Political Science professors discussed the Syrian conflict, U.S. intervention, international law, and Russian posturing to an auditorium filled with Shepherd community members.
Thursday, Sept. 19, Shepherd University’s political science department hosted a panel discussion in the Byrd Center for Legislative Studies on the Syrian conflict. The panel included department chair Dr. Stephanie Slocum-Schaffer, Dr. Joseph Robbins, Dr. Jacob Stump and Dr. Aart Holtslag
According to Slocum-Schaffer, the decision to host a panel discussion in regard to Syria came from a growing interest expressed by students in the Syria crisis. “We had all noticed we were receiving lots of questions and comments about Syria from [not just] our students, but from colleagues and friends.”
“We feel the discipline of Political Science has a lot to contribute to public discourse about current and pressing issues,” said Slocum-Schaffer, “and we feel it is our job to share our knowledge with the campus community on important political issues. It is our hope that providing the community with a scholarly perspective, as well as providing the background and context, will help to form their opinions and make their own informed decisions regarding what the United States should or should not do in these situations.”
Stump, an expert in international politics and global terrorism, began the discussion with an abbreviated yet thorough account of American involvement in the Middle East dating back to the 1940s and 1950s; citing president Truman’s identification of the Middle East as “extremely important to American interests” and subsequent Cold War strategies to acquire and maintain control of the region and its resources.
Holtslag, whose area of expertise lies in international organizations and law, followed Stump by discussing the legal issues surrounding the Syrian conflict. Holtslag stated, “The administration keeps implying that Syria has violated the Chemical Weapons Convention, but Syria has not signed that convention and can, as such, not have violated it… [However,] indiscriminate killing of civilians is prohibited by the Geneva Convention.”
Robbins, a professor of comparative politics, discussed Russia’s involvement in the crisis and the various motives for their political position.
Attendees of the event expressed a unanimous appreciation for the panel discussion. Dr. John Splain, an adjunct history professor, heard about the panel discussion via Shepherd e-mail. “I was very interested in the issue,” said Splain. “It has had a profound impact on the global stage.”
In regard to the event itself, Splain stated, “It was compelling, informative and intellectually stimulating; I think it was an invaluable event on campus. It is things like this that make a university stand out and I really hope they host more discussions like this.”
For those who wished to attend but were unable, the political science department will be hosting more events like this. In an interview following the discussion, Slocum-Schaffer said, “Given the very positive feedback we have received, we definitely plan to host more of these discussions in the future. First on our agenda is a follow-up on Syria in the next few weeks, with Dr. Guirguis attending.”
Dr. Max Guirguis, an associate professor of political science and an authority on Middle Eastern politics, was unable to speak on the panel due to a conflict in schedule. “It is with great regret that Dr. Guirguis could not be with us last Thursday afternoon as he had other commitments,” Slocum-Schaffer said. “Because we felt there was some urgency in arranging the event as quickly as possible so that it would be of interest to the campus while events were in the news, we made the choice to go forward without Dr. Guirguis.” Slocum-Schaffer has assured The Picket that Guirguis will be on the panel for the follow-up discussion.
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