Food Security in the Middle East Book Launch and Signing
On January 19, 2015, students, faculty and staff crowded in the Bookstore for the official book launch and signing of a recently released CIRS publication that has reignited the debate on issues of food security in the Middle East. Published by Oxford University Press, Food Security in the Middle East is the only book of its kind on the market, and is edited by Zahra Babar, Associate Director for Research at CIRS, and Suzi Mirgani, Manager and Editor for CIRS Publications. The Georgetown panel and booksigning audience was joined by several country ambassadors as well as embassy staff and other members of the local community. Dr. Mehran Kamrava, the Director of CIRS as well as one of the book’s contributors, was on hand to welcome the special guests and introduce the book’s editors on the panel.
“Across this region there is intense policy focus on managing food insecurity. However, academic research on the topic has been almost non-existent.” said Babar. Speaking to the bookstore gathering, she gave an outline of the status of food security in the Middle East as well as an overview of current theories and practical applications of food security issues and initiatives in specific countries of the Middle East. “The book provides empirical case studies of Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Yemen, the Gulf States and Iran. And the strength of this volume is in its multi-disciplinary approach to a complex problem spanning so many different countries. The diverse range of expertise encompasses both qualitative and quantitative methodologies of social science.”
“As the most of basic of human needs, the question of food – whether quality of, or access to – has always been a crucial issue of sustenance and survival. Since the global food price crisis of 2007-2008, however, the topic of food has become the subject of increasingly urgent policy and public debate,” explained Mirgani. “Critical studies into issues of food security and food sovereignty, such as this volume, further illustrate the increasingly global nature of the political and market forces that are shaping all engagements with food in the contemporary period.”
Following the panel presentations, the speakers took questions from the audience. The event wrapped up with a book signing and light reception.
Food Security in the Middle East includes contributions from 25 leading experts in food security issues from top universities around the world. The chapters provide empirical country case studies with special attention to how they have been affected by the events of the Arab uprisings and rising food prices following the global economic crisis. Collectively, the chapters represent highly original contributions to the disciplines of political science, economics, agricultural studies, and healthcare policy, and reflect the increasing urgency of policy and public debate in this subject.