"Developing knowledge and understanding about the Kurds and Kurdistan"
The Kurdish Political Studies Initiative, which strives to develop knowledge and understanding about the Kurds and Kurdistan, is supported by the endowed chair in Kurdish Political Studies established by Dr. Najmaldin Karim and the Global Connections Foundation. The initiative is a cooperative undertaking of UCF's Global Perspectives Office and Department of Political Science in the College of Sciences (where the endowed chair is housed), and the Global Connections Foundation. Established in 2008, it sponsors or co-sponsors public discussions involving high-profile speakers, conferences and other meetings; supports scholarship and research; and works with partners internationally to broaden knowledge and understanding about the Kurds and Kurdistan. The program examines the Kurds and Kurdistan in an interdisciplinary manner, but its primary focus is on politics.
Dr. Karim is a neurosurgeon in Washington, D.C. He also serves as the president of the Washington Kurdish Institute, a non-profit center dedicated to research and education for Kurdish people worldwide. He has been involved in programs at UCF dealing with the Kurds and Kurdistan since 2005. He is a member of the Global Perspectives Office's advisory board.
The Kurdish Political Studies Initiative Co-Directors
John C. Bersia
Global Perspectives Office jbersia@mail.ucf.edu
PH 202, 407-823-0688
Roger Handberg
Department of Political Science rhandberg@mail.ucf.edu
PH 302, 407-823-2608
The Kurdish Political Studies Initiative Advisory Board
John C. Bersia, Special Assistant to the President for Global Perspectives, UCF (Co-director)
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jay Garner, former Director of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for Post-War Iraq
Roger Handberg, Chairman, Department of Political Science, UCF (Co-director)
Dr. Najmaldin Karim, Partner, Drs. Falik and Karim, P.A., and President, Washington Kurdish Institute
Jack McGuire, Associate Dean, College of Sciences, UCF
Brendan O'Leary, Lauder Professor of Political Science and Director of the Penn Program in Ethnic Conflict, University of Pennsylvania
Sibille Pritchard, President, Global Connections Foundation
Joe R. Reeder, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, Washington, D.C.
Qubad Talabani, Representative, Kurdistan Regional Government, Washington, D.C.
Ambassador Howar Ziad, Embassy of Iraq,Ottawa, Canada
2008-2009 - Selected Visitors, Speakers and Events Related to the Kurds and Kurdistan
"Considering the Mid-East: Politics, Issues and Solutions," UCF. A national symposium in cooperation with the Loy Frey Institute of Politics and Government, UCF Political Science Department, UCF Global Perspectives Office, UCF Middle Eastern Studies Program, UCF Kurdish Political Studies Iniative, UCF Diplomacy Program, UCF Terrorism Studies Program, the Global Connections Foundation and others. September 29, 2008.
Najmaldin Karim, President, Washington Kurdish Institute; multiple presentations at UCF and in the community. September 29, 2008.
"America's Next President and the World," UCF.An international global issues conference in cooperation with the National Conference of Editorial Writers, The Anil and Chitra Deshpande Foundation, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, C.T. Hsu and Associates, LarsonAllen L.L.P., UCF Student Government Association, UCF College of Business Administration, UCF Diplomacy Program, UCF Middle Eastern Studies Program, The India Program at UCF, UCF Kurdish Political Studies Initiative, UCF Terrorism Studies Program, UCF Political Science Department, UCF International Services Center, UCF LIFE, Global Connections Foundation and other partners. November 6, 2008.
"The Kurdish Series," a lecture program for UCF LIFE. February 2009.
Michael Gunter, Noted authority on Kurdish affairs and Professor of Political Science, Tennessee Tech University (Kurds Ascending; multiple presentations at UCF and in the community). February 3, 2009.
Brendan O'Leary, Lauder Professor of Political Science and Director, Penn Program in Ethnic Conflict, University of Pennsylvania, and author of How to Get Out of Iraq with Integrity (How to Get Out of Iraq with Integrity; multiple presentations at UCF and in the community). February 10, 2009.
Jonathan Morrow, Senior Legal Adviser to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Kurdistan Regional Government (Energy and the Kurdistan Regional Government; multiple presentations at UCF and in the community). February 17, 2009.
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jay Garner, Former Director of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for Post-War Iraq (The Kurds and the Future of Iraq; multiple presentations at UCF and in the community). February 24, 2009.
Amb. Peter W. Galbraith, Senior Diplomatic Fellow, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and author of The End of Iraq and Unintended Consequences: How War in Iraq Strengthened America's Enemies (The Future of Kurdistan and Iraq; multiple presentations at UCF and in the community). April 6, 2009.
2007-2008 - Selected Visitors, Speakers and Events Related to the Kurds and Kurdistan
Visit of Qubad Talabani, Kurdish political representative in Washington, D.C., and son of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. October 25, 2007.
"Conflict in the Middle East: Iraq and Beyond." An international forum, moderated by Mort Rosenblum, featuring six speakers and presenters, including Shwan Ziad, Director of the Washington Kurdish Institute. March 28, 2008.
"The Florida International Summit 2008: The State of Global Finance and Trade." A statewide, international business conference featuring 16 speakers and presenters, including a perspective on Kurdistan's economic potential by Qubad Talabani. April 16, 2008.
