Focus
Interviews on global affairs and daily life
Monday thru Friday, 10 am to noon on WILL-AM 580
Interview Archives: Middle East
Monday April 09, 2012, 10:06 AM
The Long Divergence: How Islamic Law Held Back the Middle East
Timur Kuran, Ph.D., Professor of Economics and Political Science & Gorter Family Professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University
Host: David Inge
During the Middle Ages, the economy of the Middle East was at least as well developed as that of Europe. But by the 19th century, the Middle East had fallen dramatically behind. Why did the region fail to modernize economically as the West surged ahead? Duke Univesity economist Timur Kuran talks about his book "The Long Divergence." He argues that it was not colonialism or geography that made the difference, but two aspects of Islamic law dealing with inheritance and partnerships.
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Categories: History • Science • Middle East
Tuesday February 21, 2012, 10:06 AM
The Invisible Arab: The Promise and Peril of the Arab Revolution
Marwan Bishara, Senior Political Analyst, Al Jazeera English; Editor and Host of "Empire", Al Jazeera Network
Host: David Inge
Over the past year, governments around the Middle East have been rocked by political protest. To much of the world, it seemed that people who had long suffered in silence suddenly decided that they would take no more, rising up to claim their freedom. In fact, says Marwan Bishara, these events were the result of a long social and political struggle. Marwan Bishara, senior political analyst for Al Jazeera English, explains the history behind the Arab Spring, a history that he says the West has largely ignored.
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Categories: History • International Affairs • Politics • Middle East • Israel • Palestine
Wednesday January 18, 2012, 11:06 AM
Current Events in Pakistan
Stephen P. Cohen, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, 21st Century Defense Initiative
Host: David Inge
We'll talk about current events in Pakistan with Stephen Cohen, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Concerns about stability, nuclear weapons and the presence of anti-Western militant groups within the country have all come together to make Pakistan a continuing worry for the Obama administration. We'll look at tensions between the Zardari government and Pakistan's military, and talk about relations between Pakistan and the U.S.
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Categories: International Affairs • Middle East
Tuesday December 20, 2011, 10:06 AM
Current Events in Syria
Joshua M. Landis, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Middle East Studies and Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oklahoma
Host: David Inge
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Categories: Government • International Affairs • Middle East • Syria
Tuesday August 16, 2011, 10:06 AM
An Update on the Arab Spring
Robert Malley, Ph.D., J.D., Program Director, Middle East and North Africa, International Crisis Group, Washington, D.C.
Host: David Inge
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Categories: History • International Affairs • Politics • Middle East
Monday August 15, 2011, 11:06 AM
Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World
Robin Wright, Award-Winning Journalist; Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow, United States Institute of Peace
Host: David Inge
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Categories: Cultural Studies • Politics • Religion • Middle East
Tuesday May 24, 2011, 11:06 AM
Current Events in Syria
Joshua M. Landis, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Middle East Studies; Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oklahoma
Host: David Inge
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Categories: Government • International Affairs • Middle East • Syria
Tuesday April 05, 2011, 11:06 AM
Life As Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East
Asef Bayat, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Middle East Studies, University of Illinois
Host: David Inge
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Categories: Behavior • Government • History • Human Rights • Middle East
Friday August 13, 2010, 10:06 AM
The Fourth Star: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army
David Cloud, National Security Journalist with the Los Angeles Times
Host: David Inge
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Categories: Biography • History • Military • Asia • Afghanistan • Middle East • Iraq
Wednesday July 28, 2010, 10:06 AM
"The Desert War: Is This the Next Afghanistan?"
Robert F. Worth, Ph.D., Journalist, New York Times covering the Middle East
Host: David Inge
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Categories: Terrorism • Middle East • Yemen
