United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Former Iraqi President to Deliver Keynote

"Presidential Roundtable" to Feature Three Nationally Recognized US University Leaders

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Professors, scholars, students, and other experts from 30 countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Niger, and the United Arab Emirates will gather in Washington, DC, for the 19th Annual Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) Conference from November 7-9, 2026.

The conference will examine the changing landscape of higher education and Middle East studies at a moment of profound regional and institutional change - 25 years after the September 11 attacks, six years after the Abraham Accords and three years after the October 7 attacks on Israel.

Alongside developments in the Middle East, participants will address a fundamental question facing universities themselves: Can academic institutions continue to pursue truth and open inquiry when scholars and university leaders are operating under intense political, social and institutional pressure.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Barham Salih, the 12th United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and former President of Iraq (2018–2022). He also served twice as Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (2001–2004; 2009–2012) and as Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq (2004–2009), concurrently serving as Minister of Planning (2004–2006). With a career spanning more than three decades of governmental service in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, Salih's life work has spanned across senior diplomatic, political and administrative leadership. His career is distinguished by his engagement with international and regional institutions, with human rights and humanitarian vision, and his experience as a refugee, crisis negotiator, and architect of national reforms.

A major feature of this year's conference will be a Presidential Roundtable bringing together three nationally recognized higher-education leaders to discuss what reform in universities should look like and how institutions should respond to growing pressure around academic freedom, political disagreement and campus governance. It will examine questions including when legitimate protest becomes intimidation, how universities should respond when political pressure begins affecting institutional decisions, and what principles university leaders should be prepared to defend even when doing so carries a cost:

• Dr. E. Gordon Gee, President Emeritus of West Virginia University (WVU). Having served as WVU president until July 14, 2025, Dr. Gee has been a prominent leader in higher education for over four decades. Besides his two terms as WVU president, he was president of Brown University, The Ohio State University (twice), the University of Colorado, and Vanderbilt University.
• Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University. A global faith leader and distinguished scholar, Rabbi Dr. Berman is shaping the future of higher education by restoring the essential connection between academic excellence, moral clarity, and human dignity. As the fifth president of Yeshiva University, he leads with the conviction that universities must educate not only for success, but for responsibility.
• David Ruth, Provost of University of Austin (UATX). Previously, Ruth held leadership positions as UATX's Dean of the Center for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics from 2022 to 2025, and as Permanent Military Professor of Mathematics at the United States Naval Academy. Before joining UATX, Ruth led and served as a naval officer for more than 31 years, and for 15 years as a military professor.

"Higher education is facing a test of intellectual independence, and breaking out of ideological echo chambers requires real institutional courage," said Ruth. "Bringing university leaders together through ASMEA to have an honest and constructive conversation is an essential step. We want to do more than simply talk about the headwinds facing universities; we want to demonstrate what principled leadership and meaningful reform look like in practice."

ASMEA is a community of scholars dedicated to defending academic freedom and advancing the search for truth. It promotes discourse in these fields by offering members opportunities to publish and present ideas to the academic community and beyond. The organization supports its members through its annual conference, a peer-reviewed journal, a newsletter, and a website. ASMEA aims to be the professional association of choice for thoughtful scholars and interested members of the public.

"Our conference comes on the heels of alarming research we conducted," said Dr. Asaf Romirowsky, ASMEA's executive director. "Our study, which was published right before the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, two-thirds of Middle East studies professors believe that scholarly academic work has generated cover for ideologies, groups, or regimes directly hostile to the United States. In addition, two-thirds of the professors asked do not believe that their students can correctly identify the causes or perpetrators of the attacks. While this is discouraging, we see the conference as an opportunity to discuss how professors and scholars can change the narrative to make sure students know the truth on this and various related Mideast topics."

Other speakers at this year's conference include Shaikh Abdulla Bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States; and Bashir Goth, Somaliland Representative to the United States.

"I am honored to speak at this year's ASMEA Conference," said Goth. "There is still suffering and despair happening in the region, and it will be up to future generations to help end the conflict. Middle East and African studies are crucial for the future of diplomacy and international affairs, and I look forward to meeting with some of the future leaders shaping these important areas."

Other highlights of the ASMEA Conference include:

• The 2026 Bernard Lewis Prize reception and awards ceremony, honoring the late distinguished Princeton University Professor and co-founder of ASMEA (his co-founder was the late Professor Fouad Ajami from John Hopkins University & the Hoover Institute).
• Two book presentations: Mosul Eye: A Scholar's Clandestine War Against ISIS by Omar Mohammed; and When Marx Meets Islam: Navigating Radical Ideologies in Defense of the West by Craig Considine.
• Over 100 paper presentations on Africa and the Middle East.
• The Annual Fouad Ajami Memorial Roundtable, this year titled "Revisiting the Arab Predicament 45 Years Later", will address his seminal book the Arab Predicament.
• Student Poster Competition.

"I look forward to being a part of the ASMEA Conference this year," said Mark T. Clark, professor emeritus of political science and former director of the National Security Studies program at California State University, San Bernardino. Mark Clark "Conversations like what we are having here are necessary for universities and scholars. I look forward to engaging with colleagues and students and exploring how we can make our campuses more informed, safe and well-rounded."

The event will be held at the Washington Georgetown Marriott Hotel. To register, click this link. The registration fee is $195 for ASMEA members, $145 for students, and $350 for non-members.

About Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA)

The Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) is an academic society dedicated to promoting the highest standards of research and teaching in Middle Eastern and African studies, and related fields. It is a response to the mounting interest in these increasingly inter-related fields, and the absence of any single group addressing them in a comprehensive, multidisciplinary fashion. ASMEA aims to promote its vision through programs, publications, and services that support its members, the international community of scholars, and interested members of the public.

For more information, please visit ASMEA's website.

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