The Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS), located in Doha, Qatar, is a center for international and regional affairs. The Center is a part of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar). The Center works closely with SFS-Qatar Faculty to create research and publications, organize events and manage outreach activities.
Founded in 2005, the Center works mainly in four areas: research, events and conferences, outreach and publications. The first Director, Mehran Kamrava, still directs the Center.
Guided by the principles of academic excellence, forward vision, and community engagement, the Center for International and Regional Studies's mission revolves around five principal goals: To provide a forum for scholarship and research on international and regional affairs; To encourage in-depth examination and exchange of ideas; To foster thoughtful dialogue among students, scholars and practitioners of international affairs; To facilitate the free flow of ideas and knowledge through publishing the products of its research, sponsoring conferences and seminars, and holding workshops designed to explore the complexities of the 21st century; To engage in outreach activities with a wide range of local, regional and international partners.
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The Center for International and Regional Studies was founded in 2005 with the initiatives of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar. Since its conception, the Center focuses on comprehensive studies and events on international and regional studies with an emphasis on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region.
The Center engages in particular areas of academic endeavour, including:
The following are some of the research initiatives undertaken by the Center:
The Iraqi Refugee Crisis in Syria and Jordan: In collaboration with Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of International Immigration (ISIM), CIRS conducted a study on the conditions and impact of Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan. The study investigates the ways in which the two countries accommodate, absorb, or expel incoming refugees. Dr. Patricia Fagen from ISIM authored the report.[1]
America’s Role in the World Working Group: In partnership with the Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD), the Center has been working on a scholarly initiative to examine the role and nature of American foreign policy in the coming years. The Working Group tries to identify the geopolitical challenges that a new administration can face beginning in 2009. The study does not aim to provide policy prescriptions, but rather deliver a comprehensive agenda of issues that could require attention. The Working Group consists of 55 experts on American foreign policy.[2]
International Relations of the Gulf: This year-long study consists of two phases of research. The first phase of the research focuses on “The International Relations of the Gulf”, followed by “The Gulf and the World in the Twenty-First Century: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges”, in its second phase, touching upon domestic, social, economic, and political dynamics of the Persian Gulf.
CIRS sponsors events and conferences throughout the year. Model United Nations and Monthly Dialogue Series are ongoing events that the Center hosts.[3]
Model United Nations: This CIRS-sponsored conference is a forum for high school students to debate current global issues and gain insight into international politics and policy-making. High school students from around the world come to Doha, Qatar to debate on contemporary international politics. Following 2007 annual conference, the Center hosted another one in January 2008.[4]
Monthly Dialogue Series: This monthly event hosts scholars from SFS-Qatar and elsewhere about their latest academic research. Some of the events in this series were “Living in the Past: Cairo Women of the darb” by Prof. Amira Sonbol, “The Ambassadors of Islamic spirituality and the Encounter of Religions” by Prof. Patrick Laude and the “A Public Good? Palestinian Businessmen and the British Colonial State 1939-1946” by Dr. Sherene Seikaly.[5]
CIRS also hosts other relevant events on international and regional studies:
Speaker: Mehran Kamrava Date: September 2007
Date: October 2007
Speaker: Prof. Gary Wasserman Date: November 2007
Speaker: Ambassador Stephen Day Date: November 2007
Date: November 2007
Date: December 2007[14]
Date: February 2008
Date: April 2008[14]
CIRS publishes newsletters and occasional papers. There are two newsletters published in September 2007 and January 2008. The Center also published a research on “Iraqi Refugees: Seeking Refuge in Syria and Jordan”.[15]
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