Beirut journalist to lecture on Syria, Iraq and ISIS

Khouri, a noted Middle East journalist, columnist and editor-at-large for the Beirut-based Daily Star newspaper, has written for leading international publications including the Financial Times, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post. An author of numerous books and articles, including the internationally syndicated political column, “A View from the Arab World,” Khouri is a frequent current affairs commentator for BBC radio and television, CNN, NPR, Al-Jazeera International and other leading international media. He is also a founding member and senior public policy fellow of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, and is a non-resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Dubai School of Government.

Khouri was a Nieman Journalism Fellow at Harvard University in 2001-02, and in November 2006 was the co-recipient of the Pax Christi International Peace Award for his efforts to bring peace and reconciliation to the Middle East. A Palestinian-Jordanian and U.S. citizen, he holds a B.A. in political science and M.S. in mass communication from Syracuse University.

In his talk, Khouri will discuss the many regional and international issues plaguing much of the Middle East, such as the 67-year Israeli-Arab conflict, severe economic conditions that leave tens of millions of people in desperation, international engagement through deadly U.S. drone strikes, Syrian rebels, and a Russian military presence in Syria, “and in most countries, no ability to practice citizen rights. Only by tackling these issues [can we] reduce violence, reduce the terrorist threat,” Khouri said. “Only if we understand how we got to this point,” can the Middle East develop some idea of how to improve its situation. Democratic societies, human rights and better economic development policies are among the needed changes, he said. Foreign military powers should let the region solve its own problems, and the Israeli-Arab conflict, a source of tremendous destabilization, needs to be solved, said Khouri.

The event will be held at 7 p.m. in the Troesh Conference Center, Zapara School of Business. Khouri’s lecture serves as a bridge to La Sierra’s 7^th Annual Archaeology Discovery Weekend scheduled for Nov. 14-15 featuring lectures by international archaeologists on Syria’s immense cultural contributions and current threats to its cultural heritage. The weekend’s events, organized by La Sierra’s Center for Near Eastern Archaeology, are dedicated to the memory and work of Khaled al-Asaad, retired director of antiquities for the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra who in August was slain by jihadists of the Islamic State. 

Lecture admission is free. Khouri’s lecture is co-sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Inland Southern California, which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. For reserved seating, council members may register online at worldaffairsinlandempire.org. For further information about the lecture or Archaeology Discovery Weekend visit lasierra.edu/archaeology, call the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology at 951-785-2632 or email archaeology@lasierra.edu. La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, Calif., 92515. A campus map is available at https://lasierra.edu/campus-map/.