Achieving Peace in the Middle East

More than 20 years on from the Oslo Accords, we ask how peace can be achieved in the Middle East. What lessons can we learn from the Accords? What are the conditions necessary to secure peace? How can a resolution be achieved? We also hear from those reporting from the front lines about their first-hand experiences.

Headline speakers include former U.S. Ambassador Martin Indyk, and Middle East expert and former member of President Obama’s Intelligence Advisory Board, Ellen Laipson.

Our Focus Day Is presented in collaboration with The Morrell Centre for Toleration, which is generously supported by the C and JB Morrell Trust.

Work at the University of York is focused around seven research themes which align our academic strengths to best meet the grand scientific, social and environmental challenges of our time. Learn more about the Justice and equality and Culture and communication research themes.

Saturday 9 June

11.15am - 12.45pm

Making Peace in the Middle East: Lessons and legacies from international diplomacy

Our Focus Day begins with keynote speeches by Ambassador Martin Indyk, former U.S. Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations at the U.S. Department of State; Petter Bauck, Editor of The Oslo Accords: A Critical Assessment; and Uzi Rabi, Director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, Tel Aviv University. The session is introduced by Matt Matravers, Director of The Morrell Centre for Toleration, University of York, and chaired by Sue Mendus, Morrell Professor Emerita of the University of York.

Speakers:

Petter Bauck, Editor of The Oslo Accords: A Critical Assessment

Ambassador Martin Indyk

Uzi Rabi, Tel Aviv University

Matt Matravers, University of York

Sue Mendus, University of York (Chair)

3.30pm - 5.00pm

Syria: Pathways to Resolution

Is Syria a proxy for a new war between the West and Russia? Join experts, including award-winning journalist Gareth Browne, Alia Brahimi of Legatus Global and John McHugo, author of Syria: A Recent History,as we explore the causes, impacts and consequences of war in Syria and whether peace is achievable. The session is chaired by Kareem Shaheen of the Guardian.

Speakers:

Alia Brahimi, Legatus Global

Gareth Browne, The National

John McHugo, author of Syria: A Recent History

Kareem Shaheen, the Guardian (Chair)

1.30pm - 3.00pm

Conditions Necessary for Peace

Speakers, including Ellen Laipson, Director of the International Security Program at George Mason University, a Middle East expert with 25 years government experience; Martyn Frampton, author of The Muslim Brotherhood and the West; Carly Beckerman of Durham University; and Jacob Eriksson of the University of York, explore contemporary issues affecting peace in the Middle East, and how and if peace can ever be achieved. The session is chaired by Sultan Barakat of the University of York and the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.

Speakers:

Carly Beckerman, Durham University

Jacob Eriksson, University of York

Martyn Frampton, author of The Muslim Brotherhood and the West

Ellen Laipson, George Mason University

Sultan Barakat, University of York and Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (Chair)

5.30pm - 6.30pm

Reporting from the Front Line

Find out what it’s like to work in the most difficult social and geographical environments. Speakers include Kareem Shaheen, a Middle East reporter for the Guardian. The session is chaired by Matt Matravers of the University of York.

Speakers:

Kareem Shaheen, the Guardian

Matt Matravers, University of York (Chair)