Conference Schedule

Saturday, November 7

4:00 P.M. – 5:30 P.M.

The Annual Fouad Ajami Memorial Roundtable
Ms. Michelle Ajami
Prof. Bernard Haykel
COL Joel Rayburn
Mr. Peter Theroux

5:30 P.M. – 6:30 P.M.

Student Poster Competition

6:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

Welcome & Networking Cocktail Reception
Opening Remarks by H.E. Shaikh Abdulla Bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Sunday, November 8

7:30 A.M. – 8:15 A.M.
Breakfast

8:30 A.M. - 10:00 A.M.

Roundtable Discussion: French Mandate, Emile Éddé, and the Origins of Modern Lebanon’s Dismantlement
Prof. Franck Salameh, Boston College
Prof. Robert Rabil, Florida Atlantic University
Dr. Zach Battat, Independent Scholar

Religion and Politics in the Middle East and Africa: New Perspectives on the Postwar World
Chair: Dr. Barnaby Crowcroft, University of Florida

10:30 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.

President's Roundtable
Dr. Gordon Gee, President Emeritus, West Virginia University
Dr. David Ruth, University of Austin
Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, Yeshiva University
Chair: Ms. Zineb Riboua, Hudson Institute

Ideology, Ambiguity, and Power in Contemporary Iran
Chair: Dr. Liora Hendelman Baavur, Tel Aviv University

12:30 P.M. – 2:00 P.M.

Banquet & Awards Luncheon
Keynote Presentation: H.E. Dr. Barham Salih, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

2:30 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.

The 2023 American Anthropological Association Boycott Resolution: Exclusion and the Remaking of Anthropology
Chair: Prof. Jeffrey Cohen, Ohio State University

Book Discussion: "Governance, Transformation, and Authoritarian Consolidation in Saudi Arabia"
Prof. Bernard Haykel, Princeton University

4:30 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.

Roundtable Discussion: Initiatives to Combat Antisemitism at the Academic Root
Dr. Rina Kreitman, Intra-Communal Professorial Group and University College London
Prof. Brad Blitz, Intra-Communal Professorial Group and University College London
Ms. Alisa Pincus, Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism
Prof. Deidra Butler, London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Carleton University

Old Neighbors, New Trajectories: The Syrian National Project and the Future of Syria-Israel Relations
Chair: Dr. Nir Boms, Tel Aviv University

War and Conceptions: Iran, Israel, the United States, and Lebanon
Chair: Prof. Gadi Hitman, Ariel University

5:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.
JMEA Editorial Board Meeting (Invitation-only)

6:30 P.M. – 7:45 P.M.
Bernard Lewis and Fouad Ajami Prize Ceremony and Reception

8:00 P.M.
Film Screening 

Monday, November 9

7:30 A.M. – 8:15 A.M.
Breakfast

8:30 A.M. - 10:00 A.M.

Perspectives on Law and State in Late Ottoman and Early Post-Ottoman Discourse
Chair: Dr. Daniel Lav, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The New Abrahamic World Order: The Future of the Abraham Accords
(In memory and honor of the late and beloved Ambassador Eitan Na'eh)
Chair: Dr. Jason Olson, United States Navy

Roundtable Discussion: The Failure of Information Professionals in the 21st Century: Academia and Jihad
Prof. Richard Landes, Bar-Ilan University
Dr. Cole Bunzel, Hoover Institution
Prof. Andrew Pessin, Institute for the Critical Study of Antizionism
Mr. Danny Burmawi, Ideological Defense Institute

10:30 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.

A Pedagogy for Peacemaking: Introducing an Abraham Accords Syllabus for Educators
Chair: Dr. Jason Olson, United States Navy

From Iran to Syria: Re-examining Authoritarian Statehood, Imperialism, Anti-Modern Modernity, and Pedagogies of Resistance
Chair: Prof. Sona Kazemi, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

12:15 P.M.
Grab ‘n Go Boxed Lunch

1:00 P.M. - 2:30 P.M.

Security Issues in Africa
Chair: Dr. Douglas Streusand, Institute of World Politics

Defining African Jewish Identities, Part 1
Chair: Dr. Nathan Devir, University of Utah

3:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.

Defining African Jewish Identities, Part 2
Chair: Dr. Nathan Devir, University of Utah

*The schedule will be updated regularly with sessions and presentations. The schedule is subject to change.*