Join the UW Stroum Center for Jewish Studies for the book launch of Prof. Joel S. Migdal’s new publication, Shifting Sands: The United States in the Middle East (Columbia University Press).

Shifting Sands explores the ups and downs of the United States since World War II in what has become the most important and volatile region in the world, the Middle East.  In explaining America’s roller-coaster ride, the book employs a novel approach, showing how U.S. officials from the aftermath of World War II through the end of the twentieth century built a rigid strategic model atop the shifting sands of the region; they employed a constant formula to guide their policies, even as the Mideast region underwent several cataclysmic changes. Now, with the Arab Spring signifying another Mideast transformation, Migdal offers a new, workable strategy for the United States in this crucial region.

Joel S. Migdal is the Robert F. Philip Professor of International Studies at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and a faculty member for Jewish Studies at the University of Washington. He has been writing about the Middle East and state-society relations worldwide for more than forty years. Among his books are The Palestinian People (with Baruch Kimmerling), Through the Lens of Israel, Strong Societies and Weak States, and State-in-Society.

Following the event, there will be a reception honoring Prof. Migdal for this milestone publication.

This event is co-sponsored by the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and the Center for Global Studies at the University of Washington.