At the Center of the Storm: Syria, ISIS and the Refugee Crisis

Anand Gopal Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict No Good Men Among the Living

The war, suffering, and refugee crises continue; how do we make sense of what is happening? What are the likely implications of the Trump administration’s emerging approaches for military, political and humanitarian policy? In the region, and for global affairs?

Browse recent headlines and you’ll identify the same recurring topics: the Middle East ravaged by conflict, the fear of ISIS expanding its influence, and a large population of displaced people fleeing their homes in a desperate search for safety. With weighted complexities of religion, radicalization, ongoing military action and the rising need for humanitarian aid, how do we understand the moral and political costs of current events?

Join us as warzone journalist and sociologist Anand Gopal shares his firsthand perspective on the current state of the Middle East through the lens of his ethnographic reporting in Iraq and Syria.

Anand Gopal (Ph.D., Columbia) is a prize-winning journalist, author and sociologist. Gopal’s book, "No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes," details the stories of Afghans caught in the crossfire between the U.S. military and the Taliban. Winner of the 2015 Ridenhour Book Prize and a finalist for the Pulitzer and the National Book Award, the book is based on years of reporting in which Gopal was embedded in Afghan communities.

Gopal recently joined Arizona State University as a visiting assistant research professor with the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict. He is also an International Security Fellow at the New America Foundation and an affiliate of the Center on the Future of War. His work has been featured in The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, and the Christian Science Monitor. He is rapidly becoming recognized as a leading voice for understanding the impacts of the wars in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq for the Middle East, the U.S. and the world.

Center for the Study of Religion & Conflict
480-727-6736
csrc@asu.edu
https://csrc.asu.edu/
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Old Main, Carson Ballroom, Tempe campus
This lecture is free and open to the public, but registering is kindly recommended (not required)