Guided Search: Global Crisis, Middle East

In partnership with: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Unrest in Syria grew out of discontent with the Assad government and escalated to an armed conflict after protests calling for his removal were violently suppressed. The ensuing Syrian Civil War might well be the deadliest conflict the 21st century has witnessed so far.

Cultural property and heritage has become a target in modern warfare. In 2001, the Taliban provoked international outrage when it destroyed two ancient statues of the Buddha carved into a hillside in the Bamiyan valley in Afghanistan. And, over the past several years, the Islamic State has destroyed a number of important ancient sites, museums, and cultural heritage sites in Syria and Iraq.

It has been said of the two-state solution that it is a terrible idea for resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict but better than all the other alternatives. And now amid all the turmoil in the Middle East, some would argue the time is just not right while others argue it is more imperative than ever before. We are pleased to feature a prominent student of the subject to explore it with us.

The Dialogue Institute is hosting a free* lecture and discussion with Dr. Ziad Fahed, “Fostering Youth Resilience to Counteract Extremism: Grassroots Experience from Philadelphia to Lebanon,” .

Imagine . . . You were in charge and it was your job to bring peace to the world. What would you do?

The Dialogue Institute, along with the Temple University Departments of History and Religion, is sponsoring a teach-in at Temple focused on Lebanon's uprising, its socio-political impact and the ensuing rise of grassroots journalism.