Conference Schedule

Wednesday, April 19 – Friday, April 21, 2017

University of Montana
All Events are held at the University Center Theater

Sponsored by:

Central & Southwest Asian Studies Center, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), Montana World Affairs Council, Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Department of History, Defense Critical Language & Culture Program-Maureen & Mike Mansfield Center

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

12:00 (noon) - 2:30 p.m.

Panel Presentation: Young Scholars Present their Research on the Middle East and Central Asia

Chair and Discussant: Professor Ardi Kia (Central & Southwest Asian Studies Center, Department of Anthropology, University of Montana)
Panel Participants: Carson Blake, Chris Hanson, Chase Hougland, Ashley Jensen, Jared Miller, Curtis Schiwal, Kurt Secrest

2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Panel Presentation: Magnanimous Stories in 3 Parts

• Fayezeh Haji Hassan (Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Roseman Law Firm, PLLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania): Hope and Despair: The Life of a Refugee in Limbo
• Fatima Heravy (Thunderbird School of Global Management, Glendale, Arizona): Courage, Imagination, Unbeatable Determination; I am a Refugee and a Dreamer
• Shahid Haque-Hausrath (Border Crossing Law Firm, P.C., Helena, Montana): Perspectives of a Muslim-American Immigration Attorney in Montana Chair and Discussant: Michelle Risho (Advocate for Social Change, Bozeman-Missoula, Montana)

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Keynote Panel Presentation

Presentation: Minority Groups, Religious Communities, and Immigration in the Trump Era

Welcome Remarks: Clayton Christian, Commissioner of Higher Education
Presenters: Shahid Haque-Hausrath (Border Crossing Law Firm, P.C., Helena, Montana) and Professor Anthony Johnstone (Alexander Blewett III School of Law, University of Montana)
Chair and Discussant: Robert Seidenschwarz (Chairman, Montana World Affairs Council)

Thursday, April 20, 2017

12:00 (noon) -2:00 p.m.

Panel Presentation: My Montana Includes Muslims: Refugees & Immigrants in Big Sky Country

Chair: Professor Samir Bitar (Central & Southwest Asian Studies Center, Department of Modern & Classical Languages and Literatures, University of Montana)
Panel Participants: Professor Samir Bitar and Jameel Chaudhry (University of Montana Campus Architect)

3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Panel Presentation: China, the Middle East, and Central Asia

Chair: Professor Cao Zhen (Department of Modern & Classical Languages and Literatures, University of Montana)
Discussant: Professor Eric Schluessel (Departments of History and Political Science, University of Montana)
Panel Participants: Professor LIU ZhongMin: Three Trends of Islamic Forces in Middle East Politics; Professor ZHAO Jun: Military Cooperation Between Oman and India; Professor DING Jun: Sino-Middle East & Central Asia Relations: Historical Foundation and Realistic Motivation; Professor ZOU Zhiqiang: The Crisis of the Turkish Model and Turkey-European Union Relations in the Context of Economic Stagnation (Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China)

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Keynote Presentation: Dealing with a Difficult Iran: United States and Iran During the Presidency of Donald Trump

Presenter: Ambassador John Limbert (Ret.) (Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the U.S. Naval Academy, Former U.S. Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Responsible for Iranian Affairs. Ambassador Limbert worked in Iran as a university and high school teacher, and served at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran where he was held hostage in 1979-1981)
Chair: Robert Seidenschwarz (Chairman, Montana World Affairs Council)
Discussant: Mehrdad Kia (Central & Southwest Asian Studies Center, Department of History, University of Montana)

Friday, April 21, 2017

1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Keynote Address: Russian Foreign Policy in the Age of Putin: The Case of Russia and Europe

Presenter: Professor Robert Greene (Chair, Department of History, University of Montana)
Chair and Discussant: Professor Michael Mayer (Department of History, University of Montana)

2:30 – 4:00 p.m.

Panel Presentation: Terrorism in the Post Modern World

Presenter: Professor Michel Valentin (Department of Modern & Classical Languages and Literatures, University of Montana), Mark Metcalf (University of Montana)
Chair and Discussant: Mehrdad Kia (Central & Southwest Asian Studies Center, Department of History, University of Montana)