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Global warming, industrialization, intensive agriculture, tourism, the construction of large dams and rising population have all contributed to make fresh water a contentious commodity in the region. This major new initiative was launched in fall of 2007 to address what is seen as one of the major crises of the 20th century. A combination of conferences, workshops, and other special events, this initiative also produced an interdisciplinary graduate course (Water and Culture in the Mediterranean: A Crisis? (BEE 754), Law (779), D.Soc 694) that is coordinated by Gail Holst-Warhaft (IES, NES, Com Lit., Classics, Law), Tammo Steenhuis (BEE), and Keith Porter (Law). A popular course, it was taught for a second time in spring 2008.

In connection with this project, Cornell signed official Memorandums of Understanding with the American Universities in Beirut and Cairo.

Southeastern Anatolia was, until recently, under-developed and isolated from the sophisticated urban centers of western Turkey and regarded as the “forgotten Turkey.” It was also a center of racial and ethnic conflict, particularly between Turks and Kurds. As Turkey prepared for discussions about membership in the European Union, it was felt Southeastern Anatolia would be a major focus of concern, not only because of its economic and social problems, but also because its borders with Iraq and Syria make it one of the most important strategic areas in the world today.

Academic lectures and forums were intertwined with cultural events throughout the week. Events included a photography exhibition, Turkish artists and craftspeople selling their crafts in a sumptuous Ottoman tent in Willard Straight Hall Gallery, lectures, book readings, and film screenings. The week culminated with a musical performance of Anatolian and other Turkish melodies by the Cornell Middle Eastern Ensemble.

This forum took as its themes: the creation of the modern Turkish state, Turkey’s development since the second World War, minorities in Turkey, European fears of Islamic fundamentalism, Turkey’s bid to join the E.U., and the role of trade and economic development in creating and maintaining Turkey’s secular status.

IES presented a week of activities focused on Morocco and its relations with Europe, past and present.

This event combined a reading of selected poems by Mikis Theodorakis, a concert, and a book signing. Professor Gail Holst-Warhaft translated.

This forum included leaders of the Turkish and Greek municipalities of Nicosia and scholars who observed Cyprus before and after the opening of the Green Line. It included a panel of specialists on other areas in Europe where contending ethnic communities have been or continue to be physically separated by walls or other impenetrable borders. The aim of this forum was not to retrace the history of the Cyprus dispute, but to concentrate on the effects of the separation on the population of the island, to consider the U.N.’s role as a mediator between the Turkish and Greek communities, and to examine the effects of the recent border crossings on both sides.