The unsolved issues in MENA countries - new subject!

From March to May, students now have the opportunity to listen to the subject "The unsolved issues in MENA countries," the program of which was created in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia.

In the autumn of 2019, the Master's Degree Program in Contemporary Asia and the Middle East (CAMES) was launched. As many CAMES students are interested in the Middle East region, there was a need to create a new subject that would cover the current state and developments of modern society, religions, politics, and related conflicts.

During the cooperation talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the understanding came up repeatedly that we need to introduce the listener to recent history and major conflicts when talking about the Middle East because each crisis has its causes and stories.

What makes the lectures unique is the dialogue between social scientists, historians, and diplomats, which is heard in the lectures. There are background and context, but more clearly than in other lectures reflecting the Middle East, the practitioners' view - specific problems and concrete solutions. The need for the diplomat's work to be involved in international conflicts is highlighted, and how this is done are described. The student gets an idea of ​​how different countries try to bring communication from the weapons level to the table through diplomatic cooperation. This material looks at what can be done in practice to solve major problems.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs includes top specialists in Middle East issues, led by Ingrid Amer, who has long been involved in Asian issues for a long time. Also, Peeter Raudsik and Helen Kaljuläte, who are more closely involved in the Security Council's work and various tasks at the UN, and Miko Haljand, the Estonian Ambassador to Egypt and Lebanon. These diplomats represent long-term experience as well as novelty and challenges. In addition to them, Tiit Tammaru, a human geography and migration researcher at the University of Tartu, and Kaarel Piirimäe, a scholar of contemporary history, will speak at the lecture.

This course is intended for all those interested in asking the question, "How does diplomacy work in conflicts?" In addition to the "why" question. Read more about the subject here.