Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world

Past Event
Seminar

The Soft Power of American and French Universities in the Middle East

Open to the Public

This paper studies the soft power of the American University of Beirut, the Université Saint-Joseph of Beirut, and the American University in Cairo. These universities founded in 1866, 1875, and 1919 supply rich cases to study what soft power goals and strategies public and private actors historically have pursued, the soft power of these institutions in sponsor and host societies, and the effect of political context on this soft power.

Please join us! Coffee, tea, and dessert provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

Date: Time: - Location: Littauer Building - Belfer Center Library, Room 369
Two Lebanese students, Dalia Fawaz, in a T-shirt with a sticker of an American flag, chats with her colleague Maha Homsi, at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Oct. 1, 2001.

About

This paper studies the soft power of the American University of Beirut, the Université Saint-Joseph of Beirut, and the American University in Cairo. These universities founded in 1866, 1875, and 1919 supply rich cases to study what soft power goals and strategies public and private actors historically have pursued, the soft power of these institutions in sponsor and host societies, and the effect of political context on this soft power. To address these questions, this paper develops a model of these universities at the interface between Western sponsor society and Middle Eastern host society and demonstrates how these institutions channel important amounts of interest, information, resources, and personnel between societies. The finding of this paper is that public and private actors to varying degrees have pursued soft power throught these universities throughout their history and that these institutions have and continue to exercise soft power in the host society, but also in the sponsor society.

Please join us! Coffee, tea, and dessert provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.