Leila Hilal’s Lecture Discusses U.S.-Middle East Polices

The Florida State University College of Law hosted on Monday afternoon Leila Hilal, the director of the Washington D.C.-based New American Foundation’s Middle East Task Force for “Behind the Rhetoric of Presidential Politics: Placing Recent Events in the Middle East and North Africa in Context,” a lecture geared toward U.S. foreign policy in the region.

The lecture, which was scheduled to coincide with Monday’s presidential debate on foreign policy, is part of the FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights’ Human Rights and National Security in the 21st Century Lecture Series – an effort launched in 2007 to explore the relationship between human rights interests and national security imperatives, according to Mark Schlakman, the program director for FSU CAHR.

Hilal’s lecture covered a range of issues, though key to her address was the Arab Spring – the series of revolutions that have occurred throughout the Middle East and North Africa since 2010, which she described as “a moment of change.”

“I think that it’s important for us to recall this initial series of events, which is precipitating major geopolitical shifts in the region,” Hilal said. “And I think that just like people in the U.S., the Arab people in the Middle East and North Africa seek to achieve better opportunity, better economic prospects, better services. They have very human ambitions.”

“But, what I want to do is just caution against thinking that somehow the Middle East and North Africa have been swept by an Islamist wave,” Hilal added. “I think that we need to look at these countries and respect the fact that they are going through transitions.”

Hilal proceeded to place last month’s attacks on the U.S. consulate in Libya, in the context of the current political shift in the area. Calling for a cautious response from the United States in Libya, Hilal asserted the possibility of a backlash of radicalism in the case of a harsh U.S. reaction.

“It’s going to be a long and tumultuous road and how the U.S. engages in the region will make a difference,” Hilal said.

FSU student Alicia Jonah said she was happy with the content of the lecture, claiming such events help to open up discussion on foreign policy and its relevance in U.S. politics.

“We’re living in a global society and we can’t continue to just look inward,” Jonah said. “Lectures like this shed light on how foreign policy affects us. It’s something I believe really matters and I’m happy we can have lecturers like Ms. Hilal at FSU.”

Ryan Young, an international affairs student at Florida State, said although he was pleased with the lecture, he would have liked to see a greater emphasis on the issues surrounding the tension between Israel and Iran.

“There was definitely a focus on Libya and Syria and Egypt because these areas have really been in the spotlight recently,” Young said. “But I would have liked to hear more about Iran’s nuclear program and Israel’s actions in response to that. The lecture touched on sanctions against Iran but kind of avoided the depth and impact of the issue.”

The third and final debate between President Barack Obama and Republican Governor Mitt Romney highlighted the relevance of U.S. policy in the Middle East, focusing on the region more than any other.

Schlakman stressed the importance of international politics and foreign policy in the presidential election.

“I think it’s an opportunity that we all share to be informed about what’s happening in our nation and throughout the world,” Schlakman said. “And when we’re in a time of national elections, it’s critically important to be as informed as possible about our leader’s or potential leader’s to make informed decision which will impact people across the globe.”

 

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