The Newsletter of Middle East Studies Center, American University in Cairo May 2007 WWW.AUCEGYPT.EDU/ACADEMIC/MESC/ Page 2 ALUMNI UPDATE Hanan Thabet Jack Montgomery MA 2002 MA 1994 Current Job: Current Job: Program Officer at the Other Information: Jack is currently based in Institute of International Dubai, working as a Education (headquartered Despite having lived in consultant in sales and in New York). Hanan is numerous Middle Eastern marketing for the FMCG managing a newly cities, Jack still believes sector and looking for new launched scholarship that Cairo is "the best city regional opportunities. program for the Libyan in the Middle East." He is still in touch with friends Waha Oil Company. from AUC in 1992/1994. Recent Career These include Betsy Crook Recent Career Accomplishment: (now in Riyadh), Peter Accomplishments: Ilyck (still in Cairo), John Since graduation, Jack has Speaks (in Venezuela), In May 2006 Hanan worked for multinational Burr Gavin (in Dubai) and completed her MA in Near organizations throughout the Garrett Dorer (Jerusalem). Studies at New York Middle East, including 4 years University, where she was in Saudi Arabia, 2 years in awarded the Foreign Bahrain, and almost 10 years Language and Areas in Dubai, where he currently Studies Fellowship resides. (FLAS). OCTOBER 2006 Page 3 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: FROM THE DIRECTOR 4 JOEL BEININ THE JAMAHIRIYYA AT THIRTY 5 RORY A. MCNAMARA KHOMEINI & SHARIATI 7 KRISTEN ALFF TERRORISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST: 10 DIGGING FOR THE ROOTS MONA HEIKAL SANDRA MACKEY’S LEBANON: A HOUSE DIVIDED 11 A BOOK REVIEW BY SHUANG WEN VALI NASR’S THE SHIA REVIVAL: HOW 12 CONFLICTS WITHIN ISLAM WILL SHAPE THE FUTURE THE GAS EXPORTING COUNTRIES FORUM 14 & WHAT IT MEANS FOR QATAR IVAN ROSALES Editor Garth Hall The views expressed here are those of their authors and not necessarily Editor J. Marshall Brown those of MESC, the editor, or the Editor Rory A. McNamara Middle East studies program. WWW.AUCEGYPT.EDU/ACADEMIC/MESC/ Page 4 FROM THE DIRECTOR JOEL BEININ on the Modern Middle East Lenka Benova has kindly s the academic year which includes faculty and taken the initiative to A is coming to a researchers from AUC, organize this event. close, this is a good time to national universities, and A major project for the review the achievements of foreign and Egyptian next academic year will be to the Middle East Studies research centers. Part of review the requirements for Center and reflect on what the money will fund a the BA and the graduate we can aspire to do in the conference to be held at diploma. future. Among the AUC in March 2008 on outstanding “Islamists and Democrats.” As always, we welcome accomplishments of the input and suggestions from Dr. Joel Beinin is the new current academic year are: students. director of the Middle East Studies Center here at AUC. 4) The Center and its Before coming to AUC, he graduate student fellows taught Middle East history at Stanford University since 1) The highest number of (especially Anne Czichos Please mark your calendars students ever enrolled for and Rory McNamara) have for the end of year party: MA and diploma studies in worked closely with the Tuesday, May 15, 4:30 pm fall 2006-07 library to try to fill in its at the gaps in the area of modern Middle East Studies Center Middle East studies and to 2) The faculty Senate has expand the scope of Entertainment will be approved the plan to collecting Arabic language provided by Karam Murad enhance the standard of items. playing Nubian music on the the MA curriculum. The oud introductory interdisciplinary seminar, 5) The Center sponsored MEST 569, was taught for or co-sponsored ten the first time in fall 2006. lectures and a Ramadan A course on research iftar for students and methods for MA thesis affiliated faculty writers, MEST 598, will be taught for the first time in fall 2007. A higher level of A major objective for the Arabic language proficiency future is to encourage more will be required to students to write MA theses. graduate. This will apply to A first step in this direction is all students entering the the open-invitation event on program as of fall 2007. Monday, May 7, at 4:00 in the MESC offices. Several current students who have 3) The Center won a just completed or are about $75,000 grant from the to complete MA theses will Ford Foundation. Part of share their experiences with the money funds a monthly all current students Interdisciplinary Seminar interested in writing a thesis. OCTOBER 2006 Page 5 THE JAMAHIRIYYA AT THIRTY RORY A. MCNAMARA Group to find ways to help Qadhafi began explaining attract foreign investment. why traditional forms of his past March, democracy were Libyan regime It is no surprise that T inappropriate for Libya. members celebrated the 30th Libya’s reversal of economic Formal introduction of Libya’s anniversary of the formal and diplomatic tact comes unique political system would inception of the jamahiriyya, after the 1990s, which was not come until March 1977; Libya’s “republic of the internally the most tenuous in the meanwhile Qadhafi set masses.” Three decades in, decade of Qadhafi’s four out to consolidate economic this unique political system is decades in power. It’s and political power in the still all about one man. obvious that his sudden hands of the state. Foreign embrace of foreign Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi banks, hospitals, and oil businesses and smoothing has held power since companies were over of past antagonisms September 1, 1969—longer nationalized; all Libyan with the West is the ploy of a than any other ruler in the insurance companies, Col. Qadhafi prefers to be ruler seeking to reconsolidate Middle East. And despite false televisions channels, and addressed as “Brother Leader” his power. by his fellow Libyans. promises of “direct radio stations were seized on democracy,” Libya remains Therefore, international behalf of the state; the right dominated by an elite regime companies and investors to strike was abolished and thinly veiled in a system of seeking investment in Libya, private property was officially some 3,000 people’s and the governments which stripped of legal standing. committees and congresses. ultimately control access to Once the primacy of the that market, risk bolstering a After decades of Libyan state in the economic regime which has repressed international and economic realm had been assured, political and economic isolation, the Qadhafi regime is Qadhafi focused his efforts freedoms and trampled on now seeking to reestablish its on eliminating any vestige of human rights. Normalization ties to the global economy. political pluralism under the So far, common of economic ties with Libya International companies guise of “direct democracy” – signals to Qadhafi a lack of Libyans do not seem competing for increased a complicated and importance in the rights of to be benefiting from access to Libya’s vast oil burdensome network of Libyans. Aside from being the Libya-West resources have poured into the thousands of committees morally bankrupt, such a country. Shukri Ghanem, comprised of Libyans from all rapprochement. In strategy undermines future president of the Libyan occupational stripes. fact, allowing an relations between Libya and National Oil Company, told Adherence to state ideology, the West, as Libyans now influx of revenues to Agence France Presse that, however, was mandated by a alienated will harbor reach the Qadhafi “It’s a race for our black gold. 1972 law making political resentment for such a cold- regime threatens to We are organizing it like the activities outside the one shoulder long after ‘Brother Olympic Games and may the state party punishable by further insulate elites Leader’ has been toppled. best one win.” death. from the need of The Libyan government has Freedom of expression making any political even go so far as to hire the Consolidation of Power and press freedom have also concessions been made subservient to Cambridge, Massachusetts- Just months after the coup lock-step adoption of the based consulting firm Monitor which brought him to power, WWW.AUCEGYPT.EDU/ACADEMIC/MESC/ Page 6 party line. Journalist Abdullah increased access to Libyan enjoyed by Gulf monarchies, Ali al-Sanussi al-Darrat, oil fields. In the meantime, as Qadhafi would have little arrested in 1973, remains upscale retail shops along impetus to move towards detained incommunicado. Tripoli’s Gergaresh street see political liberalization and Reporters Without Borders increased business from would likely continue along claims that al-Darrat has Libya’s elites, the country’s the path which many analysts spent more time in prison infrastructure, hospitals, and believe may lead to the than any other journalist in education remains eventual handover of power the world. The vicious murder substandard. Libya’s oil to his son Seif al-Islam. of Daif al-Ghazal in 2005 wealth has not trickled down The appalling lack of also remains unpunished and to citizens outside the circle Fathi el-Jahmi, human and political rights suspicions circulate that his of power. perhaps Libya’s afforded to Libyans is death came as punishment Political pluralism and deplorable in its own right. It best-known for his outspoken criticism of rights of free expression and would be all the more dissident, was the Libyan regime. association have been regrettable if western arrested in 2002 Fathi el-Jahmi, perhaps similarly elusive. Since the countries were to continue to for having the Libya’s best-known dissident, US dropped Libya from its list compound this dismal record temerity to suggest was arrested in 2002 for of state sponsors of terrorism by contributing to its having the temerity to last summer, a small US capability to maintain a at a people’s suggest at a people’s embassy has opened inside hostile monopoly on political congress meeting congress meeting that the plush Maltese-owned expression.