Students to join in on talk about Israeli politics

Peter Berkowitz (Courtesy Photo)
Peter Berkowitz (Courtesy Photo)
Peter Berkowitz (Courtesy Photo)

By Brooke Bailey
Reporter

Students are invited to join a conversation about Israel’s politics with a leading expert from Stanford University. The discussion is part of the Laura Blanche Jackson Endowed Memorial Lectureship in World Issues.

Dr. Peter Berkowitz from Stanford’s Hoover Institution will speak on Israel’s international relations at 7 p.m. Thursday in Armstrong Browning Library.

Berkowitz is the Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at Hoover. He also chairs the Task Force on National Security and Law.

Berkowtiz will present his lecture, titled “Israel and the Struggle Over the International Laws of War.” The talk will cover Israel’s politics and tensions with other Middle East nations.

Students will have the chance to interact with Berkowtiz in a question-and-answer session following the speech. A reception will be held immediately following the lecture at Cox Reception Hall, located on the first floor of Armstrong.

“He’s someone who’s very thoughtful and speaks in a way that’s accessible to a wide audience,” said Dr. Thomas Hibbs, dean of the Honors College.

No prior expertise of the subject is required to attend, so all students are encouraged to participate, Hibbs said.

“It’s a topic that should be of interest to everyone, and we have a terrific speaker lined up,” he said.

The lectureship is the only one of its kind in the Honors College that solely focuses on politics and world affairs every year.

Hibbs said Baylor’s commitment to educating students in world affairs is one reason why the lectureship exists.

“The questions and issues that are addressed every year in this lecture should be of vital concern to us as American citizens,” Hibbs said.

The 19th annual lectureship is held every spring in memory of Laura Blanche Jackson, who graduated in 1985. The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Honors College and Baylor Interdisciplinary Core.