MEI Study Group: Identity and Politics: Managing Diversity in the Middle East

Identity and Politics: Managing Diversity in the Middle East

Join MEI Senior Fellow H.E. Dr. Barham Salih, former President of Iraq, and MEI Visiting Scholar Dr. David Siddhartha Patel as they explore ethnic and religious diversity in the Middle East. The study group will discuss how various political structures have attempted – successfully and unsuccessfully – to accommodate such diversity. After an introductory session on identity in the region, we will explore Iraq's twenty-year-old quota-based parliamentary system; confessionalism in Lebanon; linguistic and religious groups in Iran’s Islamic Republic; cultural diversity in GCC states; and contemporary Syria. Throughout we will focus on the role of constitutions, legal systems, and informal agreements. We will aim to draw lessons for Syria’s ongoing political transition and the possibility of reform in Iraq and other states in the region. 

Format: Each session will include a short lecture component and an exchange of views on the topic under consideration – in part a debate and in part a discussion of what happens “when theory meets reality.” Some sessions might include guest speakers with expertise on the country or groups being discussed. Participants will be expected to attend all four sessions and come prepared to engage in deep discussion. In all study group sessions, Chatham House rules will apply. Refreshments will be provided.