CIRS to Discuss U.S. Presidential Election in Upcoming Event

Professor Clyde Wilcox

As the race to the White House heats up, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at Georgetown University in Qatar is offering new insight into the process. The research institute will be hosting a public discussion on the 2016 presidential elections, featuring two renowned experts on politics and electoral behavior in the United States.

As part of CIRS monthly dialogues series, Professors Joshua Mitchell and Clyde Wilcox will offer their perspectives and insight into the current presidential race. The event will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday 18 October in the Auditorium at the Georgetown University in Qatar building in Education City.

“This is an election in which two deeply flawed candidates battle over the post-1989 order, in which ‘globalization’ and ‘identity politics’ have been the central concerns,” said Mitchell.

He explained how the audience at the CIRS event can “expect to hear two decidedly different takes on the current election: one from a political scientist concerned with data; another from a political theorist concerned with ideas.”

“Every day, this election gets stranger and stranger,” said Wilcox. “The Trump candidacy defies a lot of our political science wisdom, but there are many reasons why the race remains much closer than it should be. At this event, audience members can gain greater insight into the strangest election in American history.”

A Professor of Political Theory at Georgetown University, Mitchell is an author of numerous books, including on religion and freedom in the United States. His research interests lie in the relationship between political thought and theology in the West.

Wilcox is a professor in the Government department at Georgetown University, with a research background in a number of topics in American politics, including campaign finance, public opinion and electoral behavior. He has authored or coauthored books on interest groups in American elections, fundraising in presidential campaigns, and the intersection of religion and politics.

CIRS’s monthly dialogue series is an opportunity for members of the public and research community in Qatar to meet with respected scholars to discuss topical issues and recent academic endeavors.