UPenn MEC

It’s not all doom and gloom. My piece in today’s ⁦@nytimes⁩ argues that Trump might just do the ultimate deal with Iran: nytimes.com/2024/12/06/opi… via @NYTOpinion

Our executive director writes in today’s @nytimes on the death of Ebrahim Raisi

Philly folks: I’m coming to town to talk about my book, “On Earth or in Poems: The Many Lives of al-Andalus” (@Harvard_Press). My talk will be at @UPennMEC on November 7 at 5:30 PM. More info at the link below. Hope to see you there! mec.sas.upenn.edu/events/2023/11…

Thrilled to be topic director of @WolfHumanities’ forum on REVOLUTION! Check out our calendar of events and this brilliant group of fellows: wolfhumanities.upenn.edu/annual-topics/…

The Middle East Center sends its deepest sympathy to the family and loved ones of Dr. Thomas Naff. Naff served as Director of the Middle East Center from 1967 to 1983. Please visit our website to read the full announcement: mec.sas.upenn.edu/news/2023/08/1….

I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of Thomas Naff, whom I never had the privilege of meeting, but whose enormous shoes, impossible to fill, have never been far from my mind since I started at @UPennMEC in 2018. 1/

In @Penn_Today, @bharunkucuk, director of @UPennMEC and an assoc. prof. in History and Sociology of Science, shares thoughts on Turkey’s runoff elections and the implications of five more years of Erdogan. bit.ly/43KZLgH

Following Turkey's recent election resulting in the extension of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's authoritarian rule, @Penn_Today discussed the global implications with @UPennMEC's Harun Küçük. Read here: penntoday.upenn.edu/news/harun-kuc…

The faculty director of @UPennMEC shares some takeaways from the Turkish runoff elections and what five more years of Erdogan means for Turkey and the world. bit.ly/43KZLgH

Nabil Fahmy, a career diplomat whose roles have included foreign minister of Egypt and Egyptian ambassador to the U.S., spoke on campus about the state of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament in the Middle East in a keynote speech at @UPennMEC. bit.ly/4111lsM

Nabil Fahmy, a career diplomat whose roles have included foreign minister of Egypt and Egyptian ambassador to the U.S., spoke on campus about the state of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament in the Middle East in a keynote speech at @UPennMEC. bit.ly/4111lsM

It’s been an immense privilege to spend the last 3 days hosting this landmark conference on nuclear issues in the Middle East — featuring a conversation with Ambassador @DeanNabilFahmy. SO grateful to everyone who made it possible #UPennNuclearConf @PennSAS @PennGlobal

This marks the end of a historic 3-day international conference on Nuclear Issues in the Middle East and North Africa! We are so grateful to our planning committee, cosponsors, and attendees for making this an engaging and insightful experience!

Susan Lindee said it best on the importance of #UPennNuclearConf's final panel:"It is nuclear history from below. Who does the work, who’s towns and work will be destroyed. The set of winners are different than the losers- and what does that tell us about how these systems work?"

"The Hashemite monarchy had an ability to run the defenses by push button without regard to the military that they did not trust and without regard to sentiments like nationalism or loyalty."- Elizabeth Bishop on the Atoms for Peace program in Hashemite Iraq from 1953-1958.

"Dealing with nuclear tech as transnational tech, something that would be shared collectively. It shows the imagined future - who existed in their utopia and who didn't, who mattered and who didn’t" -Heba Taha on the Strauss-Eisenhower plan to address the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Last but certainly not least! Our final panel is on “Atoms for Peace?” featuring Li-Chen Sim, Elizabeth Bishop, Heba Taha, and @311Sjd, and moderated by Susan Lindee. #UPennNuclearConf

"Saudi Arabias’s nuclear program falls short and only has a civilian nuclear component after all. A real nuclear program requires time, resources, and dedication. *Actual* dedication on the leadership’s part."

"The myth of building nuclear weapons gives them prestige and puts international pressure on Iran as well- so either way it is in favor of the Kingdom."

Starting now! We are hearing a timely lecture from UPenn's own @fjan1 on “Saudi at the Nuclear Crossroads: Navigating Security, Economy, and Global Standing”. #UPennNuclearConf