Revolutions in the Arab World: Politics, Religion and Economics

What:  A panel of three distinguished Saint Mary’s College faculty members from the fields of politics, religion and economics will explore the underlying themes for the Arab uprisings that began first in Tunisia in Dec. 2010 and have fostered sweeping political changes across the Arab world.

Panel members include: Middle East Politics Professor Hisham Ahmed, a leading authority on Islamic movements; Theology Professor Brother Donald Mansir, who served as vice president for the Pontifical Mission for Palestine, — the Pope’s special agency for relief and development in the Middle East and Tomas Gomez-Arias, the Director for the Center for the Regional Economy, Professor of Marketing and Global Business and former Chief Trade Officer at the Consulate General of Spain in Hong Kong.

The professors will discuss the regime changes that have taken place in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, the common underlying political pressures, how religion may have been a factor or an accident in these revolutions and how unemployment, poverty and oil played a role. The presentation will be followed by a Q and A session where the panelist will invite audience questions about the implications of the revolutions in the Arab world for the United States.

When: 7 - 8:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, 2011

Where: Saint Mary's College of California, Soda Activity Center

Cost: Free, but RSVP required.

Panelists:

Hisham Ahmed, Ph.D., a professor of politics, is a leading authority on Islamic movements – in particular the Palestinian group Hamas – and is able to speak broadly about politics in the Middle East. He has written numerous articles, been quoted widely in the media and was a political scientist at Birzeit University near the West Bank city of Ramallah until mid-2006.

Brother Donald Mansir, Ph.D., has written extensively and made numerous presentations on Middle East conflicts, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, terrorism, Iraq, and the role of the Christian Churches in the conflicts. He served as vice president for the Pontifical Mission for Palestine, the Pope’s special agency for relief and development in the Middle East, and was previously a staff member of the Apostolic Delegation to Jerusalem and Palestine. He served as permanent observer to the United Nations and UNICEF for the International Catholic Child Bureau, focusing much of his attention on the plight of children in the Holy Land. He taught at Bethlehem University and served on the faculty of the Latin Patriarchate Seminary in Beit Jala/West Bank as well as consulted for the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem concerning issues between the Catholic Church and the Israeli High Court. He negotiated an international agreement among the Custodians of the Holy Land for the renovation of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which required extensive knowledge of the international treaties and conventions that apply to the region.

Tomas Gomez-Arias, Ph.D., is a Professor of Marketing and Global Business in the Graduate Business Program. He is also director of the Center for the Regional Economy at Saint Mary’s College, which examines the economic status of the East Bay area and the Pacific Rim. Gomez-Arias can address topics such as consumer spending, technology and branding and international business with a focus on Asia and Europe.

The "Revolutions in the Arab World" panel is sponsored by the Saint Mary's College Center for the Regional Economy. For more information contact Professor Tomas Gomez-Arias at 925-631-4928 or at tgomez@stmarys-ca.edu.