Spurred by the controversy surrounding former President Jimmy Carter’s solo appearance on campus to discuss his recent book, the Office of the Provost has arranged a series of events to promote dialogue on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The initiative, called “Inquiry, Conflict and Peacebuilding in the Middle East,” will include lectures, trips to the Middle East and a panel discussion with Carter that is scheduled for the fall.
For the next event in the series, Kenneth Stein, the William Schatten professor of history and politics and director of the Institute for the Study of Modern Israel, will give a lecture on “The Carter Book Controversy” on Thursday afternoon in White Hall 208.
“We would like to see these events extend the ongoing dialogue about the situation in the Middle East and serve as an educational experience for all members of the community on the very complex challenge of peacebuilding,” Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives Santa Ono wrote in an e-mail to the Wheel. “Some of America’s future leaders are students at Emory, and it is my hope that this experience will prepare them to lead peacebuilding efforts across the globe in the future.”
Also helping organize the initiative’s events is Ozzie Harris II, senior vice provost for diversity and community, who said it is Emory’s obligation as a University to foster dialogue on controversial subjects by encouraging people to express diverse views.
“If you can’t do it here, you’re not going to do it many places,” Harris said.
The initiative is partly an outgrowth of the dissatisfaction some felt about the handling of Carter’s campus town hall in February, when he discussed his controversial book, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. Some students and faculty members felt that someone with an alternative viewpoint should have been present to challenge Carter’s arguments and the book’s factual inaccuracies.
College sophomore Ben Decker, the president of Emory Students for Israel, is helping the administration with student outreach for the new initiative. He said administrators were responsive when he approached them with his concerns. He and another student helped select the pre-screened questions Carter was asked.
Now, Decker is working to arrange a student advisory committee to provide input for future events in the Middle East series and potential new initiatives concerning conflict resolution elsewhere, such as South America or Tibet.
Decker, who is Jewish, said he’s looking for a “cross-cleavage of aware and ethnically diverse students” to serve with him on the committee, ncluding at least one Christian student and at least one Muslim student.
“We want to make sure no one walks out saying, ‘Why wasn’t I represented in this?’” Decker said.
Ono said Stein’s lecture was designated as one of the early events in the initiative because Stein has been publicly critical of Carter’s book, and many people suggested that he appear at the February town hall.
Stein, who advised Carter on Middle East policy in the 1980s, resigned from a post at The Carter Center in December because he did not want to be associated with the book’s “egregious and inexcusable errors.”
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dennis Ross was also widely suggested as a counterpoint to Carter in the town hall. On May 1, he will conduct a town hall of his own in Glenn Memorial Auditorium
Ono said the format of the event will “mirror” that of Carter’s appearance. Ross will speak for about 45 minutes before answering questions submitted to Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Earl Lewis through an e-mail address, pel@emory.edu.
Two trips to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories are also planned. Faculty members and administrators, likely including University Preisdent James W. Wager, will go during the summer, and students will go in January during winter break.
Itineraries and selection processes for travelers have not been decided.
Details must also be worked out for two initiatives scheduled for the fall semester. One is an Evening at Emory class being organized by Middle Eastern and South Asian studies professors Gordon Newby and Vincent Cornell and Candler School of Theology Dean Jan Love.
The other is a panel discussion featuring Carter and other guests who have not been named. Although the panel will include people with different viewpoints on the Middle East, Harris said, it is not a debate.
“It will be more about people offering up thoughtful ideas, specific ideas,” he said.