Thursday, August 17, 2023 | 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Tareq Ramadan, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Adjunct Professor - Wayne State University & Arab America Foundation’s 40 under 40 Award Recipient
In 2003, the US launched an invasion of Iraq under the pretense that its government was concealing weapons of mass destruction. Though no such weapons were found, the subsequent occupation of the country and the power vacuum that ensued, led to the collapse of Iraq’s already fractured, and historically elusive, social, and political unity. With Saddam Hussein gone, after more than two decades in power, the oil-rich nation embarked on a chaotic restructuring that many argue has resulted in an unstable, and even failed state. The modern nation-state of Iraq, crafted by the British under the League of Nation’s Mandate for Mesopotamia, a century ago, is all too often envisioned and imagined through the lens of confl ict and violence, however. Despite Iraq’s political and security woes, it is home to incredible linguistic, ethnic, and religious diversity as well as a remarkable human history that has spurred one of its most renowned nicknames,“The Cradle of Civilization.” This presentation will focus on Iraq’s complex social fabric and rich cultural tapestry amidst the backdrop of an ever-changing political landscape that forces us to re-imagine Iraq as a nation-state and as a collection of seemingly disparate peoples and identities.
Location:
Birmingham Next