— Melbourne Lecture —
7pm Wednesday
3rd May 2006
Storey Hall, Swanston Street, Melbourne
Jamal Nassar
“Is Peace Possible?”
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| Jamal Nassar |
“Our world is full of tyrants. International law does not prevent them nor does it allow other countries to declare war just because they do not approve of the policies of such leaders. Tyranny is best fought with justice not war. We need to set the example of a fair and just global leader and then lend a helping hand to all those fighting tyranny and oppression all over the world.” [interview with Jamal Nassar, Independent Media Centre, 29 January 2003]
Jamal Nassar is a Jerusalem-born US professor who has written and lectured around the world on the history of the Palestinian liberation struggle and the politics of the Middle East. He is chair and professor in hte Department of Politics and Government at the Illinois State University.
Professor Jamal R. Nassar earned his B.A. from Jacksonville University in 1972, an M.A. from the University of South Florida in 1974 and a Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati in 1978.
Since joining the faculty at Illinois State in 1978, professor Nassar has established himself as a leading authority on the politics of the Middle East. His many publications include such books as Globalization and Terrorism: The Migration of Dreams and Nightmares, Intifada: Palestine at the Crossroads, The Palestine Liberation Organization: From Armed Struggle to the Declaration of Independence, Change Without Borders: The Third World at the End of the Twentieth Century, and Politics and Culture in the Developing World: The Impact of Globalization. Many of his articles, chapters and reviews have appeared in highly rated publications and have been translated to about a dozen other languages. Dr. Nassar has chaired a number of national and international conferences on the Middle East.
Between 1991 and 1995, he served as editor of Arab Studies Quarterly and he currently serves on its editorial board as he does on the boards of other distinguished journals on the Middle East region. Dr. Nassar shares his knowledge of the region’s politics through speeches and interviews. He has addressed the United Nations as an expert on the Question of Palestine, and was consulted or has appeared as an expert witness on the area in highly visible court cases in the United States and Canada.
- The Case of Palestine, paper by Jamal Nassar at Transnational Seminar, Center for Global Studies, September 2004.
- Reflections on Iraq, interview with Jamal Nassar by Anthony DiMaggio at the Independent Media Center, 29 January 2003
- Jamal Nassar's Biography;
- Department of Politics and Government at the University of Illinois.
Professor Nassar's visit is sponsored by the Globalism Institute at RMIT, the Victorian Peace Network, the Palestinian Charity Association, the Australian Jewish Democratic Society and the Australian Arabic Council.