News Releases
News from Lane Community College
For release November 15, 2011
Ellis Goldberg to speak at Lane Nov. 17
EUGENE, OR – The Lane Community College Islamic Initiative, the Lane Peace Center, and the University of Oregon are proud to sponsor Middle East Specialist Ellis Goldberg to Lane Community College on November 17.
There will be two presentations as follows:
Main Session: Thursday, November 17, at 5:30 p.m. in the Center for Meeting and Learning, Room 104, main campus.
Title: Egyptian Spring: Desperately Seeking Revolution
Abstract: In 18 days at the beginning of 2011 massive protests in Egypt brought down the government of President Hosni Mubarak after 30 years in power. Protesters wanted changes in a government that was repressive, unresponsive, as well as incompetent and corrupt. The armed forces stepped in with a promise to safeguard the revolution and provide a transition to an elected civilian government. Egyptians are wondering how this will all end. Professor Goldberg will address some of the causes of the revolution as well as the political conflicts that have continued to roil the country in the period since February. He will discuss the economic, social and political problems that Egypt must attempt to resolve in order to establish a government that is stable, democratic and successful.
Afternoon Session: Thursday, November 17, from 1-2:50 p.m. in the Center for Meeting and Learning, Room 220, main campus.
Title: Armies, Democracy and a Suggestion for US Policy in the Middle East
Abstract: The military in Egypt has assumed control of the revolutionary process. This is a very different situation than exists in Tunisia where the military stood aside from the transition or Libya where it had been profoundly weakened by the Qaddafi regime itself. It also differs from both Syria and Yemen where the armed forces, or at least important sections of it, remain strongly in favor of maintaining the regime. Ellis Goldberg will discuss why the Egyptian military has taken a different path than other Arab militaries and the implications for US policy of supporting powerful military forces in the region, if it in fact wishes to promote democratic transitions
Bio: Ellis Goldberg is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California in Berkeley, specializing in the study of Middle Eastern politics. Dr. Goldberg has chaired the Middle East Center of the Jackson School of International Studies, been a visiting professor at Princeton University, and a visiting research fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University. His books and other publications deal with the post-colonial trade union movement in Egypt, political movements within Islam, and human rights. Dr. Goldberg was teaching at the American University in Egypt and living in Cairo from January 16 until June 7, 2011 and spent many days in Midan al-Tahrir and on the streets of Egypt.
Complete information is available online at: http://2011sitearchive.lanecc.edu/oasa/scholar_lectures/scholars.html
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Media Contact: Stan Taylor, Lane Peace Center, 541 463-5820 or taylors@lanecc.edu
