São Paulo – The publisher Pusek, owned by Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik (Usek), in Lebanon, has released a book with texts by specialists and political scientists on relations between Latin America and the Middle East. Latin America and Middle-East: Crossed Perspectives – Annals of Philosophy and Humanities is based on lectures delivered at the international colloquium “Middle East-Latin America relations: A decade of South-South relations,” held in July last year in Lebanon. The book was published in December.
Information on the book was supplied to ANBA by Roberto Khatlab, the Brazilian-born, Lebanon-based director of the Center for Latin American Studies and Cultures at Usek, which organized the colloquium. Khatlab edited the book alongside Hoda Nehme of Usek and Elodie Brun of university Colégio do México. The lecturers updated texts for the publication.
The first part of the book deals with the strengthening of ties between the Middle East and Latin America/the Caribbean, emphasizing the Summit of South American-Arab Countries (Aspa), a meeting of heads of state from both regions first held in 2005 as a result of Brazilian efforts; the Syria-Venezuela alliance; and the growing interest from Latin American governments in the Gulf region.
The second part of the publication focuses on Brazilian foreign policy and its widening international relevance coinciding with the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva administration, which lasted from 2003 to 2010. It also offers an analysis of Brazil’s role in the Middle East, particularly in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The third and final section of the book turns to research on Arab uprisings and other issues, such as the role of language in international relations.
The preface is by Sebastien Velut, director of the Institute for Higher Studies on Latin America of Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3, in France, and the intro is by Khatlab and Elodie Brun. The articles are from Elodie Brun, Juan Jose Vigne, from Argentina, Fadi Ahmar, from Lebanon, Alejandra Galindo, from Mexico, Guilherme Casarões, Cecilia Baez, Silio Boccanera and Richard de Araujo, from Brazil, and John Toufik Karam, of the United States.
Usek also hosted other colloquia on Latin America/Middle East relations, one of them focusing on inequality and democracy, held last year, and the other on realities, sociocultural and economic perspectives for both regions, in 2014. The contents of both events are also going to be worked into books, according to Khatlab.
“Cecal-Usek looks to strengthen exchange between Latin America and Arab countries from an academic perspective, in a bid to encourage students to learn about the importance of relations between the two regions, and to learn that strong human relationships have already been built through emigration and immigration, especially in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine,” says Khatlab.
He notes that the Cecal is a member of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (Clacso) and that Usek’s central library includes a collection on Latin America.
The book can be purchased from Usek’s publisher, Pusek, or directly from Khatlab. To order, write to pusek@usek.edu.lb or robertokhatlab@usek.edu.lb.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
