Beyond chaos: the series of encounters on the Middle East Mediterranean resumes

“Beyond chaos. Geopolitical and cultural configurations of the Middle East Mediterranean” is the title of the news series organised by the MEM Freethinking Platform, the USI initiative led by Professor Gilles Kepel with the aim of encouraging analysis and debate on the region. The title is inspired by Prof. Kepel latest book and evokes the chaotic and changing situation of the region, while suggesting new narratives and potential ways to face current challenges. The series will feature public lectures from Prof. Kepel and presentations by experts in the region.

The series will launch on Thursday, 21 February at 6:30pm (room A-11, Lugano campus). On Thursday 28 February it will be a lecture by Carla del Ponte who will present her book Gli impuniti (the unpunished) published by Sperling&Kupfer, 2018 about war crimes in Syria denied by the international community. From 2011 to 2017 Carla Del Ponte had been member of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, charged with investigating violations committed during the Syrian conflict.

All conferences in the series will be held on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and - with the exception of Carla Del Ponte - in French.

Below the programme:

21 February 6:30 pm, room A-11
Sortir du Chaos: les crises en Méditerranée et au Moyen-Orient Prof. Gilles Kepel

28 February 6:30 pm, room A-11
I crimini in Siria e la mia lotta per la verità – Presentation of the book by Carla Del Ponte

7 March 6:30 pm, room A-11
Sortir du Chaos: le baril et le coran Prof. Gilles Kepel

14 March 6:30 pm, auditorium
Destruction, conservation, transmission du patrimoine dans la région MEM Yves Ubelmann, Iconem

28 March 6:30 pm, room A-11
Sortir du Chaos: des «Printemps arabes» au «Califat jihadiste» Prof. Gilles Kepel

11 April 6:30 pm, room A-11
Sortir du Chaos: après Daesh entre désagrégation et recomposition Prof. Gilles Kepel

18 April 6:30 pm, auditorium
Méditerranée: frontières à la dérive Prof. Camille Schmoll, Université Paris 7

9 May 6:30 pm, room A-11
La naissance du premier califat de l’Islam: une tragédie moderne Prof. Hela Ouardi, Université de Tunis

23 May 6:30 pm, room A-11
Sortir du Chaos: l’enjeu planétaire de la bataille du Levant Prof. Gilles Kepel