Have you had the desire to ask some of your LLS professors questions that did not particularly pertain to their classes? Would you like to know more about the profession the professor would choose, if he, or she, had not pursued becoming a professor? Or if he, or she, could meet one famous person (historical or alive now) who would it be? The Professor’s Corner, featured during each semester, will allow students to get to know their LLS professor’s personal side. This week Dr. Jeffrey Morton, a Professor of Political Science and Fellow at the Foreign Policy Association, is interviewed by his daughter, Emily Morton.

Jeffrey Morton, Ph.D.

1. What profession would you choose to pursue had you not become a professor of political science?

• A professional billiard player, because I like the combination of geometry, pressure, and big-time winnings.

2. Which is your favorite destination that you have traveled to thus far?

• The south of France, specifically St. Paul de Vence.

3. Which country or destination would you like to add to your list?

• Mongolia, in order to visit the birth place of Genghis Khan, in the Khentii Mountains.

4. If you could meet one famous person (historical or alive now), who would it be?

• Benjamin Franklin, because he was America’s first diplomat.

5. University or life experience, which do you feel best prepares you for life?

• On a very practical level, working my way through college and being self-supportive from an early age taught me valuable life lessons and the importance of being responsible. During college, I was selected to attend the prestigious International Law Commission training program at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.  That experience, along with the connections that I made, was very important for my career development. I would say, therefore, that the two experiences—life and university—combine to best prepare young people for life.

6. What is the one thing that should be taught in school that isn’t already?

• I find that college students, for the most part, are unprepared to manage their own finances. Young people should be taught about personal debt, financial investments and the importance of financial planning.  With only a basic understanding of how finances work, many of the debt problems that American citizens are burdened with throughout their lives would be mitigated.

7. If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?

• July 14, 1789.  I would want to be in Paris at the onset of the French Revolution.  I would have to remember to keep my head down!

8. How many cities have you lived in? Which has been the best experience?

• I’ve lived in Charlotte, N.C., New Brunswick, N.J., Los Angeles and Boca Raton. My best experience was in Los Angeles.  I was there for 2.5 years in between undergraduate and graduate school.  I worked hard to save up for grad school at Rutgers and played competitive volleyball.

9. Who is your favorite world leader (historical or alive)?

• William Wallace, the voice and leader of the Free Scotland movement in the late 13th century. My ancestors fought with Wallace and one was executed in the 1290s. The Morton Castle remains my favorite place in Scotland.

10. You have been teaching at LLS for 20 years. Did you ever expect for it to last this long?

• From the beginning, I could tell that this program was going to blossom into a premiere learning institution. Now I look forward to the next 20 years.

Emily Morton and Dr. Jeffrey Morton

Emily Morton is currently finishing her undergraduate studies at the Honors College of Florida Atlantic University, majoring in Environmental Science. She enjoyed working as an intern at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. She is involved in Model United Nations and is a recipient of the Jupiter Lifelong Learning Society Scholarship for the 2015 FAU Diplomacy Program. Emily intends on traveling after graduation and is interested in obtaining a Master’s Degree in the Environmental Sciences, focusing on conservation and sustainability.

According to Coco Chanel (1883-1971), the silhouette of flapper fashion was born more of chance than design. She told us: “One day in Deauville, I put on a man’s sweater because I was cold. I tied it with a handkerchief at the waist. Fellow vacationers asked, “Where did you get that dress?”  I responded, “If you like it, I will sell it to you.”  Ten dresses later, the signature Chanel frock was born. This scenario describes just how fashion trends begin.

After that, Chanel seized the opportunity to design for this new adventurous woman whose day combined work, sport, and leisure. She began to blur the lines
between masculine and feminine, and between costume and real jewelry. Recognizing the evolution from Victorian Society to a more streamlined Modernism, Chanel began to do a brisk business in navy blue blazers, turtleneck sweaters and other loose-fitting garments she created out of knit, flannel, and the new sexy rayon material that no other dressmaker had ever dared to use. Her main objective was to make every women feel comfortable and attractive.

Chanel opened her Paris fashion house in 1921 at the very start of the Jazz Age. The most familiar ingredient of her flapper fashion was the shortened hemline with skirts that were fourteen inches above the ground. The New York Times reported from the French fashion shows: “Display of Spring fashions shows them barely long enough to cover their knees.”  Women bobbed their hair short and began to wear skirts in which they could jump onto a bus easily, or even better, do the Charleston. Chanel’s innovation of the little black dress has been called “the Ford of Fashion.”   Everybody had one (and most women still do)!  This trend scandalized defenders of the old order who were alarmed at the sight of bare legs. Silk stockings, created by Pierre Poiret, became a feature of the look. Many took the “New Woman” in stride – and even the conservative Ladies’ Home Journal wrote, “…American women are now noted for their pretty feet and ankles.  It is pleasant to
know that skirts are going to be short…though one must adjust length to becomingness.”

Coco Chanel encouraged women to use what they already owned in clothing and accessories, but she encouraged them to add modern touches to their outfits like a brightly colored scarf, a handsome hat, an attention-getting brooch, or fantastic footwear.

When I was a student studying design at Pratt Institute, I would to go to the old Metropolitan Opera House and sketch the subscribers as they arrived for opening night. The parade of society ladies was a feast for the eyes in color, fabrics, and shape with each diva attempting to outdo all the others. How delicious it was to see this panoply of extravagance and consumerism!  There will never be its equal.

In my career as a designer, I embraced Chanel’s ideas in order to make my own creations timely.  I always attempted to bring a new look into my work – but not an extreme one. The women who bought my clothes wanted to look attractive – not weird. I think back in pleasure at how Chanel, my muse, influenced my thinking and my love of French Couture. Coco Chanel was High Fashion herself!

Terryl Lawrence, Ed.D., earned her doctoral degree in art and education from Columbia University and has had many exhibitions of her paintings and photographs in New York and Florida. She has written several published articles, was a New York fashion designer and photographer and wrote the preface to Chaim Potok’s “Artist in Exile,” has taught photography and art at C.W. Post College and SUNY Empire State College. She is an NEH Fellow in the Humanities. Professor Lawrence currently teaches Art History and Mythology at Palm Beach State and Broward Colleges.

Sandi Page, LLS student, volunteer, member of the LLS Jupiter Marketing Committee, and guest blogger

There are several ingredients that make up the recipe for a happy retirement.  Good health, a comfortable financial situation and a strong social network are three of the more obvious ones.  Studies over the years have shown that those who are the most content in their retirement years also have a sense of purpose in life and many are finding that purpose in volunteering.

In talking with fellow LLS students, I found that volunteering is important to a sizable number of them and local organizations such as the Jupiter Medical Center, Hospice, the Maltz Theatre, animal rescue groups, churches and synagogues are among the lucky recipients of their talents, time and energy.  One of their favorite places to volunteer, however, is right here at our Lifelong Learning Society where volunteering opportunities abound that may also suit you, your interests and your schedule.  There is the always popular Class Greeter program which attracts over 100 volunteers each year.  An orientation meeting is held annually to train and update both old and new greeters alike.  LLS thanks these greeters each spring with a much anticipated and well-attended Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.  LLS Advisory Boards are often looking for new members to add their life’s experience to the task of creating a better learning center for all.  An S.O.S. via email is often sent out before the beginning of each semester asking for volunteers to stamp class catalogs and tickets and to stuff envelopes.  Our annual Lunafest film festival, which raises money for breast cancer research and FAU scholarships, always needs volunteers for various responsibilities.

Gene and Tom Monahan taken by LLS staff at the FAU LLS Volunteer Appreciation Dinner in 2015

My conversations with LLS students yielded some interesting reasons as to why they so generously give their time.  One gentleman shyly confided that he loves the pats on the back that he gets from volunteering. A very thoughtful response came from one of our most photogenic greeter couples, Gene and Tom Monahan.    They have been attending classes and volunteering as LLS class greeters since 2003.  They volunteer because, as they say, “We love education, being with smart people and hearing the wonderful lectures.  It gives us an opportunity to grow intellectually.   As we don’t play golf or bridge, volunteering at LLS gives us a structure to our week that we need.”  Gene and Tom have greeted both as a couple and individually, usually volunteering for at least one class and some one-time events each semester.  Gene generally volunteers for more classes than Tom while Tom has taken over 130 classes at LLS.  They enjoy meeting other volunteers and becoming friendly with them and also enjoy feeling that they are a part of the LLS experience.

René Friedman, LLS Jupiter Founder

Whatever the reasons behind our students’ desire to volunteer, LLS appreciates their efforts.  As René Friedman, Founder of LLS and all-around femme extraordinaire told me, “Without volunteers, I could not have had the help needed all these years to devote my energy to growing and developing this wonderful program.  I thank you all.”

For further information about volunteering at LLS, please contact Wendi Geller, Class Coordinator, at (561)799-8814 or e-mail her at wgeller@fau.edu. 

HOT  TRAVEL  PICKS  

Guest blogger and LLS student Sandi Page

One of the commonalities among our L.L.S. student population is our love of travel to new destinations which goes hand in hand with our love of learning.   A long-time friend, fellow L.L.S. student and inveterate traveler Jean Dessoffy recently emailed me a travelogue of her four-day trip to Cuba with a friend.  I found it so fascinating that I asked her permission to edit it and share it with our L.L.S. community and she graciously agreed.  Jean owned and operated a travel agency in the Washington, D.C. area for 25 years.

CUBA – HAVANA

Red Ford Edsel convertible. A flop in the U.S. market lives on as a private taxi toting American tourists around Havana.

First Impressions–It only took 45 minutes to fly from Miami to Havana, but two hours to go through immigration and get our checked baggage. Our small suitcases were no match for the tons of large screen TV sets, coffee makers, and 70-pound bags of food and clothes being brought into the country by Cubans for their families or for resale in a land where there are no U.S. goods available in the stores.

The airport was very “third world” but our hotel, The Habana Capri, was quite nice with air conditioning, safe, mini-bar, hair dryer, and BBC, CNN, and China TV, all in English.  The lobby bar and buffet restaurant were both first class. The only negatives about the hotel were the very slow manual check-in process and the slow Wi-Fi/internet in the lobby. Our guide told us later that the hotels had Wi-Fi but as the locals could not afford to subscribe to internet service, they would buy an hour at a time of Wi-Fi from the hotel for the equivalent of $2.  Thus, the hotel lobby and the sidewalk outside were full of people using the internet which slowed down access. We gave up after the first wasted hour.

The Embargo–Since the Kennedy administration, the U.S. has imposed a ban on any trade with Cuba. With only a few exceptions, that ban still exists and has created a lot of pain for ordinary Cubans. American credit cards cannot be used. No companies will take U.S. cash dollars. Sometimes individual Cubans will take U.S. currency because they know where they can safely convert to Cuban currency at a more favorable exchange rate than the tourists can get. The typical Cuban earns less than US $50 per month. The absence of U.S. products in the marketplace has caused prices for imported, manufactured goods to be high. Cuba’s main trading partners are now China and Venezuela. Cubans need and want to trade with us.

There was nothing we saw in the markets that was made in China. Our guide expressed a negative opinion of the quality of Chinese merchandise.

Limited private industry is now permitted in Cuba. Here, a coconut milk vendor advertises his wares.

Our Group–There were only 8 tourists in our group which was nice. Our guide was 29 years old, spoke very good English, and knew his Cuban and world history. Everyone got along fine.

Havana–Havana is an enigma. One minute, you are driving down a boulevard that would rival Paris with its beautiful buildings and an opera house, all of which are being renovated. Then the next, the scene would suddenly look like you were in Haiti with poor markets and people trying to earn a living as best they could.

The people looked healthy with their free medical care from birth to death, government-guaranteed shelter, organically grown fruits and vegetables, and free education through the university level, if qualified.

We had a meeting with a retired University of Havana professor who had earned her Ph.D. in economics in Russia after being educated in the U.S. She lectured at Harvard but after one year had to leave the United States because the U.S. would not extend her visa. She answered questions for two hours about Cuba and her thoughts about the world.

The Cubans welcomed the Pope a few days after we left. According to our guide, only a small percentage of Cubans are Catholic with most religions practiced there having African roots with Catholic statues – just one more enigma. He also told us the Cubans were hoping “Papa” would come with his purse to help the poor people.

On our final night in Havana, we were treated to a ride in one of their vintage cars which are all over the city. We rode in a 1956 white Chrysler convertible with a loud V8 engine and a push-button automatic transmission and joined our other tourist companions in a classic car parade to the Caribe Restaurant. As we were having dinner, our guide asked one member of our group if he could take her picture. Flattered, she willingly cooperated when he asked her to move over a few inches to the right. He said he would tell us why he was taking the picture after we were back on the street. When he showed us the photo, in the background we could see a man who we were then told was, in fact, Fidel Castro’s eldest son.

Neighborhoods are being decorated using tiles arranged to reflect Cuban culture. Cuban muralist and ceramist José Fuster, described as the Picasso of the Caribbean, began decorating his own yard and then started doing his neighbor’s yards. Now the neighborhood for blocks around is his gallery. Jean Dessoffy is pictured seated.

After dinner, we walked over to a jazz club where the musicians of the “Buena Vista Social Club” group had played. Only one of the musicians is still alive but their unique style of Cuban music and dance has been preserved. PBS did a nice “American Experience” program featuring the Buena Vista Social Club’s visit to New York City and Carnegie Hall, which is available for viewing on YouTube.

Winding Down–On our final day, we were bused to the airport where a very limited duty-free shop allowed us to buy some Santiago Rum, made with equipment and aging barrels left by Bacardi when they pulled out shortly after the revolution. The airport did have air conditioning and toilets but the toilets had no seats and there was no toilet paper.

Should You Visit Cuba?

Of course! But it is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of walking on unpaved streets with plenty of objects to trip over. There are lots of stairs to restaurants and shops and few operational elevators. One place had a broken elevator which the guide explained was made by a U.S. company. It broke after the embargo went into effect so no spare parts or services are available. On the positive side, Cuba has a very low crime rate with lots of music and warm, welcoming people. We hope that when the embargo is lifted, the Cuban people can get on with the repairs and renovations which seem to be needed everywhere.

Our tour company was Cuba Explorer. They arrange everything, including charter air service, visas, hotel, and tour guide/transportation.

http://cubaexplorer.com/tours/havana-weekend-tour/

My fall film appreciation course provides an opportunity to see two films by British directors – David Lean and Michael Powell.  Both directors achieved critical acclaim and popularity.

However, it would be difficult to find any artistic or even British similarity between these two directors.  Their differences are so great that one could easily imagine them disliking each other.

In his epic films such as “Doctor Zhivago” and “A Passage to India,” David Lean reveals his passion for depicting trains crossing a vast, continental space.  Lean is unquestionably the film poet of a journey by train.  His respectful portrayal of historical and cultural themes reflects his enormous sense of craft and intellectual discipline.  Lean spares no financial expense to produce his grand effects and to make it all seem realistic.

Julie Christie in “Dr. Zhivago” (1965)

Yet, there is an air of contrivance in his work.  What David Lean can do with mastery is to take an actual situation and enlarge it enormously through naturalistic, cinematic means.

We are thrilled watching his actors in the locales in which he places them. We are interested in their emotional distress and outbursts.  Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia is shameless and almost embarrassing in some scenes.  But in the end, we have not really learned anything new about people from a David Lean film, however great the entertainment.  They have merely been magnified.

Michael Powell is in a class by himself.  Though quintessentially British in background and manner, Powell had very little interest in the real or actual world.  He was not interested in politics, social issues, or the depiction of historical events.

Deborah Kerr in “Black Narcissus” (1947)

What Powell understood completely was the way strong-willed women could be deflected, defeated, or humiliated by masculine egotism.  In “The Red Shoes,” the heroine ballerina can only escape by leaping to her death.  In “Black Narcissus,” Deborah Kerr is driven to becoming a religious recluse by one man’s fecklessness.  Even then, she is repeatedly mocked by another man. There is nothing like the psychological novelty of a Michael Powell film.

Even more astonishing is that Powell’s films do not enlarge the real world as Lean’s films do.  Instead, they turn everything familiar into pure fantasy.  We always seem to be in a fairy tale in Michael Powell films.  In his own words, they bring us to “the other side of beyond.”

There are moments in a Michael Powell film that haunt our imaginations.

Dr. Benito Rakower was educated at Queens College and Harvard University, where he received a doctorate in the teaching of English. Before getting his degree at Harvard, Dr. Rakower was trained professionally at the piano in German Baroque and French repertoire.

A few brief musings for our singularly experienced and wise LLS constituents on the increasing appearance of connectivity as amongst rapid sociological changes in our American culture, federal and state legislators giving approbation to them, and with ongoing appellate court decisions now recognizing the evolving “will of the people” in construing developing societal mores.

In this context, observers are now witnessing judicial Constitutional approbation being given to dynamic changes in laws approved by both state legislatures, as well as Congressional fiat.

Over the decades, familiar Constitutional claims of freedom of religion, privacy, equal opportunity, and due process, (among others), have often been sustained by the courts to maintain comfortable historical Constitutional status quo in hotly contested clashes between people of good will holding strong and intractable antithetical positions upon a given subject.

However, times may be rapidly changing. A few illustrative recent examples for all to consider:

Physician-Assisted Suicide…still illegal in most states, but with a growing recognition that an aging American population may now be required to recognize carefully regulated and protected affirmative rights of its citizens to decide to end their lives. Five states now permit so doing, with likely more to swiftly follow.

Smoking …an almost total rejection of previously unrestrained smoking in all public and many private venues in a matter of a few decades has reversed almost unanimous older appellate court decisions protecting the Constitutional rights of individuals and business to permit and foster such conduct.

Vaccinations…Historically, parents not wishing to submit their children to such protocols had three Constitutionally grounded defenses against so doing: medical, religious, and philosophical. Developing state laws are limiting parental discretion.

The Death Penalty…At this moment, the Supreme Court is hearing six cases where the death penalty may possibly be prohibited as “cruel and unusual punishment.”

Same-Sex Marriage…who would have “thunk it” as being Constitutionally protected, even a few years ago?

We all are privileged to be witnessing a fascinating, fast-moving [legal] canter…where the jockey may well be the “unbridled” voice of the people, with both the judiciary and Constitution but the horse “along for the ride.”

Irving Labovitz, J.D., is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and holds a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law. Currently, he is teaching an eight-week course, “Current and Contentious Legal Battles,” at FAU LLS in Jupiter on Wednesdays at 2:15 p.m. He is admitted before the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as multiple federal appellate and trial courts. His experience includes: Federal Trade Commission legal staff in Washington, D.C., military federal prosecutor, Adjunct Professor of Business Law at Western New England Law School and FAU, attorney for major banks in concentrations of bankruptcy and secured lending, and contract counsel for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in the liquidation of failed banks. He has authored many scholarly law review articles and has been a national lecturer for the American Bar Association and Commercial Law League of America. Most recently, he was general counsel for a large corporation.

Many people claim American exceptionalism but, at least in regard to fear and aversion of “the Other,” we are just like the vast majority of societies. Over most of our history, a significant majority turned against religious, ethnic or ideological minorities in our own midst accusing them of threatening “us.”  To just mention a few: anti-Native Americans, anti-African slaves and their descendants, anti-Catholics, anti-Irish-Americans, anti-Semitism, anti-Italian-Americans, anti-German-Americans, Anti-Polish-Americans, anti-Chinese and Japanese- Americans, anti-Russian or anti-communist, anti-Mexican-Americans or, more broadly, anti-Latino-Americans, anti-immigrants (esp. “undocumented immigrants”), and, the most recent, anti-Muslim (both Muslims born and living in this country and Muslims elsewhere).  It is interesting that descendants of some who have been discriminated against now use the very same arguments of experiencing threats against the more recent subject of our phobia that had been directed toward their ancestors.

The way it seems to work is that, on the basis of some negative experience or even merely memories or rumors of negative experiences, we extrapolate to arrive at the notion that the entire group posits a threat to our collective survival.  As we overcome the fear of one group, we quickly conclude that this new threat is the greatest ever.  Even in a highly individualistic society such as ours, we seem to quickly revert to collectivist/tribal thinking according to which bad action by some from another group makes us jump to the conclusion that all of them are a threat to us and need to be eliminated.

In regard to Islam and Muslims, there are, indeed, some Muslims who, allegedly in the name of Islam, have done and continue to do massively evil things. But they are a tiny radicalized minority of terrorists for whom there is a technical name,”Islamists” or “jihadists.” The followers of the “Islamist” interpretation of Islam are located in many places of the world (esp. groups like al-Qaeda, or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria/ISIL) and some can be found in the US. While they have done harm to some of us, they are, at least up to now, nowhere near the damage done by other individuals and groups in our country (or county).  If you don’t believe me, read the papers or watch the daily news.

What about the vast majority of Muslims in the US?  There may be a handful who are sympathizers of radical retaliation of actions by western nations but the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful folks whose purpose in life is no different from that of most of “us”, namely, to raise their families, earn an education and make a living, enjoy friendship with others, and follow a path of honorable and constructive living.

How do I know that?  Not only from common sense observation about the human condition here on earth but also I travelled widely in the Muslim world, had many Muslim students both American-born and foreign-born, have many Muslim friends, helped Muslim refugees, and published the writings of Muslim scholars. I taught Muslims and I learned from Muslims.  Many of them struggle with the heritage of animosity toward “others” found in their holy book and in their tradition in the same way that the rest of us struggle when confronted by animosities of our own holy books and religious or secular traditions.  If you were to ask would I be concerned about living among Muslims, I would answer, “no more than living among any other people.”

My appeal is not to allow our phobias, including Islamophobia, to make a lie out of the words of our national anthem, regarding the claim that we live in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”  If we live in fear either because we are threatened by those whom we despise or feel threatened by those who despise us, we are not free. Nor are we brave when we continue to nurture phobias. The solution is simple. Venture to meet as many Muslims as you can.  Get to know them as persons.  Will you always have a good experience? No more than meeting people of “our own group.”   In every group, there are some people who may not be likable to you, but venturing out of our comfort zone almost always brings rewarding experiences.  Then, too, you will be able to appeal to others to drop their Islamophobia (or any other group animosity you may currently have) and truly live “in the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Dr. Paul Mojzes is Professor Emeritus of religious studies at Rosemont College, Rosemont, Pennsylvania, where he used to be the Provost and Academic Dean. Currently, he is teaching a six-week course, “Religious Violence and Peacemaking,” at FAU LLS Jupiter on Thursdays at 2:30 p.m.  He also taught in the Holocaust and Genocide Masters program at Stockton College in New Jersey. He is a native of Yugoslavia who studied at Belgrade University Law School, received the A.B. degree from Florida Southern College and a Ph.D. degree from Boston University in Eastern European church history. He is the co-editor of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies, and founder and editor of Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe. Author of six and the editor of fourteen books, he has written over 100 articles and chapters in books. Among his recent books are “Balkan Genocides: Holocaust and Ethnic Cleansing in the Twentieth Century,” “Yugoslavian Inferno: Ethnoreligious Warfare in the Balkans,” “Religious Liberty in Eastern Europe and the USSR,” and edited “Religion and War in Bosnia” and co-edited “Interreligious Dialogue Toward Reconciliation in Macedonia and Bosnia.” He lectured in numerous countries and participated in a great variety of interreligious dialogues and Holocaust and genocide conferences.

As the eyes of the world transfix on the flight of Syrians trekking their way to safety in Europe, less attention has been paid to the Syrian refugees living in neighborly countries. Even less attention has been paid to host communities whose vulnerability has reached a breaking point as a result of the massive influx of refugees from Syria.

Since its beginning in 2011, the Syrian conflict has created a refugee crisis with no parallel in modern history. In fact, at the time of this writing, the conflict has thus far caused over 250,000 dead and over 11 million displaced. Over 4 million Syrians have been registered by the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) as refugees living in neighborly countries, excluding those who have entered these countries illegally. No other country in modern history has welcomed more refugees than Lebanon. In fact, Lebanon has the highest per capita number of Syrian refugees in the world. With an estimated population of about 4.3 million, Lebanon, according to UNHCR, has taken in approximately 1.2 million registered Syrian refugees.  Government officials and independent researchers put the overall number at 1.5 million.  This does not include approximately 450,000 Palestinian refugees living in refugee camps established over six decades ago and 50,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria. One in about three people in Lebanon is a refugee.

How could a country, let alone one scarred by a horrific civil war and tormented by chronic socio-economic and political problems, face up to this daunting challenge? How has the international community, together with the government of Lebanon and humanitarian aid organizations, dealt with this unparalleled refugee crisis?

My interest in the humanitarian aspect of the refugee crisis has only deepened as no sign for resolving the bloody Syrian conflict appears in sight. So much has changed since my first visit in summer 2012 to northern Lebanon where most Syrian refugees lived. Then, refugees and host communities seldom engaged in mutual recriminations and blame. Certainly, the massive influx of refugees into Lebanon by 2015 and the spillover effects of the Syrian conflict into Beirut have clearly affected both refugees and host communities alike. Ominously, during my recent field research trip to Lebanon in summer 2015, including to Syrian refugee camps, I sensed in my daily interactions with refugees and Lebanese the morbid feeling permeating their charged environment, which could potentially lead to emotionally-driven backlashes.

Since 2011, the international community, led by UN agencies and partner aid organizations, has developed, through successive regional responses plans addressing the refugee crisis on the regional and individual country levels. Unfortunately, a combination of factors, ranging from serious gaps in funding, massive refugee presence, security risks, parochial politics, crumbling social delivery services, to strict defensive governmental measures has put the whole humanitarian effort in danger of total collapse.

This has led to a dramatic shift in attitudes towards refugees on the popular and institutional levels, potentially leading to social conflict. Put simply, the refugee crisis has had a devastating effect on Lebanon, creating a new tragedy afflicting the vulnerable Lebanese and deepening the tragedy of Syrian and Palestinian refugees. Significantly, this double tragedy has the seeds of conflict not only for social stability but also for disruptive and deadly massive population movements. The Syrian refugee crisis has become a serious threat to regional and international peace and security, whose first victims are going to be a mass of vulnerable individuals across nationalities.

My lecture on the Syrian Refugee Crisis strives to trace the development of the refugee crisis, with a focus on Lebanon, and in the process to underscore in comprehensive details both the successes and failures of the efforts undertaken by the international community and the government of Lebanon to deal with the refugee crisis. The lecture tries to paint a clear picture of the potential double tragedy taking shape in Lebanon, whose humanitarian ramifications will inescapably be prohibitive for human conscience.          

Robert G. Rabil, Ph.D., has a master’s degree in government from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Near Eastern and Judaic studies from Brandeis University. Currently, Dr. Rabil is teaching an eight week course titled “U.S. National Security” on Mondays from 9:30-11 a.m., and two one-time lectures, “The Crisis of Syria’s Refugees: The Future Saviors or the New Salafi-Taliban” on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. and “Iran, Hezbollah, the United States and Israel: The Coming Confrontation” on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 1 p.m. He served as Chief of Emergency of the Red Cross in Lebanon and was project manager of the U.S. State Departmentfunded Iraq Research and Documentation Project. He has written extensively on Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, U.S.-Arab relations, reform in the Arab world, radical Islam and terrorism. He is a frequent speaker at major universities, including Harvard University. He delivers lectures and participates in seminars and forums sponsored by the U.S. government, including the U.S. Army and the National Intelligence Council. He is Professor of Political Science at FAU. Professor Rabil was recently conferred with an honorary Ph.D. in humanities from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

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