Presented by the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, the Ash Center and the Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School, the We Live in Cairo Act II Series invites audience members to remain at the theater following select performances for a curated discussion. The discussions are free and open to ticket-holders of any performance, subject to availability. Join us May 18th after the 2:00pm performance for a conversation with Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Founder, Barjeel Art Foundation and Lecturer, Council on Middle East Studies, Yale University.

... Read more about "We Live in Cairo" Act II Series: A Discussion with Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Join Nahomi Ichino, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Michigan, in disucssion. Tarek Masoud, Professor of Public Policy and Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations, will moderate. 

Ghana's major parties recently reformed primary election rules which offers a rare opportunity to assess the effects franchise expansion in contemporary new democracies, where universal suffrage was already established at independence. In this talk, Ichino will propose that democratizing candidate selection by expanding the primary electorate has two consequences in patronage-oriented political systems: the electorate will have more diverse preferences and vote buying will become a less effective strategy. These changes, in turn, affect the types of politicians who seek and win legislative nominations.  Using an original dataset on candidate entry and nominations, she will show that expanding the primary electorate opened paths to office for politicians from social groups that were previously excluded, including women and members of ethnic groups outside a party's core national coalition.... Read more about Democracy in Hard Places -- Democratizing the Party: The Effects of Primary Election Reforms in Ghana

Join us and the Middle East Initiative at the Belfer Center for a discussion on the political roots of conspiracy theories in the Middle East with Tarek Masoud, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations, Harvard Kennedy School; and Faculty Chair, Middle East Initiative.... Read more about Ash Community Speaker Series: Political Roots of Conspiracy Theories in the Middle East

Democracy appears to be in retreat, not just in fragile states, but also in the West, where we have long taken such concepts as the rule of law and a free and independent press for granted. Join M. Steven Fish, University of California, Berkeley, for a discussion on how can we not only understand this anti-democratic surge, but learn how democracy advocates can surmount this growing threat. Tarek Masoud, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations at HKS will moderate.... Read more about Democracy in a Suddenly Hard Place: Confronting the Authoritarian Challenge in America