<h1 class="eventTitle">Lebanon: Consensus in Times of Enmity -- Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar</h1>
<p>Speaker: Augustus Richard Norton, Professor of International Relations and Anthropology, Boston University</p>
<p>Time: 4:30p–6:30p
</p>
<p>
Location:
<a href="http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?mapterms=E51-145&mapsearch=go">E51-145</a>
</p><p> Lebanon: Consensus in Times of Enmity
<br>Dr. Norton will discuss the role of political consensus and
compromise in a political setting that no one group or sect may
dominate. Outside powers, such as the US, have approached Lebanon at
times as though a system of majority rule could prevail, whereas the
usual pattern is consensual decision-making. He will analyze the rather
unusual coalescence of several communities, but particularly the Shi'a
and the role of several key regional players, including Israel, Iran,
Syria and Saudi Arabia; and compare the role of these regional players
to the role played by predecessors in the pre-civil war period.
Professor Norton will speculate on the likelihood of a new war with
Israel, and argue that, should a war occur, the result would likely be
almost certainly the opposite of what Israel might seek to accomplish.
</p><p>The Bustani Middle East Seminar is organized under the
auspices of the MIT Center for International Studies, which conducts
research on contemporary international issues and provides an
opportunity for faculty and students to share perspectives and exchange
views. Each year the Bustani Seminar invites scholars, journalists,
consultants, and other experts from the Middle East, Europe, and the
United States to MIT to present recent research findings on contemporary
politics, society and culture, and economic and technological
development in the Middle East.</p>
<div class="infourl">Web site: <a id="website" href="http://web.mit.edu/cis/bustani/bustani2010fall.htm">http://web.mit.edu/cis/bustani/bustani2010fall.htm</a></div><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Carine Abi Akar<br><br>Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science<br>
Class of 2012<br>Massachusetts Institute of Technology<br><a href="mailto:cabiakar@mit.edu">cabiakar@mit.edu</a><br><br>