Dr. Eckart Woertz, the director of the Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES) at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg, delivered a lecture on " Food Politics in the Middle East " on March 11 at the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. In his lecture, Dr. Woertz explored the heart of the global food security challenge, as Middle East stands in the spotlight of simultaneous global crises in the fields of food, water, and energy. He gave a rare insight about the geopolitics of the Middle East, which is not only playing a prominent role in global oil, but also in global food markets and food security.
Then, Dr. Tariq Tell, Assistant Professor of Political Studies in the Department of Political Studies and Public Administration at the American University of Beirut, made comments on the lecture with a connection to the history of agrarian transformation in the Middle East. Last, Dean Rabi Mohtar expressed his reflections and thoughts before Dr. Keulertz opens floor for discussion.
Dr. Woertz had visited to Beirut from March 10-13 and accepted the invitation of the Food Security Program for delivering a guest lecture (limited to an audience of 20 people due to COVID-19 outbreak in Lebanon). In addition to the guest lecture, Dr. Woertz spoke with students of the Master of Science in Food Security program and met with faculty experts in food and water security.
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In addition to his capacity as the director of the Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES) at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg, Dr. Woertz is professor for contemporary history and politics of the Middle East at the University of Hamburg. He is author of Oil for Food (Oxford University Press 2013), co-editor of the Water-Energy Food Nexus in the Middle East and North Africa (Routledge 2016) and editor of GCC Financial Markets (Gerlach Press 2012). Besides academic publications he has contributed to numerous consultancy and policy reports for clients in the Middle East and at international organizations. Previously he held positions at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB), Sciences Po in Paris, Princeton University and the Gulf Research Center in Dubai and worked for banks in Germany and the United Arab Emirates in equity and fixed income trading.