An Evening of Dialogue

Two weeks ago, in a real show of dedication to their studies on Middle Eastern Politics, students from MSM attended a dialogue on the “Arab Spring” organized by New York University.  After a cramped and bumpy bus ride, we found ourselves walking through the gates of the imposingly beautiful Villa La Pietra – once the 15^th century home of the Sassetti banking family. 

The dialogue was led by Imma Vitelli, International Correspondent for Vanity Fair, who has covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, the Palestinian Territories and, most recently, the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.  Imma introduced herself and presented her new book on the Egyptian Revolution before responding to a series of diverse questions from the audience about how she sees the future for the countries that were swept up in the so-called “Arab Spring”.  As was to be expected, much of the discourse also focused on the current troubles in Syria and the parallels, if any, to be drawn with the situations in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.  Overall, the discussion offered a fresh and insightful perspective on some very important issues that are too often only superficially covered in the mainstream media.