CSUN lecture will explore Middle East complexities

Leonard Binder, an internationally-recognized specialist on Middle East politics and Islamic political thought, will speak about “Jihadist Strategies and the Balance of Power in the Middle East” on Thurs., Nov. 17 at CSUN.

Binder will make his presentation from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Whitsett Room on the fourth floor of Sierra Hall on the west side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge.

“Leonard Binder is an eminent scholar of the Middle East and his talk is about a topic of utmost importance to all of us at the moment—jihadist strategies and the balance of power,” said Mehran Kamrava, a professor of political science and acting chair of CSUN’s Department of Anthropology.

“Given the war on terror and the current U.S. response to it, as well as the emergence of various terrorist groups in the Middle East, it is important for the university community—faculty, students and staff—and the community at large to have a better understanding of this complex situation,” Kamrava said.

Binder is director of UCLA’s Center for Near East Studies. For more information, call Kamrava at (818) 677-3331.