Contact: Leah Barbour
The Consul General of Egypt will visit Mississippi State for a free, public lecture on Tuesday [Feb. 4].
The address by diplomat Alaa Khalrat Issa will begin at 1 p.m. in Griffis Residence Hall's forum room. "Egypt in Crisis," his topic, will cover the changing social and political climate that led to the Arab Spring, a series of revolutions throughout the Arab world that began in 2010 and, in his nation, resulted in the removal of two successive leaders.
The university's International Institute is sponsoring Issa's visit.
"Mr. Issa will offer an insider's perspective on the challenges faced by Egypt as it transitions toward an inclusive democracy," said Jon Rezek, the institute's interim executive director. "His presentation is both topical and relevant to the university and community-at-large as it provides a holistic view of the most important and tumultuous political transition of the 21st century."
In addition to Mississippi, the Houston-based consulate represents Egyptian interests in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. For more, visit http://egypt.embassy-online.net/egypt-consulate-general-houston.php.
A diplomat for more than 25 years, Issa has served as Consul General of Egypt since 2010. Prior diplomatic roles include his 2008 appointment as deputy assistant minister of legal affairs in Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and his 2001 position as counselor of the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the U.N.
The Egypt native earned his Master of Laws from Columbia University in New York state and his Master of Arts from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts. He completed bachelor's degree work at Cairo University.
Issa's publications have appeared in Contemporary Security Policy and Monterey Institute of International Studies. Harvard University sponsored his fellowship at the Center for International Affairs in 2006, and in 2007, he became a center associate.
For more information about Issa's visit to MSU, contact Caroline Hearnsberger, immigration coordinator at MSU International Education, at 662-325-1562 or acm70@msstate.edu.