Last Wednesday, Bwog Staff Writer Sabine Ebanks attended a talk on the changing order of the Middle East with Professor Rashid Khalidi.

On the evening of Wednesday, September 27, members of the Columbia community interested in Middle Eastern affairs gathered in the Roone Cinema in Lerner Hall for a talk billed as one of Columbia Women in Law and Politics’ “biggest events of the semester.” Professor Rashid Khalidi, a Palestinian-American historian and Professor of Modern Arab Studies, were present to speak about the changing order in the Middle East. The discussion was moderated by Professor Lisa Anderson, lecturer and Dean Emerita of SIPA. The event was co-sponsored by CU WILP, POLIS, Columbia Journal for Asia, and the Columbia Muslim Students Association.

Professor Anderson kicked the event off with a question on a topic frequently on the minds of college students (and people everywhere, hopefully): climate change. Professor Khalidi highlighted the massive effects that it’s had on the Middle East, and particularly honed in on the political implications of a changing climate. He shared a fascinating anecdote about how, before the Syrian Revolution in 2011, many people were forced to leave northern Syria because the rain-fed agriculture that had been practiced there for generations there was no longer possible. These people, most of whom moved to cities, were part of the class that became politically conscious and prompted the outbreak of therevolution in 2011, demonstrating the broader impact of the climate on politics in a region already marked by political turmoil.

Professor Khalidi also pointed out a certain irony in the situation. The Middle East is one of the regions most heavily affected by the changing climate, with reductions in rainfall in particular having devastating consequences. However, it is also the region that is the greatest exporter of hydrocarbons, whose combustion is a key cause of climate change. This paradox is further complicated by the fact that it could plausibly be an excellent source of solar energy which, though the countries “talk a good game” about taking advantage of, may take generations to be realized. 

Of a region often the subject of international tension and with governments not known for their stability, Professor Khalidi was critical but not unfairly so. He highlighted lasting issues with infrastructure and corruption, and how these issues impact citizens’ everyday lives. That being said, he mentioned that the many “failed states” in the region were often the result of severe external pressure and the meddling of larger powers.

The “Changing Order” referenced in the event’s title seemed to be focused on the re-shifting of diplomatic relations in the area. Both professors highlighted the increasing reluctance of states in the region to align with US foreign policy on numerous issues. Professor Anderson described the phenomenon as “partly self-inflicted,” explaining that the US policy since the Obama administration has been to try to pivot away from the Middle East towards more involvement in Asia and Latin America. She argued that if the US wanted to continue being a powerful leader in the region, they wouldn’t have been so explicit about their ambitions to pull out. 

A question from an audience member prompted an interesting discussion from the professors on the dismissal of democracy in the region since the Arab Spring protests of 2011. Professor Khalidi said that the failure to democratize is “one of the saddest things about the Middle East,” which he argues is a region with a long history of democratic aspirations. States have been creating democratic institutions since the Ottoman Empire, leading to the struggle between autocracy and popular representation being a story which has played out over more than a century. 

Professor Khalidi explained that, interestingly, even in countries that are formally in troubled diplomatic waters with one another, ministers of the interior are often happy to collaborate with each other to stop dissent, sharing information about possible dissidents and problematic opposition groups. Of the authoritarian governments in the Gulf States, he said “they do not want democracy anywhere in this region. It threatens their system.”

Ultimately, the talk was an interesting way to engage with the politics of a region that is frequently misunderstood. For those further interested in Professor Khalidi’s work and the topics raised, he encouraged students to take his course in the history department titled “History of the Modern Middle East”. With the shopping period having ended a few weeks ago, the recommendation came a little too late, but be on the lookout for his courses in the spring!

Rashid Khalidi via Wikimedia Commons