James E. Smith Midwest Conference on World Affairs coordinator, 308.865.8944
Rami Khouri, author of “A View from the Arab World,” an international syndicated political column, and the executive editor of The Daily Star, the largest English language newspaper published throughout the Middle East, will speak as part of the University of Nebraska at Kearney James E. Smith Midwest Conference on World Affairs on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
Khouri will begin his presentation, titled “Avoiding Crisis in the Middle East: The Inside Track on the Combination of Demographics, Economy, Ideology, Politics, Religion and Foreign Influence,” at 7 p.m. in the Nebraskan Student Union Ponderosa Room. The talk is free and open to the public.
The former editor-in-chief of The Jordan Times, Khouri has written for various international publications including The Financial Times,The BostonGlobe and The Washington Post. His writing bridges the interests of Middle Eastern and Western readers with an analysis of international issues.
In 2006, Khouri was awarded the Pax Christi 2006 Peace Prize for his contribution to a better understanding of the Middle East situation through his writings. He is known for writing about the global influence of the Middle East, as well as its economy, culture, politics and religion.
According to American Program Bureau, Khouri “clearly articulates the hot button topics of today that will change the scope of all enterprise, culture, politics and security of tomorrow. Considered an authoritative expert with the inside track on the Middle East, he combines the facts and his view from the Arab world, equally outlining the dangers and opportunities of pursuing interests in this intriguing area.”
In addition to his professional work, Khouri is a senior associate at the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflict at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and a Fellow of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs in Jerusalem. He has also served as a Nieman Journalism Fellow at Harvard University and was appointed a member of the Brookings Institution Task Force on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World.
A Palestinian-Jordanian, Khouri was educated in both the Middle East and the U.S. He returned to his homeland 35 years ago and currently resides in Beirut, Amman and Nazareth.
