American University of Beirut - Issam Fares Institute

Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs

The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) aims to harness the policy-related research of AUB's internationally respected faculty in order to achieve several goals: to raise the quality of public policy-related debate and decision-making in the Arab World and abroad, to enhance the Arab World's input into international affairs, and to enrich the quality of interaction among scholars, officials and civil society actors in the Middle East and abroad.

Research and Policy

AUB Arab Uprisings
Research Initiative

The Issam Fares Institute is managing this long-term, multi-sectoral, AUB-wide initiative, launched by AUB's Office of the Provost.

31 May / 1 June, 2012
Arab Uprisings Symposium:
Critically Assessing the Changing Landscape of Power and Players

IFI Working Paper Series (WPS) number 8 is available:
Women's Citizenship Rights in Lebanon
As part of the Human Rights Project for the RAPP program, by Maya W. Mansour, Beirut Bar Association; Lecturer in Human Rights at Beirut Arab University, and Sarah G. Abou Aad, Beirut Bar Association; Human Rights in Lebanon Researcher and Activisit.
IFI Working Paper Series (WPS) number 7 is available:
The Dynamics of Policy Innovation and Diffusion in the Gulf Cooperation Council: A Case Study of Three Specialized Cities
by Hiba Khodr, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Public Management, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, AUB.

News

The New York Times' award-winning international affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman met with AUB professors, senior administrators and students for a two-hour roundtable discussion.

Read more
IFI Director Rami G. Khouri writes in Issue 15, Spring 2012 of Arab Media Society "Remembering Anthony Shadid's Craft and Conscience".
IFI Director Rami G. Khouri and IFI Distinguished Senior Fellow Dr Samir Makdisi, Professor Emeritus of Economics, will be "Exploring the Transition to Democracy in the Arab Region" at Harvard University Center for Middle Eastern Studies for a joint AUB-Harvard panel. Mr Khouri and Dr Makdisi will also be giving a public talk in Harvard Yard, "The Arab Uprisings: Underlying Factors, Democratic Transitions and Future Prospects".
IFI Associate Director Dr Karim Makdisi visited the United Nations as an expert to the Lebanese delegation, where he spent time meeting with Ambassador Salam and his team and attended United Nations Security Council (UNSC) deliberations, as Lebanon was presiding over the UNSC during September 2011.

Read Dr Makdisi's personal account.

Events

May 23, 2012
IFI's Youth in the Arab World cordially invites you to a lecture and open discussion, "Reflections on Arab Youth in the Aftermath of the Uprisings", with Adib Nehmeh, Regional Advisor, Millennium Development Goals, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
May 22, 2012
IFI and UNRWA cordially invite you to a screening of the documentary, "Someone Like Me", which will be followed by an open discussion with the two main characters.
May 21, 2012
IFI cordially invites you to the Nadim Makdisi Memorial Fund Annual Lecture, "Covering the Arab Spring: Myths, Lies and Truths", with Hani Shukrallah, Managing Editor of Egypt's daily "Al-Ahram" and author of "Egypt, the Arabs and the World, reflections at the turn of the 21st century".

Event posters in English ||| Arabic
May 18, 2012
AUB and the Global Development Network (GDN) cordially invite you to a panel discussion on "The Road to Democracy: the Arab Region, Latin America and Eastern Europe" with welcoming remarks from AUB Provost Ahmad Dallal. The event will be moderated by Samir Makdisi, Professor Emeritus of Economics, AUB.
May 15, 2012
Under the patronage of H.E. Nazem El-Khoury, Minister of Environment, in collaboration with UNDP and in partnership with the Issam Fares Institute, you are cordially invited to the launch of the World Bank Flagship Report, "Adaptation to a Changing Climate in the Arab Countries", produced in partnership with the League of Arab States.
May 10, 2012
In collaboration with the Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR), "Drawing the Line Between Religion and Politics: Challenges of the 2012 U.S. Elections", with Michael Kessler, Associate Director of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University.

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