As the world watches the rapidly escalating situation in Egypt, two questions of paramount concern emerge: “What will happen next?” and “What are the long-term implications for the region?”
Yale political scientist Ellen Lust is uniquely qualified to provide the answers to those questions. A leading authority on the politics of authoritarianism and the prospects for democracy in the Middle East, Lust has written extensively on the subject. Her books include “Structuring Conflict in the Arab World” (2005), “Political Participation in the Middle East” (2008), co-edited with Saloua Zerhouni, and a textbook titled “The Middle East” (2010). She has also published articles in such journals as Comparative Politics, Comparative Political Studies, International Journal of Middle East Studies and Politics and Society.
Lust is currently working on a book examining the politics of elections in the Arab world, as well as a collaborative project focusing on ongoing social and economic transformations in Africa and the Middle East. She is an associate editor of a the newly launched journal, Middle East Law and Governance, sponsored by the University of Toronto and Yale University Law Schools. Lust has studied, conducted research, and led students and interest groups in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Israel, Palestine and Syria.
In a recent article in Foreign Affairs magazine, Lust and colleagues from Princeton and Harvard argue that the Obama administration should shed discredited myths that have governed foreign policy in the Middle East and support the expressed will of the people in the region. “When change comes to the Middle East, as it surely will, let us make sure that we are on the right side,” Lust and her co-authors contend.
Lust and two Yale colleagues are among 150 academics publicly urging President Obama to demand the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.
To set up an interview with Dr. Lust, please call Dorie Baker at the Office of Public Affairs and Communications: 203-432-8553.
