
Transforming the Lives of Children Often Left to Die—One Woman's Fight to Overcome the Odds
Alliance for Smiles, a nonprofit Anita Stangl helped create and guide until 2016, sends medical teams to…
Past Event: June 8, 2018
Niveen Rizkalla: PTSD in Syrian Refugees and Secondary Traumatization in Aid Workers
Niveen Rizkalla, Ph.D., Jonathan Curiel
In the context of the catastrophic Syrian refugee crises, Niveen Rizkalla will discuss her work with refugees struggling with PTSD and how secondary traumatization affects aid workers. Rizkalla, a…
Past Event: June 14, 2019
The Islamic Enlightenment: The Modern Struggle Between Faith and Reason
Christopher de Bellaigue, Jonathan Curiel
Christopher de Bellaigue, who has covered the Middle East since 1996, will discuss his latest book, The Islamic Enlightenment, which discusses Islamic history as it relates to the modern world. De…
Past Event: May 5, 2017
Journalist Stephen Kinzer: History’s Lessons for American Foreign Policy in 2017
Stephen Kinzer, In conversation with Jonathan Curiel
As President Trump takes office, how should the United States act in the world? Drawing on his latest book, Stephen Kinzer will transport us back to the early 20th century, when the United States…
Past Event: February 9, 2017
The Last Watchman of Old Cairo
Michael David Lukas, Jonathan Curiel
Michael David Lukas, who attended The American University in Cairo and was a Fulbright scholar in Turkey, will discuss his critically acclaimed multigenerational novel, The Last Watchman of Old Cairo…
Past Event: November 30, 2018
Pulitzer Prize Finalist Carla Power: Bridging Islam and the West
Carla Power, Jonathan Curiel
Get inside of Carla Power's eye-opening story of how she and her longtime friend Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi found a way to confront ugly stereotypes and persistent misperceptions that were cleaving…
Past Event: August 15, 2016
The Israeli Elections
Ravit Baer, Alon Sachar, Jonathan Curiel
Ravit Baer and Alon Sachar will discuss the recent, complex Israeli election and how the results could affect the region, the peace process, Israel and her allies, including the United States. Baer…
Past Event: May 10, 2019
Israel and India: 25 Years of Diplomatic Relations
Ambassador Venkatesan Ashok, Andy David, Jonathan Curiel
Consul General Andy David and Ambassador Venkatesan Ashok will speak together in celebration of Israel and India’s 25 years of diplomatic relations and their centuries-long historical and cultural…
Past Event: June 2, 2017
