SDSU POLITICAL SCIENCE FACULTY TO DISCUSS ISRAEL, LEBANON, PALESTINE CONFLICT

Contact: Gina Speciale
San Diego State University
Tel: (619) 594-4563 office; (619) 813-3581 cell
speciale@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO (Monday, July 17, 2006) – San Diego State University’s political science department will host a teach-in at noon Thursday to discuss the escalating conflict between Israel, Lebanon and Palestine. The event, titled, “The Ongoing War in Israel, Lebanon, and Palestine: How Did it Happen? How Will it End?” is free and open to the public.

Three faculty members from the department will address the history behind the conflict, why it’s occurring now and what it means for the future of the region. Questions will be taken during an open discussion immediately following the faculty presentations.

The goal of the teach-in is to raise the level of public discourse on the subject, said Ron King, chair of the SDSU political science department and one of the event’s organizers.

"Americans have the right and duty to know and understand the basic dynamics of this conflict, as the lives of the peoples of the Middle East and the United States are inextricably connected," King said.

The event will take place in SDSU’s Aztec Athletics Center Auditorium. The center is located on 55th Street, across the street from Cox Arena. The faculty participants are:

• Jonathan Graubart, Ph.D. – Graubart is a former U.S. Treasury Department attorney who specializes in the areas of international relations, international law, transnational activism, human rights, and globalization.

• Dipak Gupta, Ph.D. – Gupta is director of the Institute for International Security and Conflict Resolution (IISCOR) and is the current Fred J. Hansen Chair for Peace Studies at SDSU. He is the author of several books about terrorism and political violence.

• Farid Abdel-Nour, Ph.D. - Abdel-Nour’s research and teaching focuses on political theory and Middle East politics. He participates in Arab-Jewish dialogue and gives frequent public lectures on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

For further information contact Dawn Christiansen of the SDSU political science department at dchristi@mail.sdsu.edu, or at (619) 594-1095. To view streaming video of the event, including the Q&A, please visit its.sdsu.edu/streaming/index.html

SDSU is the oldest and largest institution of higher education in the San Diego region. Founded in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degrees in 72 and doctorates in 16. SDSU’s nearly 33,000 students participate in academic curricula distinguished by direct faculty contact and an increasingly international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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