Arc of Crisis: The Greater Middle East at a Crossroads

Fall 2009 marked the 30th anniversary of three dramatic events that rocked the greater Middle East. In November and December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, U.S. hostages were taken in Iran, and radicals seized the Grand Mosque of Mecca. Across the Middle East, South and Central Asia, and the Horn of Africa, a new political and religious extremism set in and the United States was drawn more deeply into regional affairs. The reverberations of this watershed year are still being felt through today’s challenges in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and beyond.

Iran: The Revolution at 30 - October 8, 2009
Roger Cohen, Columnist, The New York Times

Inside the Kingdom - October 21, 2009 
Robert Lacey, Author and Historian

The Limits of the Revolution: The Evolving Situation in Iran - November 19, 2009 
Karim Sadjadpour, Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

An Uneasy Relationship: Pakistan and the United States - December 2, 2009
Ambassador Wendy J. Chamberlin, President, Middle East Institute

God and Globalization in the Greater Middle East - December 9, 2009
Reza Aslan, Author and Senior Fellow, Orfalea Center on Global and International Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

Audio files of all fall 2009 Chicago and the World Forum programs are also available on Chicago Amplified, Chicago Public Radio's web-based audio archive of public programs held throughout the Chicago region. Chicago Public Radio was a media sponsor of the fall 2009 Chicago and the World Forum.