Political transition in the Middle East and North Africa, Changing Universities and ..

The Future Now Show November 2014

about political transition in the Middle East and North Africa, Changing Universities and ..

featuring
Simon Jones, Provost at Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan
James M Dorsey, Singapore
Humberto Schwab, Owner Humberto Schwab Filosofia, Spain

about political transition in the Middle East and North Africa
and ..

In late 2010 and for some time after the Arab Spring raised hopes of an awakening in societies across the Middle East and North Africa of principles long cherished in ”the West” – human rights, social justice, equality and so on. What went wrong? Four years later the phrase “Arab Winter” has gained currency. Has it all turned sour or is it just the start of a long, painful, and possibly bloody, process with many years yet to play out? Has something in these societies changed irrevocably? Will the geopolitical interests of major powers, including those of the “free” and democratic West, stifle the nascent ambitions in these regions in the name of stability, as they have done in the past? – Paul Holister, Editor

about Changing Universities and …

When you think about universities, Kazakhstan probably doesn’t come to mind. Yet it houses a university that has partnerships with prestigious universities from around the world. The incentive for such universities in many non-western and often non-democratic countries seems primarily economic – the Asian Tigers demonstrated the economic value of easy access to quality higher education. But questions arise. As higher education becomes increasingly a privilege in the US, what sort of economic shifts might result? How do these universities differ from traditional western ones, especially in societies where freedom of speech is more limited? Are they just turning out skilled cogs for businesses or people more broadly developed intellectually? Does involvement of prestigious western institutions help prop up autocratic regimes? Or is the long-term effect inevitably for the greater good? – Paul Holister, Editor

The Future Now Show
November 2014
Credits

Moderator
Humberto Schwab, Owner Humberto Schwab Filosofia, Spain

Thought Leaders
Simon Jones, Provost at Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan
James M Dorsey, Singapore

Intro voices
Gunvanthi Balaram, freelance writer, editor, translator, India
Jack Gallagher, Artistic Director & Choreographer, Bodies Anonymous

and
Mario de Vries, Media Specialist, Design
Paul Holister, Editor