Contending Futures in the 21st-Century Middle East: Ideology and the Emergent Political Formations of ISIS, Kurdistan-Iraq, and Kurdistan-Syria

About

Speaker: Huseyin Rasit, Research Fellow, International Security Program

Despite all the misery they cause, breakdowns of existing states also create ample political opportunities for new actors to rise. This is why, among all the destruction witnessed in Syria and Iraq in the 20th century, new political entities that exercise authority in regions effectively out of reach of their central governments have emerged. The seminar will focus on three: Kurdistan-Syria, Kurdistan-Iraq, and the Islamic State.

Despite rising to significance in a tightly knitted region and almost simultaneously, these political entities pursue widely different projects. Why have such different entities emerged out of the same political crucible? The speaker will argue that ideology is the key factor explaining this variation while presenting his doctoral research's main findings, specifically focusing on gender ideologies.

Everyone is welcome to join us via Zoom! Register before the seminar here:
https://harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcld--prjgpEtHQ0htp9TQScs6tNWQJbFLz 

Contact

For more information, email the International Security Program Assistant at susan_lynch@harvard.edu.