Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to Speak at Washington College October 24

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf will speak at Washington College Monday, Oct. 24 at 5:30 p.m. in Decker Theatre, Gibson Center for the Arts. He will talk about Pakistan, regional security and terrorism. Those unable to be on campus for the event can watch it as a livestream from the College website, www.washcoll.edu.

Musharraf, a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and the 10th President of Pakistan, ruled the country as Chief Executive from 1999 to 2001 after a military coup and as President from 2001 to 2008. After 9/11, he became an important ally of the United States in the war against the Taliban and al Qaeda, which made him an enemy of anti-American Islamist fighters in his own country. Later, a bitter dispute with Pakistan’s Chief Justice led to a loss of popular support and accusations that he had violated the constitution with his actions against the judicial branch.

Since leaving office under the threat of impeachment, Musharraf has lived in exile in London and Dubai. But last fall he formed a new political party—the All Pakistan Muslim League—and announced plans to return to Pakistan to run for President in the 2013 elections.

He could face arrest upon his return; in February of this year, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court issued a warrant for his arrest on charges that, while President, he failed to provide adequate security for former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007. Musharraf has denied the charges, calling them politically motivated.

Musharraf’s Oct. 24 visit to Chestertown stems from his personal acquaintance with Washington College professor of political science and international studies Tahir Shad. The talk is sponsored by the Program in Islamic Turkish and Near Eastern Studies of the Institute for Religion, Politics and Culture and is free and open to the public.

The campus community and general public are invited to submit questions for the Q&A session that will follow the talk. Please email questions to aoros2@washcoll.edu by end of day Thursday, October 20. For more information, visit http://www.washcoll.edu.

New Study Abroad Program: Partnership With South Korea's Yonsei University Announced

Chestertown, MD, November 17, 2003 — As if Morocco, Japan and Costa Rica aren't exotic enough for today's students shopping for study abroad programs, Washington College is expanding their options with the addition of a new partner institution: Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. This brings to 41 the number of programs around the globe from which Washington College students can choose. The College has partner institutions in 25 countries.

The program in South Korea enhances opportunities for students pursuing the new Asian Studies concentration. Yonsei is considered one of Korea's most outstanding teaching and research institutions, a modern, comprehensive university with colleges in liberal arts, commerce and economics, science and theology. Its independent Division of International Studies, in operation since 1985, has developed exchange agreements with more than 400 institutions worldwide. All course instruction within the Division and within the graduate school of international studies is in English. The Division of International Studies at attracts about 2,000 students from around the world.

“Yonsei University is a tremendous resource for our students, particularly those interested in the East Asian Studies concentration,” said Tahir Shad, associate professor of political science and director of Washington College's international studies program.

Andrew Slater, an international studies major who spent his high school years in Seoul while his stepfather worked there as president of Dupont in Korea, will be the first Washington College student to attend Yonsei. He leaves for Seoul in February.

“I'm really excited, because Yonsei University is the Harvard of Korea,” said Slater. “It is Korea's most highly regarded academic institution. Plus for me, it's like going home. I know the culture, the history, the language. I know my way around the city. I'll be able to get so much out of the experience now, after three years of college.” Slater expects to take courses in Korean and East Asian politics, as well as a Korean language course.

For students interested in Hispanic Studies and the concentration in Latin American studies, the College also recently established a partnership with Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, in Mexico, augmenting existing offerings in Costa Rica and Ecuador.

One Land, Two Peoples: Washington College Hosts Symposium On Middle East Affairs October 24

Chestertown, MD, October 11, 2002 — Washington College's Goldstein Program in Public Affairs will present the symposium “One Land, Two Peoples: Conflict in the Middle East,” on Thursday, October 24, 2002, at 7:30 p.m. in the College's Hynson Lounge. The event is free and the public is encouraged to attend this timely and important discussion.
To be moderated by Dr. Tahir Shad, Director of Washington College's International Studies Program, the symposium will feature four panelists immersed in the complexities of the political, strategic, economic, ethnic and religious issues that divide Israel and Palestine, as well as the entire Middle East region. The panel will comprise Nubar Hovsepian, Associate Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania; Scott B. Lasensky, a Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Assistant Director of the Council's U.S./Middle East Project, and a foreign policy analyst specializing in international politics, American foreign policy, and the Middle East; Haim Malka, a research analyst specializing in Palestinian-Israeli issues at The Brookings Institution's Saban Center for Middle East Policy; and Janine Zacharia, Washington correspondent since November 1999 for The Jerusalem Post who has covered the Middle East from a U.S. perspective, including the Clinton Administration's efforts to broker peace deals between Israel and her Arab neighbors, and the Bush Administration's evolving policy toward the region.
The symposium is sponsored by Washington College's Goldstein Program in Public Affairs, established in honor of the late Louis L. Goldstein, a 1935 alumnus and Maryland's longest serving elected official. The Goldstein Program sponsors lectures, symposia, visiting fellows, travel and other projects that bring students and faculty together with leaders in public policy and the media.

Washington College Hosts Four-Part Series on the Challenges of the War on Terrorism

Chestertown, MD, February 22, 2002 — During the month of March, the Washington College Department of Sociology and Anthropology is sponsoring a four-part speaker series on the history, context, policies and challenges of America's war on terrorism. The talks are free and the public is invited to attend these timely and important discussions.

On Monday, March 4, 2002, Ralph Begleiter, Distinguished Professor in Journalism at the University of Delaware and former CNN world affairs correspondent, will present the first lecture in the series, "WHOSE MEDIA?: MEDIA ETHICS AND NEWS COVERAGE OF THE TERRORIST ATTACKS AGAINST AMERICA." Prof. Begleiter will discuss issues of government and media relationships during the war on terrorism.

On Wednesday, March 6, 2002, Dr. Daniel L. Premo, Goldstein Professor in Public Affairs in the Department of Political Science at Washington College, will discuss the historical context of the war on terrorism in a lecture titled "THE U.S. WAR ON TERRORISM: OLD WINE IN A NEW BOTTLE?"

On Monday, March 18, 2002, Joe Miller, Assistant Director of Occupational Safety at the University of Delaware, will present "THE NBCS: AN OVERVIEW OF A FEW AGENTS OF TERRORISM. ARE WE READY?" Mr. Miller will discuss the threat of and response to nuclear, biological and chemical weapons attacks.

The series will conclude on Wednesday, March 20, 2002, with the lecture "U.S. FOREIGN POLICY AND THE WAR ON TERRORISM," presented by Dr. Tahir Shad, Chair of the Department of International Studies at Washington College.

All talks in the series begin at 7:30 p.m. in the College's Litrenta Lecture Hall, Dunning Room 113.