April 6, 2007 — Modern Syria shares borders with Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. Its ancient roots can be traced back to the fourth millennium B.C. with its capital, Damascus, thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. With such a legacy and location, Syria’s role in the Middle East and the world today is one of tremendous significance.

Patrick Seale, author and former Middle East correspondent for The Observer, will conclude the University of Utah”s 2007 Middle East Lecture Series with a talk entitled “Syria’s Place in the New Regional and International Environment.” The lecture will take place on Thursday, April 19 at 3:00 p.m. in the Hinckley Caucus Room, 255 Orson Spenser Hall (OSH). The event is free and open to the public.

Patrick Seale is a highly acclaimed authority on the Middle East. According to Ibrahim Karawan, Director of the Middle East Center, who has known him for almost two decades, “We are truly fortunate to have Patrick”s lecture as the culmination of the Middle East Lecture Series this year. Two of his books, The Struggle for Syria and Assad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East, are recognized as classics in Middle East Studies. He continues to be a leading participant in policy and conceptual discussions about the region.”

Seale was educated at Balliol College and St. Anthony’s College in Oxford and the Middle East Centre for Arabic Studies in Lebanon.

The Middle East Lecture Series is organized by the Middle East Center at the University of Utah in collaboration with the office of the senior vice president for academic affairs, the vice president for university relations, the dean of the College of the Humanities, the dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the chair of the department of political science and the director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics.

For more information on the upcoming lecture or on the Middle East Center at the University of Utah, contact Shari Lindsey, 801-581-6181 or shari.lindsey@hum.utah.edu.