Kenneth W. Stein, an expert in Middle Eastern history and politics, to speak at Fairfield University | Press Releases

Kenneth W. Stein, Ph.D., a noted author and Emory University professor in Middle Eastern history and Israeli studies, will speak at Fairfield University's Charles F. Dolan School of Business on Monday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. Dr. Stein, who will visit the university as a Judaic Studies scholar in residence, will address the timely topic "American Interests and Foreign Policy Toward the Middle East: Past, Present and Future."

In addition to the public lecture, Dr. Stein will address students, faculty and local clergy during his residency. This program is made possible through the generosity of David and Edith Chaifetz of Fairfield.

Dr. Stein is the William E. Schatten Professor of Contemporary Middle Eastern History and Israeli Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., and was an advisor on Middle Eastern issues to former President Jimmy Carter for 20 years. His scholarly publications include "Heroic Diplomacy: Sadat, Kissinger, Carter, Begin and the Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace" (Routledge, 1999), and "Making Peace Between Arabs and Israelis: Lessons from Fifty Years of Negotiating Experience" (Washington, 1991). Dr. Stein wrote "The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East" (Houghton-Mifflin, 1985), in collaboration with Carter. His first book was "The Land Question in Palestine, 1917-1939" (Chapel Hill, 1984).

From 1996 through 1999, Dr. Stein wrote the chapter on the "Arab-Israeli Peace Process" in "Middle East Contemporary Survey" and he is the author of more than two dozen scholarly articles focusing on the origins of modern Israel, Palestinian social history, the Arab-Israeli negotiating process, American foreign policy and other issues.

A highly respected expert, Dr. Stein has written entries on the PLO, the 1948 Israeli Independence War, the 1973 October War and related topics for editions of the Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. He is a frequent commentator for print and electronic media.

Dr. Stein holds a bachelor's degree from Franklin & Marshall College and two master's degrees and his doctorate from The University of Michigan. At Michigan, he trained in medieval Islamic and modern Middle Eastern history and did his doctoral work on Arabs and Jews in the British Mandate in Palestine. He has traveled extensively in both Israel and the Arab world.

Dr. Stein has received several prestigious scholarly grants and five teaching awards, including the Emory Williams Award in 1996. His undergraduate course, "History, Politics and Diplomacy of the Arab-Israeli Conflict," is one of Emory's most popular classes.

After joining Emory's faculty in 1977, Dr. Stein founded and developed the International Studies Center and established the Middle East Research Program and the Institute for the Study of Modern Israel. He was also the first director of the Carter Center. Dr. Stein is the 2002 recipient of Emory's Marion V. Creekmore Award for his 25-year commitment to Emory University and its curriculum.

Dr. Stein's lecture is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested, due to limited seating. For more information, call the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at (203) 254-4000, ext. 2066.