Emory University News Release

Release date: Nov. 11, 2004

Emory Experts Available for Comment on Arafat

Contact:
Elaine Justice, (w) 404-727-0643, (c) 404-520-4325, elaine.justice@emory.edu
Deb Hammacher, (w) 404-727-0644, deb.hammacher@emory.edu

Kenneth Stein is an expert in the history and politics of the Middle East, particularly with respect to Israel and Arab-Israeli relations. Stein is William E. Schatten Professor of Contemporary Middle Eastern History and Israeli Studies, director of Emory's Institute for the Study of Modern Israel, and director of the Middle East Research Program.

A Carter Center fellow (and former director) for Middle East affairs since 1983, Stein's areas of expertise are the social and political composition of the Palestinian community in the 20th century, contemporary Arab politics, modern Israel, the Arab-Israeli negotiating process, and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East. He is a frequent commentator for the media on matters relating to the contemporary Middle East.

He is prepared to discuss:
• Impact on peace process of Arafat's death: "I have a counter-intuitive conclusion . . . If Arafat is/was an obstacle to making progress in negotiations, if he was an obstacle to reform of the Palestinian Authority, does it make sense to jump into negotiations immediately. NO, that would be counter-productive though all the reasons may be in place for the Bush administration to do so."
• Arafat's legacy
• What happens inside the Palestinian political community next

Reach Stein at 404-727-4472 (w), 404-374-8618 (c) or kenneth.stein@emory.edu.

Gordon Newby is professor and chairman of Middle Eastern and South Asian studies at Emory University. His main academic focus is the history of Jews, Muslims and Christians from the rise of Islam to the present. As a result, he is able to provide perspective on many of the world's conflicts, including the Arab/Israeli situation and the attacks against the United States and the resulting war on terrorism. With a background as an historian, Newby also sees the big picture of the region as a whole. 404-727-2717 w, 404-217-9696 c, gdnewby@emory.edu.

Mahmoud Al-Batal, a native of Lebanon, is professor of Middle Eastern studies at Emory who teaches Arabic language and culture. He can offer perspective from a cultural viewpoint. 404-727-6438 w, 678-642-8720 c, albatal@emory.edu.