Macalester hosted the tenth annual International Roundtable last weekend. The roundtable included presentations by three world-renowned scholars, student and faculty respondents and a Korean music ensemble.

This year’s theme was “Complex Contradictions: African, American and Middle Eastern Perspectives.”

Keynote Speaker Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University, opened the conference on Thursday afternoon with his presentation entitled “The Past and Future of Democracy in the Middle East.”

Khalidi examined the contradictions of American perceptions and policy in the Middle East, debunking the common perception that Islam and democracy are incompatible.

He concluded that “endemic” regional conflicts impede democratic progress, while Western military interventions can only “exacerbate the situation,” he said.

Friday morning’s session began with a presentation by Professor Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Director of the International Center for Writing and Translation at the University of California–Irvine.

In his presentation, “When the Margin Becomes the Center: African Identities in a Global Environment,” he asserted the importance of language in African cultures and identities.

He stressed the right of all peoples to develop their own languages and cultures and suggested moving toward a more widespread acceptance of this right. “We need to create conditions for a healthy dialogue between languages,” Ngugi said. Moving in this direction, he said, will help to minimize conflicts within the continent and within countries.

David Chioni Moore, associate professor of International Studies and English and Emily Parker ’04 responded to Ngugi’s presentation. They expressed agreement with theture and identity, but emphasized the role of other factors—economic situation and colonial history, for example—in these conflicts.

In the afternoon, Philip C. Bobbitt, A.W. Walker Centennial Chair in Law at the University of Texas presented his paper “Terrorism and the Market State.” Bobbitt posited that the world is experiencing a transition from one constitutional order to another—from nation-state to market-state. In the coming century, he claimed, this new order will emerge to meet “the challenges that cannot be met by the current constitutional order.” Bobbitt briefly described these challenges, including the emergence of a global terrorist network and transnational threats such as AIDS and global warming.

Philip Geier, president of Armand Hammer United World College of the American West and Michael Okrob ’04 responded to Bobbitt’s presentation. Geier expressed concern that Bobbitt’s analysis tended toward Eurocentricity by focusing primarily on the western world.

“I liked that they brought somebody who has a different perspective on the world and can articulate it very well,” Anna Klappe ’05 said.

A Korean ensemble performed on Friday night—the first time that a music performance has been part of the Roundtable. “The Korean concept was absolutely exquisite,” said Ahmed Samatar, James Wallace Professor and Dean of International Studies and Programming.

The final session was a roundtable discussion with the three presenters, Samatar and Sumeet Atul ’04. Samatar and Atul moderated the discussion.

“It’s so nice to be at Macalester and be quizzed by a student,” Khalidi said. “That’s why I’m so glad my son [Ismail Khalidi ’05] is a part of this educational experience.”

The discussion session, another new addition to the roundtable, received much positive feedback from attendees. “Engaging in civil discourse is an important part of the educational process,” said Nadya Nedelsky, assistant professor of International Studies. “Questions of sovereignty and the bounds of legitimate interaction between states are very relevant right now…the themes overlapped and interacted in ways which were very interesting. The complexity led to some level of clarity.”

“This year’s roundtable made me excited about next year’s,” Klappe said. Next year’s roundtable, which will explore the concept of U.S. empire, will feature British historian Niall Ferguson, leftist intellectual Tariq Ali and neo-conservative scholar Michael Ledeen.