Scholar Explores Middle East Politics in Feb. 27 Florida Tech Lecture

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Rami G. Khouri, a recognized scholar on international affairs, will present a special lecture, “Confrontations and Constitutions: Understanding the Hard Road to Democracy, Dignity and Stability in the Arab World” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, in the Skurla Hall auditorium. The presentation, hosted by the Florida Tech College of Aeronautics, is free and open to the community.

Khouri is a Palestinian-Jordanian and U.S. citizen whose family resides in Beirut and Nazareth. He is the director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, as well as a columnist at the Beirut-based Daily Star newspaper.

Khouri is an internationally syndicated political columnist and book author, and a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Dubai School of Government. He has been a visiting scholar at Stanford, Syracuse, Tufts, Mt. Holyoke and Northeastern universities, and in November 2006 he was the co-recipient of the Pax Christi International Peace Award for his efforts to bring peace and reconciliation to the Middle East.

A Nieman journalism fellow at Harvard University in 2001-02, Khouri recently served for four years on the international advisory board of the International Committee of the Red Cross. He has a BA in political science and MSc in journalism from Syracuse University.

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