Ragui Assaad is Professor at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. He has written extensively on labor market and youth issues in the Middle East and North Africa. The author acknowledges the able research assistance of Stefan Johansson in the preparation of this essay.
The Latest from Ragui Assaad
Brazil’s Embrace of the Iranian Government Will Only Embolden the Regime Internationally
This Commentary first appeared as an op-ed in the America's Quarterly Policy Journal, Spring 2010
Can Brazil play a significant role in containing Iran's nuclear ambitions? No.
Brazil’s self-perceptions and aspirations as an emerging global power are a key to understanding why the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has chosen this particular moment in time to deepen ties with an Iranian regime that is facing crisis, both at home and abroad.
Lebanon and Syria: The Challenge of an Evolving Relationship
Pakistan 2010: Accomplishments and Opportunities
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Salman Taseer, the Governor of Pakistan's Punjab province. He will examine Pakistan's accomplishments over the past year and its looming challenges.
A Palestinian Perspective on Current Issues
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Dr. Hanan Mikhail Ashrawi, Member of the PLO Executive Committee and the Palestinian Legislative Council, or a discussion about Palestinian-Israeli proximity talks and other issues related to the peace process and the situation in the West Bank and Gaza.
Let’s Get Real About Talking to the Taliban
This Commentary first appeared as an op-ed in the McClatchy Tribune, May 10, 2010
Iran’s Green Movement and the Gray Strategy of Patience
This Commentary first appeared as an op-ed on ForeignPolicy.com’s Middle East Channel, April 30, 2010.
In Search of a Voice: Arab Soccer Players in the Israeli Media
Soccer is the most popular sport in Israel. As such, it is also a strategic research site in which to study Israeli society and its complex social and ethnic relations.
Patterns and Trends of Migration in the Maghreb
Originally posted May 2010
Throughout history, North African countries (i.e., Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia) have experienced various forms of migration – internal and external, voluntary and forced, individual and collective, and legal and illegal.
Walls and Goals: The Israeli-Palestinian Encounter in Football
Dedicated to the memory of Israel Tzvi Raab Z”L, a true lover of the game
The long, complex encounter between the Israeli and Palestinian people has been examined in many cinematic and literary creations. In this essay, I will explore several that use football as a lens to read opposing political agendas and as a means to resolve conflict.
Yemeni Football and Identity Politics
The Republic of Yemen occupies the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Unlike its oil-rich neighbors, Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world. Like other countries football (soccer) is Yemen’s most popular sport. Football has been played in parts of Yemen since before the turn of the 20th century, and since the 1970s, the game’s popularity has increased significantly.
Assyrians or Syriacs? Middle Eastern Identity Formation through Football in Sweden
It is the last Sunday in May 2009, and people in Södertälje – a small industrial town, half an hour’s drive southwest of the Swedish capital Stockholm – are enjoying the first hot day of the summer. It is also the day of the biggest football match of the year. Later in the afternoon, Södertälje’s two second division rivals, Assyriska FF and Syrianska FC, will clash. In the hours before kick-off, one sees flags and matching shirts everywhere, either in the white and red colors of Assyriska or in the red and yellow representing Syrianska.
A Step on the Path to Peace: How Basketball is Uniting Arab and Jewish Youth in Jerusalem
Basketball is a game where all five players need to share the ball. If it is played with great teamwork, the sum of the parts is greater than the individual. It’s a great forum for building trust. A lot of the game happens with things you can’t see. Communication and trust with teammates is the key. It seems to me that the same can be said of peacemaking.
–R.C. Buford, General Manager of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs[1]
