The First Phase of Jihad: from Afghanistan to Algeria

The third in the series of the Middle East Mediterranean public lectures held by renowned French political scientist and arabist Prof. Gilles Kepel will take place on Thursday, October 19, at 6:30PM at the USI Lugano campus Auditorium.

The First Phase of Jihad: from Afghanistan to Algeria (1979-1997) is the title of the lecture during which Professor Kepel will guide the audience through the geographical and symbolical origins of a phenomenon known today as the global Jihad. Kepel will review the main terrorist attacks of the ‘80s and ‘90s in the MEM region and in Europe, starting from the Russian-Afghan war (1979-1989) up to the first appearances of Osama Bin Laden.

The Inside the MEM series of lectures, which will be held on a regular basis until May 2018, will focus on several topics, such as the clash between global powers in the complex game of regional politics, the impact of crude oil and natural gas prices on the stability in the region, the effects of all this on migration, and the Jihadist presence in Europe.

The public lectures series is one of the activities organised by the Middle East Mediterranean Freethinking Platform (MEM), new platform of discussion on the Middle East Mediterranean created by USI to encourage a critical and participative look at the events that are transforming this region and shaping the European continent.

For more information about the Platform:

https://www.usi.ch/en/memTo register for the lecture series: www.usi.ch/en/iscrizione-inside-mem

To receive information on the Middle East Mediterranean Freethinking Platform: [email protected]