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Political Science Faculty Respond to Egyptian Protests

Recent commentary on the political unrest in Egypt has highlighted the rigorous research and outreach of the Political Science Department. On February 3, the department co-hosted Popular Uprisings in the Arab World: An Open Discussion on Recent Events. The panel discussion provided expert commentary from some of the university's leading scholars on Arab politics: Amel Ahmed, assistant professor of political science; David Mednicoff, assistant professor of public policy; and Jillian Schwedler, associate professor of political science. The event was an open forum to understand the source of citizen frustration and dissatisfaction with country politics and leadership in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, and surrounding countries.

After the forum, Professor Schwedler was interviewed as one of 100 faculty nationwide who signed a letter to President Obama encouraging him to "move beyond rhetoric to support the democratic movement sweeping over Egypt." Moreover, Schwedler said that although the human rights abuses in Egypt have been documented, they tend to be obscured by US-Egyptian diplomatic relationships. Professor Schwedler additionally commented on King Abdullah II's reign in Jordan and the associated dissent in that country on Thursday and will be a panelist on "The Arab Revolt: Dictatorship, Democracy, and U.S. Foreign Policy" on February 8 at Mount Holyoke College.

 

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  • Faculty News