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Civil War in Syria: Domestic, Regional and International Repercussions
April 15, 2015, 12:00 PM
Syria’s Arab Spring of March 2011 had transformed into a tragic sectarian civil conflict within six months, fracturing the glue that for centuries had held together the mosaic of diverse Christian and Muslim communities that composed Syria. Since 2012 thousands of militant foreign Islamist fighters, often called Jihadis and determined to rid Syria of what they consider to be an anti-Muslim regime, have overrun the country, thanks to tacit support they received from Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Al-Qaeda in Syria was the most infamous of these groups during 2012 and 2013, but in 2014 a new group entered Syria from Iraq, proclaiming itself to be the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and later the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The presentation will examine the role, both intentional and unintentional, of Jihadi intervention in fostering religious strife in Syria and assess the prospects for Syria’s multiple Christian and Muslim communities to return to confessional harmony.
A Waterville native, our speaker Eric Hooglund is a professor emeritus of Middle East Studies at Lund University in Sweden, an internationally recognized scholar of contemporary Iran, and editor of the journal Middle East Critique. During a 40-year academic career, he has taught about the culture, international relations, and politics of the Middle East at colleges in Asia, Europe and the United States, including Oxford University and both Bates and Bowdoin in Maine. He has written or edited seven books and more than 100 scholarly articles. He currently resides in Belgrade Lakes.
Lunch will be catered by Barrels Market for $10. Please pay at the door. Lunch includes your choice of sandwich, soup, cookie, coffee or tea.
Please register with Bonnie Sammons by Monday April 13. On registering, please indicate your sandwich choice: Ham and Swiss, Roast Chicken Salad, or Hummus/Veggie. If your plans change and you are unable to attend, please notify us so that lunch orders can be adjusted.