Baker Institute looks to expand Middle East Center

By Tina Nazerian     9/17/14 5:32pm

The James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy is seeking additional funding for its Middle East Center to expand research addressing the historic challenges the Middle East poses, according to Founding Director Ambassador Edward Djerejian.

"Right now, our research focuses on the areas of Women’s and Human Rights in the Middle East, Political Economy in the [Gulf Cooperation Council], Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution and regional security," Djerejian said. "I especially want to address more comprehensively the consequences of the Arab spring and the rise of Islamic radicalism."

Djerejian said because the Baker Institute is completely self-financed, it has to raise funds in order to expand the already full program.

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"I would say by the summer of 2015, we will have a more comprehensive program," Djerejian said.

McMurtry College junior Maithili Bagaria, who interns for the Baker Institute, said she is excited about the expansion of the Middle East Program.

“Given current events in Iraq and Syria, the Ambassador's decision to concentrate on the consequences of the Arab Spring seems very practical,” Bagaria said.

Bagaria said interning at the Baker Institute’s Levant Program has given her a better idea of the United States’ policy implications in the Middle East.

“I think the program’s expansion will help provide students a better understanding of the [Middle East and North Africa] region, which is very much needed in context of [theUnited States’] geopolitical role in the region,” Bagaria said.

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