"The Future of Iraq: Bracing for the U.S. Drawdown
and the Impact on America"
University of Haifa's Expert on Iraq, Dr. Amatzia Baram,
to Speak in Miami and Palm Beach
Palm Beach, FL -
Dr. Amatzia Baram, a professor of Middle Eastern
history and Director of the Center for Iraq Studies at
the University of Haifa, will speak at Temple Emanu-El,
Miami Beach on Jan. 6 and Temple Emanu-El, Palm Beach on
Jan. 7. Dr. Baram will discuss Iraq after the U.S.
drawdown, sketch possible outcomes, and offer policy
recommendations that could help make the best of a
perilous situation. The Miami Beach presentation,
co-sponsored by Temple Emanu-El, Temple Beth Shalom and
the Cuban Hebrew Congregation of Miami will start at 7
p.m. The Palm Beach presentation will start at 7:30 p.m.
U.S. combat operations in Iraq may be drawing to a
close, but a new and more pivotal phase in Iraq's future
is just beginning. This new battle has major
implications for the Middle East as a whole as well as
for American interests there.
Can Iraqi politicians put aside their power struggles,
resist foreign influences, and set the stage for the
nation to emerge as the beacon of democracy envisioned
by former President George W. Bush?
Amatzia Baram, a professor of Middle Eastern history and
Director of the Center for Iraq Studies at the
University of Haifa, will discuss Iraq after the U.S.
drawdown, sketch possible outcomes, and offer policy
recommendations that could help make the best of a
perilous situation.
An internationally recognized authority, best known for
testifying before the U.S. government about Saddam
Hussein in September 2002, Professor Baram recently
appeared in the acclaimed documentary "No End in Sight."
He has written many books, most recently, a collection
of essays titled, Iraq Between Occupations:
Perspectives from 1920 to the Present.
Since the early 1980s, Dr. Baram has been advising
Israeli and U.S. governments on Iraq. Between 1981 and
1993 he served as a senior reserves officer in the
Israeli military intelligence, working on the Iraqi
political system and military. At
the University of Haifa, Dr. Baram has served as
Chair of the Department of Middle East History
and as Director of the Jewish-Arab Center and the
Institute of Middle Eastern Studies. He is the founder
and current Director of the Center for Iraq
Studies.
Dr. Baram has been interviewed by most of the world's
leading TV and radio networks and has appeared, through
interviews and op-eds, in leading newspapers, including:
The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street
Journal, The Herald Tribune and The London Times. He
has written three books and some 70 articles in
professional magazines and journals.
ASUH Contact:
Linda Slavin, Southeast Regional Director
954.344.6604 (Office) 954.263.0588 (Cell)
Media Contact:
Rebecca Coleman, Eureka! Productions
561-445-4442
About Dr. Amatzia Baram:
Dr. Baram is Professor Emeritus in the Department of
Middle East History and Director of the Center for
Iraq Studies at the University of Haifa (UH),
Israel. Dr. Baram was born in 1938 in Kfar Menachem,
a kibbutz in southern Israel. He served in the Israeli
tank corps as an officer during both his regular and
reserve military service.
In 1971, after a number of years teaching high school
science in Kfar Menachem, a young Dr. Baram embarked on
his true calling: his education as an historian of the
modern Middle East. Dr. Baram completed his
undergraduate and masters degrees, as well as his Ph.D.
(1986), at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Dr. Baram's teaching career at the University of
Haifa began in 1981 while still a doctoral
candidate. Since 1986, he has also completed
fellowships at a number of international research
institutions. In 1989 and 1990, Dr. Baram was a
Senior Associate Member at St. Antony's College,
Oxford, UK. In Italy, he served as a Senior
Fellow at the Rockefeller Foundation's Center in
Bellagio. He has also spent significant time in
America. On three separate occasions, he served as a
Senior Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars. He was twice a Fellow at the
U.S. Institute of Peace, and once each at the
Washington Institute and the Brookings Institute.
Dr. Baram also taught at Melbourne University in
Australia.
At the University of Haifa, Dr. Baram has served
as Chair of the Department of Middle East History
and as Director of the Jewish-Arab Center and the
Institute of Middle Eastern Studies. He is the founder
and current Director of the Center for Iraq Studies.
His main fields of research include:
-
Iraq 1920-2010:
politics, religion, culture, and society (specifically,
1968-2010)
-
Tribe and state in the Middle East
-
The Arab Shi'ah
Since the early 1980s, Dr. Baram has been advising
Israeli and U.S. governments on Iraq. Between 1981 and
1993 he served as a senior reserves officer in the
Israeli military intelligence, working on the Iraqi
political system and military.
Dr. Baram has been interviewed by most of the world's
leading TV and radio networks including: CNN, CBS, ABC,
NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, U.S. Public TV and Radio, BBC, as well
as international outlets in Canada, Germany, Italy, the
Netherlands, and Japan.
His has appeared, through interviews and op-eds, in
leading newspapers, including: The New York Times, The
Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Herald
Tribune, The London Times, The Financial Times, and The
Guardian. He has written three books and some 70
articles in professional magazines and journals.
Presently Dr. Baram is editing an academic volume:
"Iraq between Occupations: Perspectives, 1920 to the
Present" to be published in 2010 by Palgrave-Macmillan.
His latest book: "Mosque - State Relations in Iraq,
1968-2009", is due in 2011. During the 2010-2011
academic year, Dr. Baram will be teaching for the second
time as a Goldman Chair Professor at Georgetown
University.
About American Society of the University of Haifa:
The role of the Southeast Region of the American Society
of the University of Haifa is to support the University
of Haifa by educating individuals, foundations and media
about the University by hosting various events
throughout the year featuring UH professors, officials
and keynote speakers offering open dialogue between
guests and distinguished speakers, aspiring to develop
new friends for the University.
For nearly 40 years, the society has served as a vital
connection between the University and its many friends
in the United States. The goal of the American Society
of the University of Haifa is to help ensure the
continued excellence of the educational, research, and
community activities of the University of Haifa. The
American philanthropic presence is felt throughout the
University's campus: buildings, libraries, laboratories,
instruments, research projects and departments bear the
names of loyal American supporters.