Middle Eastern Expert to Speak at Canisius

March 11, 2013

BUFFALO, NY – Fawaz A. Gerges, PhD, professor of Middle Eastern politics and international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and director of the Middle East Center at LSE, will speak at Canisius University on Wednesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Grupp Fireside Lounge. Gerges lecture, entitled “What Islamist Movements Mean for U.S. Foreign Policy", is free and open to the public. The event is presented by The William H. Fitzpatrick Chair of Political Science Lecture Series.

Gerges is a leading scholar on Islam, including mainstream Islamist movements and jihadist groups; Arab politics; Muslim politics in the 20th century; the international relations of the Middle East; the Arab-Israeli conflict; state and society in the Middle East; American foreign policy towards the Muslim world; and the modern history of the Middle East.

Gerges is the author of Obama and the Middle East: The End of America’s Moment? (Palgrave Macmillian, 2012) and The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda (Oxford University Press, 2011). He is also the author of several acclaimed books including Journey of the Jihadist: Inside Muslim Militancy (Harcourt Press, 2007) and Far Enemy: Why Jihad Went Global (Cambridge University Press, 2005). The Washington Post selected The Far Enemy as one of the best 15 books published in the field. Gerges’ articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Middle East Journal and many others.

Often called upon by the national and international media outlets for his expert opinion, Gerges has been interviewed by ABC, CNN, BBC, NPR, Al Jazeera, Sky News and LBC. He has been a guest on The Charlie Rose Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Bill Moyers Journal, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, ABC Nightline and the Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC).

Gerges holds a doctorate from Oxford University and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics. He is the recipient of MacArthur, Fulbright and Carnegie Fellowships.

For more information, contact the Office of Public Relations at 716-888-2790 or visit canisius.edu/fitzpatrick.

Canisius University is one of 28 Jesuit universities in the nation and the premier private university in Western New York.