Profs at Saudi-Sponsored Georgetown Center Advocate Iranian Hegemony, Downgrade Saudi-U.S. Ties

What are Middle East studies professors saying about Saudi-U.S. ties in light of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder by Saudi agents last year in Istanbul? As Campus Watch fellow Andrew Harrod reports today at Jihad Watch, at a recent panel hosted by Georgetown University’s Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, they downplayed obvious strategic dangers posed by Iran and advocated closer ties with Tehran at the expense of relations with the Saudis:

Speakers at a September 12 panel at a conference on democracy in the Muslim world reflected Middle East Studies’ prevailing pro-Iran, anti-Saudi bias. That it occurred at the most infamous Saudi-sponsored academic center in America represents an ironic break with past practices that generally ignored Saudi human rights violations.

All participants in the panel “Jamal Khashoggi, Human Rights, and the US-Saudi Alliance” were critical of America’s alliance with Saudi Arabia. The panel’s chair, University of Denver Professor Nader Hashemi, set the tone with his introductory statement that “this panel is especially devoted to the memory, the legacy of Jamal Khashoggi.”

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Winfield Myers

Winfield Myers is managing editor of the Middle East Forum and director of its Campus Watch project, which reviews and critiques Middle East studies in North American universities. He has taught world history and other topics at the University of Michigan, the University of Georgia, Tulane, and Xavier University of Louisiana. He was previously managing editor of The American Enterprise magazine and CEO of Democracy Project, Inc., which he co-founded. Mr. Myers has served as senior editor and communications director at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and is principal author and editor of a college guide, Choosing the Right College (1998, 2001). He was educated at the University of Georgia, Tulane, and the University of Michigan.