Current Events and the Psychology of Politics
Loading

Featured Posts        



categories        



Links        



archives        



meta        




Sep 15th, 2008


Three upcoming events at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., put the spotlight on foreign policy and international affairs. All three events are free and open to the public.

“An Overview of U.S. Foreign Policy Today”

Brian Gunderson, chief of staff to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaks on “An Overview of U.S. Foreign Policy Today” at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16 in the Alumni Lounge, Quadrangle, Saint John’s University.

A native of Minnesota, Gunderson became chief of staff under Secretary Rice in January 2005. Before joining the Bush administration, Gunderson held many senior positions on Capitol Hill. He was chief of staff for House Majority Leader Richard Armey (R-Texas), and advised the Congressional leadership on foreign policy, defense, and international economics.

The event is sponsored by the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, in conjunction with Mark Kennedy’s Frontiers of Freedom Lecture Series and Students Fostering Conservative Thought at CSB and SJU. Rep. Kennedy, who served Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007, is a 1979 graduate of SJU.

——

“Bosnia and Herzegovina: Thirteen Years After the War”

Ana TriÅ¡ic’ Babic’, deputy minister of foreign affairs of Bosnia-Herzegovina, speaks on “Bosnia and Herzegovina: Thirteen Years After the War” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, in the Alumni Lounge, Quadrangle, Saint John’s University.

Babic’ has been deputy minister of foreign affairs since February 2007. From 2001-2007, Babic’ was assistant minister for bilateral relations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Bosnia-Herzegovina.

——

“‘An Assured Peace’ or ‘A Victory Hoped For’? Iraqi Realities and American Politics”

Juan R. I. Cole, Richard P. Mitchell Distinguished University Professor of History at the University of Michigan, speaks on “‘An Assured Peace’ or ‘A Victory Hoped For’? Iraqi Realities and American Politics” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29, in the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Saint John’s University.

The presentation is part of the Global Awareness Lecture Series at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University.

Cole has written extensively about Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and South Asia. He has given numerous media and press interviews on the War on Terrorism since Sept. 11, 2001, as well as concerning the Iraq War and the building conflict with Iran from 2003. He has a regular column at Salon.com.

He continues to study and write about contemporary Islamic movements, whether mainstream or radical, Sunni, Salafi, or Shi`ite. Cole speaks Arabic, Persian, and Urdu and reads some Turkish, knows both Middle Eastern and South Asian Islam, and lived in a number of places in the Muslim world for extended periods of time.

For three decades, he has sought to put the relationship of the West and the Muslim world in historical context, and his most recent book is Napoleon’s Egypt: Invading the Middle East (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007). He also writes on current events, and his articles on contemporary Sunni radicalism include “Muslim Religious Extremism in Egypt” in Middle East Historiographies (University of Washington Press, 2006) and “The Taliban, Women, and the Hegelian Private Sphere” in Social Research (Fall 2003).

The program is co-sponsored by the Islamic Studies Task Force and the University Chair in Critical Thinking.

———

IRAQ UPDATE

Synchronized Car Bombings in Baghdad Kill 12


September 15, 2008

BAGHDAD — A double car bombing struck a busy commercial district Monday in Baghdad, killing at least 12 people in one of the deadliest attacks in the capital in weeks.

Iraqi officials said the explosives-laden cars were parked between a passport office and a courthouse when they blew up nearly simultaneously in the mainly Shiite neighborhood of Karradah. …

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information, also said 36 people were wounded and dozens of cars were burned or damaged. …

——

Late update

BAGHDAD (AP) – Iraqi authorities say a suicide bomber has blown himself up in a house northeast of Baghdad, causing dozens of casualties among police and civilians. …





3 Responses to “Spotlight on Foreign Policy”
  1. Immelman for Congress » Blog Archive » Iraq-Afghanistan Casualties Says:

    […] After the Primary Election: Day 6 […]

  2. Immelman for Congress » Blog Archive » Bachmann Caught in Lie (Again) Says:

    […] After the Primary Election: Day 6  […]

  3. Immelman for Congress » Blog Archive » September 15, 2011 Says:

    […] Mass-Casualty Car Bombing in Baghdad […]

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.