AUK hosts a lecture by Dr. Shafeeq Ghabra "The Gulf Crisis: Issues & Prospects"
The Center for Gulf Studies (CGS) at AUK invited Dr. Shafeeq Ghabra, Professor of Political Science at Kuwait University and founding President of the American University of Kuwait, to address the Gulf Crisis and how it is influencing the current regional geopolitical situation. The lecture was held on Tuesday, 7 November, 2017, in the AUK Auditorium and was open to the members of the AUK community and the public.
In his talk, Dr. Ghabra discussed some factors that are affecting the region, such as the need to correctly define "terrorism", the separation of militant groups from the Muslim Brotherhood, and the accessibility to instant information through the internet and media. "You ended up asking what the definition of terrorism is. It doesn't reside in an entire group, rather in radical factions. You cannot exile an entire group of people from politics and society. You have to let them participate in elections, you cannot decide that yourself from a high position of power because then you are creating a humanitarian issue." Around the world the evolution of technology and the media impacted not only everyday life, but the political realm, "The world has changed, people talk and discuss. There is the internet and television; there is no way to control all of these channels for the spread of information," he added.
Mohammad Al-Awadi, CGS Program Coordinator, described the Center's inaugural event as a success. "Speaker, Dr. Ghabra, addressed the audience on his perspective regarding the Gulf Crisis and brought an anecdotal approach to his analysis by sharing his experience living in Qatar in the midst of the crisis," he explained.
Dr. Shafeeq Ghabra has been a Professor of Political Science at Kuwait University since 1987. He is the former founding President of the American University of Kuwait (2003-2006). He also served as the Director of the Kuwait Information office in Washington DC from 1998 to 2002, and the Director of the Center of Strategic Studies at Kuwait University (2002-2003). Dr. Ghabra earned his BA from Georgetown, MA from Purdue University, and his PhD from the University of Texas Austin.
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