On Thursday, April 1 2021, CGDS along with the department of Social Sience at the American University Iraq, Sulaimani organized an open forum "Israel- Palestine and Iraq-Kurdistan Conflicts - The Similarities, Lessons and the Way Forward" in which four AUIS students presented research that resulted from their work in the summer 2021 class “Israel and Palestine.” This class was taught by Jan Warner Visiting Scholar Mr. Shakir, who also coordinated the panel, titled “Israel-Palestine and Iraq-Kurdistan Conflicts: The Similarities, Lessons, and the Way Forward.” AUIS students Liva Saadi, Gash Salar, Supa Shakali, and Hasan Baway read their papers; Kizhe Majeed served as the moderator. Fifteen participants attended the session.
Image description: There are two photos. In one, we see two women sitting side by side at a cloth-draped table. The woman on the left-hand side wears a checked jacket and a black mask. The woman on the right-hand side, who is speaking, wears a black abaya and hijab. We see a microphone, bottles of water, and papers on the table. To the left of the table is a large sign; the only visible word is Iraq, in all-caps. Behind the women are bookshelves in light wood upon which rests a beige handbag. The other photo shows two men seated side by side at a cloth-draped table at the front of the room and, from behind, seven audience members (four women and three men) seated in evenly spaced chairs. A woman is seated alone at another draped table in the front of the room, her face obscured by an audience member. The walls are light brown wood. A large blue sign in English and Kurdish is in the front of the room, and on a large screen we see logos spelling CGDS and AUIS.