AGS Middle East Society Activities Resume

The AGS Middle East Society is resuming its activities for the Spring. The first meeting of the semester will be held on March 17th. The theme of the talk and discussion will be the situation of Iran in the Middle East and in the international political landscape, with a particular focus on the upcoming Iranian elections and the relief of sanctions by the international community.

Our guest speaker will be Sanam Shantyaei, a British-Iranian journalist with more than a decade's experience as a foreign correspondent and international news television producer. A speaker of French, English, Spanish, Italian and Farsi, Sanam has lived and worked in Britain, France, Cuba, Italy and Iran. She is currently based in Paris, where she is a correspondent for the international news network France 24, for which she is also notably a specialist on Iran coverage. Previously, Sanam worked for Reuters news agency, and established its TV operations in Tehran, during which she covered the country's disputed 2009 presidential elections and subsequent mass street protests, as well as the escalation of the nuclear standoff with the West, and the storming of the British embassy in 2011.

Inaugurated last semester as an initiative by AGS students, led by professors Mariam Habibi and Joav Toker, the Middle East Society organizes talks, debates, and screenings, around various themes related to Middle Eastern culture and politics.Two more events are planned this semester after the March meeting, in April and May. A few seats are reserved to the public; if you are interested in attending, please write to info@ags.edu.