This lecture critically examines the US approach to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It highlights the consistency between the Bush and Obama Administration’s handling of the peace process. The fight against Islamists, the rhetoric on democracy promotion and the call for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel represent the essential goals of Bush’s policy in the post-September 11th era. These same goals have also shaped the Obama Administration’s perspective on the Middle East.

Russell E. Martin is Professor of History at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Penna.   He took his BA in History from the University of Pittsburgh (1986) and his Master's (1989) and Ph.D.

Why do post-conflict countries in Africa have double the rates of female legislative representation compared with countries that have not undergone conflict? In this lecture, Professor Tripp draws from her current book project to explore why post-war countries in Africa have been more open to passing legislation and making constitutional changes relating to women's rights. Her study draws from comparative research across Africa as well as fieldwork in Uganda, Liberia, Congo-Kinshasa and Angola.

On January 17th,2012, the European Union Center of Excellence/European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh will host an interactive videoconference devoted to the current European financial crisis. To be held from 12-1:30 p.m. in 211 David Lawrence Hall, the session is entitled “Is the Future of the Eurozone the Future of Europe?” This is the first in a series of “Conversations on Europe,” in which participants and audiences will be linked across several sites by video. This first session will feature some of the country’s top experts on the European Union, including Dr.

Trust in political institutions is one of the key elements which make representative democracies work. Trust creates a connection between citizens and representative political institutions. Democratic governments which enjoy a large degree of trust also tend to have higher degrees of legitimacy and policy efficacy. In Europe's multi-level governance structure, it is imperative to learn more about the determinants of trust in EU institutions. With the increasing salience of EU issues, are domestic proxies still a key determinant of evaluating EU institutions?

Professor of Music Gordon Thomposon discussed an episode in music history when on the same day the Beatles released their album Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and the BBC announced that the band would represent the UK in the world's first global television broadcast. Simultaneously, the BBC censors were deciding to ban the recording "A Day in the Life" believing that the song promoted drug use. Thomposon situates the decision to block the broadcast of one of the most important recordings of the 20th century at the intersection of culture, politics, and semiotics.

Harvard Economist Dani Rodrik described how "Unconditional convergence is alive and well, but that we need to look for it within manufacturing industries rather than the economy as a whole. Industries that start at lower levels of labor productivity grow faster, regardless of the quality of policies or institutions in their home economies." For more, see Professor Rodrik's blog: http://rodrik.typepad.com/dani_rodriks_weblog/2011/09/unconditional-conv....