ANU - Faculty of Arts - CENTRE FOR ARAB & ISLAMIC STUDIES (THE MIDDLE EAST & CENTRAL ASIA)<br /><br />Ph: 61 2 6125 4982 fax: 61 2 6125 5410 email: cais@anu.edu.au

Recent Events and Seminars
20 October 2009 *President Obama’s ‘New’ Afghanistan-Pakistan Strategy: Why it is Unlikely to Work* Professor M. Nazif Shahrani Professor of Anthropology, Central Asian & Middle Eastern Studies and Chairman Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Indiana University, Bloomington Listen to Lecture
21 October 2009 *Diverse Aspects of Teaching Persian Language* Mrs Samineh Baghchehban More Information
28th July 2009 *India’s Role in Afghanistan* Mr Vijay Kumar Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, India.
22nd July 2009 *Iran: An Islamic government in crisis?* Professor Amin Saikal Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies, ANU Further Information		Professor Saikal with Professor Greg Fry (Director, GSIA Program, ANU)
9 June 2009 Islam, Islamism and Democracy: the Turkish Case Professor William Hale Visiting Professor, Department of Politics, University of Otago, NZ Former Professor of Turkish Politics, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Further Information
4 June 2009 'The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Today' Prince Turki Al-Faisal President of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Further Information Listen to Lecture		Prince Al-Faisal during his lecture
1 June 2009 'The Accidental Guerrilla: fighting small wars in the midst of a big one' David Kilcullen Senior counterinsurgency advisor to General David Petraeus in Iraq,and chief counterterrorism strategist for the US State Department. Further Information Listen to Lecture		Dr David Kilcullen addressing the audience at an ANU Public lecture in June.
6 May 2009 Russia and the Medvedev Presidency - One year on Professor Stuart Harris Department of International Relations, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies Dr Robert F. Miller Communist Systems Transformation Project, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies Dr Kirill Nourzhanov Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, Faculty of Arts Further Information
Gallipoli Symposium 15-16 April 2009
24th March 2009 DIALOGUE, JUSTICE AND PEACE H.E. Dr Seyed Mohammad Khatami (former President and current Presidential Candidate of Iran) Further Information		H.E. Dr Seyed Mohammad Khatami To Listen to Lecture click here
20 March 2009 Afghanistan: From Great Game to Grand Bargain Dr Barnett Rubin Further information
18 March 2009 Human Rights and the Palestine-Israel Conflict - A Reframing? Professor Jeff Halper Further information
11 March 2009 Uzbekistan: Negotiating Transition Professor Gulkhumor Tuychieva & Dr Angeline Low Further information
14 January 2009 Gaza Stripped Bare Dr Matthew Gray Senior Lecturer - Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies Lecture (Click here)
4 December 2008 ISLAM AND SECULARISM IN MALAYSIA WORKSHOP Since 2000 in Malaysia, various cases of religious conversions, Hindu temple demolitions, confiscation of Bibles, night club raids and singling out of Muslim women for humiliation, and the rise of civil society groups like Article 11 signalled to cosmopolitan Malaysians that they might be clinging to outmoded notions of secular discourse that had been overtaken by effective Islamization and NEP bumiputera politics. The symposium is concerned to find confluences between secularists and faith-based groups in Malaysia in formulating common ground (such as social justice and democracy) in order to address public policies. For example, finding a way re-engage all parties after the failed attempt in 2005 to establish an Inter-Faith Commission or discussing the possibilities of how a secular Constitution might secure the confidence and freedom of all religious (and non-religious) groups and individuals. Is it possible to use a discourse of the ‘common good’ (al-maslaha al-‘amma) in Islam and in secularism to think and talk about politics, gender and ethnic identity and nation that will not alienate the religious-minded in Malaysia? To that end, Prof. Piscatori’s expertise on the role of Islam and secularism will provide much-needed breadth and global context. Moreover, how does the discourse and law of human rights relate to the interpretation of Islamic law in Malaysia? The impact and role of the NGO, Sisters in Islam, will be discussed as well as the ways the marriage of Islamization and ethnic politics in Malaysia have impacted Christians and Hindus, culminating in Christian-based initiatives in Kuala Lumpur and the Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force) public demonstration of 40,000 people in November 2007. Nevertheless, a sample of independent short films made by Malaysians focusing on the theme of the headscarf (tudung) suggests that there is still a lot of faith and mutual respect for Islam and multicultural diversity. More critically, the new non-racialised real politics in Malaysia since the March 08 general election gives weight to the symposium’s anti-racialised discourse, an incipient analytical framework that is gaining popularity with a new generation of Malaysianist scholars. It will be crucial to see how the three parties in the Opposition, one being the Islamic party PAS, negotiate the border between secularism and Islam. What does the new political horizon that de-emphasizes race spell for secularism and/or Islam? Does the shift away from Malay rights concurrently signal a slowing of the processes of official Islamization? Or would it promote a different practice and understanding of Islamization, one which is removed from Malayness?
24 November 2008 TURKEY: ITS ROLE IN THE 21ST CENTURY NEW WORLD ORDER Speaker: MR DAVID BARCHARD More information
29 October 2008 Morocco: Major Reforms & Main Challenges Speaker: H.E. Dr Badre Eddine Allali Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Australia More Information
22 October 2008 The Global Financial Crisis and Its Impact on the Middle East Speaker: Dr Matthew Gray More Information
15 October 2008 BEYOND OCCUPATION? Examining the New Reality in Israel and Palestine Dr Sara Roy Play Lecture Mp3 2.6 MB
11 September 2008 Ahmad Shah Massoud Memorial Panel Discussion Afghanistan: A Stocktake Speakers: His Excellency Mr Amanullah Jayhoon Australia – Afghanistan Relations: An update Professor William Maley Afghanistan’s Reconstruction: An update Mr Daoud Yaqub Afghanistan’s Security: An update Dr Kirill Nourzhanov Afghanistan & Russia: An update Dr Rizwan Hussain Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations: An update Chair: Prof Amin Saikal
28 August 2008 *THE ISLAMIST TERRORIST PROJECT* Differences between the West and the Muslim world PROFESSOR FARHAD KHOSROKHAVAR Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France.
12 August 2008 *Running the War in Iraq* Major General Jim Molan Listen to Lecture (MP3 2.6MB)
3 July 2008 Religion Secularism and Democracy Dr Gholamali Khoshroo Former Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Iran (2002-2005)
12 May 2008 ENDING THE PALESTINE/ISRAEL IMPASSE Mr Ali Abunimah Palestine Center, Washington DC
29 April 2008 A Processability approach to Arabic L2 teaching and curriculum design Dr Ghassan Al Shatter Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies
22 April 2008 Regional Cooperation Strategy of Afghanistan Mahmoud Saikal International Advisor, United Nations Development Programme, Afghanistan National Development Strategy and former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Afghanistan Play / download lecture mp.3.26
3 April 2008 FIRST INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON GALLIPOLI: History, Art and Literature
Speakers and papers: Professor Joan Beaumont Alfred Deakin Professor Deakin University *Who owns Gallipoli? graves, bones, and roads and transnational heritage* ____________________________________________________ Dr Roger Hillman Lecturer in Film Studies School of Humanities The Australian National University *Representing Gallipoli on film – from national to transnational myth?* _______________________________________________________ Mrs Candan Kirisci Postgraduate Scholar Department of Western Languages and Literatures Bogaziçi Üniversitesi,Istanbul *The Reflection of Gallipoli in Turkish Literature* ___________________________________________ Mr Andrew Yip Postgraduate Scholar Department of Art History and Theory University of Sydney *Framing the Enemy: Turkish paintings of Gallipoli as cross-cultural exchange* Dr Mehdi Ilhan Convenor of Turkish Studies Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies The Australian National University *An Introduction to Turkish Sources on the Gallipoli Campaign* Symposium Co-ordinator: Dr Mehdi Ilhan Contact - E: Mehdi.Ilhan@anu.edu.au

2007 Seminars
	21-22 November 2007	Australia in the Middle East and Central Asia Workshop
	16 October 2007	Israel's Dilemma in Palestine: The Process, The Failures and The Prospect for a Just and Workable Solution.
	8 October 2007	Turkish Foreign Policy in Turbulent Times
	5 October 2007	What's Happening with Israel and Syria?
	17 September 2007	Ahmad Shah Massoud Memorial Panel Discussion Afghanistan: Where to From Here?
	10 September 2007	Saudi Arabia and the Gulf: Sources of Stability and Instability
	2 July 2007	Reviving the Middle East Peace Process: An Arab Perspective
	13 June 2007	Evolving Challenges for Bangladesh in South Asia
	10 May 2007	Iraq and the Future of Political Islam Play / download lecture [.mp3.26 mb.] Download -Lecture [pdf]
	22 March 2007	Marmaduke Pickthall and Islam: An Introduction
	7th March 2007	Muslim Identity and Integration in Europe: The Declaration of Muslim European.
	26 October 2006	The Search for Ancient Damascus Play / download lecture [.mp3, 26 mb.] Play / download slides [PowerPoint, 15 mb.]
	11 October 2006	"OPEN AIR PRISONS: The new form of the Israeli occupation of Palestine"
	13 September 2006	"Behind the Headlines: How Islam’s Past Impels its Presence in the World Today"
	11 September 2006	"The Middle East through Arab Eyes"
	7 September 2006	Ahmad Shah Massoud Memorial Panel Discussion "Afghanistan: Successes and Challenges"
	25 August 2006	"Global Security Challenges and Russian Foreign Policy"
	10 August 2006	"Food Security and Water Poverty in Central and West Asia and North Africa Region"
	7 August 2006	"Australia’s Relations with the Middle East"
	24 July 2006	"Islam and modern challenges: formula for change"
	20 July 2006	"Palestinian Politics and Society after the Election of Hamas: Realities and Prospects"
	24 May 2006	"Fast Forward to the Past? The Line in the Sand from Iraq to Iran" To play lecture click on the prompt below: Play Lecture
	7 April 2006	Professor Amin Saikal receives Order of Australia
	19 April 2006:	"Russia, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and Central Asia".
	18 April 2006	"Dr Frankenstein of the North Caucasus? President Putin’s Chechen Policy and the Dilemmas of Power in the Region".
	29 March 2006	Booklaunch of "Islam and Marble" by Michael Greenhalgh, The Sir William Dobell Professor of Art History, ANU.
	9 March 2006	"The Great War for Civilisation; The Conquest of the Middle East" To play lecture click on the prompt below: Play Lecture
	16 March 2006	"The Limits of Statebuilding: The Role of International Assistance in Afghanistan".
	8 February 2006	“The United Nations experience in post-conflict operations: Lessons from East Timor”
	11-14 December 2005	DIPLOMACY TRAINING - DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE IN KABUL
	4 October 2005	"The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East"
	6 September 2005	The Ahmad Shah Massoud Memorial Panel Discussion.
	25 August 2005.	"Egypt's Foreign Policy: New Challenges and Perspectives"
	19 August 2005	"Afghanistan: Foreign Policy Challenges and Responses"
	6-12 August 2005	Eight students from Zayed University, UAE, participated in a Cultural Orientation Program at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies
	1 August 2005.	"Contrasting Visions of Democracy for the Middle East"
	28 July 2005	"Australian Foreign Policy and Iraq"
	15 March 2005.	"Turkish Entry to the European Union: Some Perspectives from the European Parliament"
	9 February 2005.	"The Greater West Asian Crisis: 2000-2005, Causes and Consequences"
	4-5 February 2005.	The Seventh Biennial Conference of the Australasian Association for Communist and Post-Communist Studies (AACPCS) was held at The Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies on
The Centre organises seminars on a regular basis with a variety of speakers from the region. The seminars cover a wide spectrum of topics relating to the Middle East and Central Asia, and provide a valuable forum for CAIS scholars and other interested parties to keep abreast of developments in the region. An annual lecture on Islamic Civilisation is also hosted by the Centre. The Centre also convenes international conferences, having hosted the following conferences since 1994: The Middle East: Prospects for Settlement and Stability' (1994) 'Lebanon Beyond 2000' (1995) 'Turkey: A Bridge Between East and West' (1995) 'Egypt Under Mubarak: Politics, Economics and Foreign Policy' (1998) 'The Middle East: Fifty Years On' (1998) 'Australia-Iran Relations' (2000)

Recent Events and Seminars

21 October 2009

4 December 2008