The three-person panel discussion will focus on key elements of
the evolution of constitutionalism in both the United States and
Turkey. The comparative discussion will begin with a presentation
on Turkey’s history, culture, and politics, as well as. Each of the
last two speakers will address constitutionalism in the United
States and Turkey, and will discuss each country’s constitutional
provisions and how they have been put into practice in each
country. Attendees will learn more about Turkey, a long-standing
partner of the United States, its society, its political system,
and its rising role in international diplomacy.
Speakers:
Dr. Murat Somer is an Associate
Professor of International Relations at Koç University in
Istanbul. Dr. Somer is also a Democracy and Development Fellow at
the Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS) at
Princeton University. Dr. Somer's research areas include
democratization, ethnic conflict, religious politics and
secularism, the formation of elite beliefs and values, public and
private polarization, the Kurdish question, political Islam, and
foreign policy. His writings have appeared in book volumes and
journals such as The Annals of the American Academy of Political
and Social Science, Comparative Political Studies, The Middle East
Journal, and Third World Quarterly. He is currently writing a book
on religious and secular elite values and democracy. Somer holds a
BA in Economics from Istanbul’s Boğaziçi University and a PhD in
Political Economy and Public Policy from the University of Southern
California.
Dr. William F. Byrne is Associate
Professor of Government and Politics at St. John’s University,
where he teaches political theory and American government. A former
Congressional staff member, Dr. Byrne holds a Ph.D. in Politics
from The Catholic University of America, an MBA from George Mason
University, and a B.A. in History from the University of
Pennsylvania. He is the author of Edmund Burke for Our Time: Moral
Imagination, Meaning, and Politics, and of numerous scholarly
articles focusing on modern political thought and its relationship
to core problems of liberal democracy and late modernity.
Dr. Joshua W. Walker is a
Transatlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund based in
Washington, D.C. He is also a visiting scholar at the Vural Ak
Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University and a
non-resident fellow at the Crown Center for Middle Eastern Studies
at Brandeis University. Dr. Walker’s forthcoming book focuses on
the role of historical memories in post-imperial successor states,
with a particular focus on Japan and Turkey's domestic and foreign
policies. Among his many affiliations, Joshua has most recently
been a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, Tokyo University, the
Council on Foreign Relations, and the Transatlantic Academy, and
has taught at Istanbul Sehir Merkez, Middle East Technical
University, George Mason, Princeton, University of Richmond, and
Yale. Dr. Walker’s Ph.D. from Princeton University is in Politics
and Public Policy with a specialization on international relations
and security studies. He holds a Master's degree in International
Relations from Yale University and a Bachelor's degree from the
University of Richmond. He was a Fulbright Fellow in Ankara,
Turkey, and has worked for the U.S. Embassy and State Department on
Turkey and grew up in Sapporo, Japan, where he lived for 15 years
and his family still resides. Active in bridging the academic and
policy worlds, Joshua co-founded the Yale Journal of International
Affairs, Young Professionals in Foreign Policy in New York, and the
Project on Religion, Diplomacy, and International Relations at
Princeton. In addition to his numerous articles, briefs, and book
projects, he has been published in a variety of outlets including
the Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, Foreign Policy,
International Affairs, International Herald Tribune, New Republic,
Washington Quarterly, and Washington Times. Joshua is called upon
often to offer commentary in international media outlets.
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Date
September 15, 2011
Time
6:00 PM
Location
Kelleher Center, Kiernan Suite, Staten Island Campus
More Information
Jamaal Brown
(718)-390-4433