A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
On June 18, 2018, the Middle East Report (MER) published an article Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies Nabil Al-Tikriti submitted, entitled “Civilians in Mosul’s Battle of Annihilation.” This article was partially informed by Prof. Al-Tikriti’s service as MSF / Doctors Without Borders USA Vice-President in 2016-17, when he attended presentations on violence and participants’ conduct during the 2016-2017 Battle of Mosul.
Article Abstract: “Understanding the course of events and identifying the participants in the battle of Mosul is a difficult task. What is certain is that all parties neglected the fate of civilians and were unable to provide proper emergency medical relief. An examination of the battle is crucial to understanding the evolution of international humanitarian law in conflict zones. ”
MER Issue #286 Article Link: https://www.merip.org/mer/mer286/civilians-mosuls-battle-annihilation.
For the full article, see: https://www.academia.edu/37114216/Civilians_in_Mosuls_Battle_of_Annihilation.
On June 24, in his final capacity as MSF/Doctors Without Border USA’s 2016-17 Vice President, Associate Professor of History and American Studies Nabil Al-Tikriti chaired a panel which he had co-organized, entitled “Navigating in a New Political Environment.” The panel was aimed at NGO stakeholders and held at the annual MSF USA General Assembly in New York City, an annual gathering where MSF field staff debate pressing issues in contexts where they operate as well as elect new members to the MSF USA Board of Directors.
The panel abstract was as follows: “In this panel, speakers address the current populist political environment for humanitarian actors worldwide. Following an introductory overview speaker, subsequent panelists will address three topics of particular current concern to MSF: global forced migration crisis and global health. Following our four panelists, audience participants debate the effects of the current wave of populism on MSF and colleague humanitarian operations worldwide — as well as potential strategies for addressing this new political reality.”
Panelists included the following:
Ken Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch
Laurie Garrett, Senior Global Health Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Aurelie Ponthieu, MSF Migration Advisor
Jason Cone, Executive Director, MSF USA
Each panelist challenged MSF on the limits of its operations and public discourse during this period of heightened nationalism, retrenchment of foreign aid, and assault on refugees. Following the panelists’ comments, attending Association members debated the merits of the points presented.
The event took place on the fourth floor of the Metropolitan Pavilion, located at 125 W. 18th St., New York City, 10011: https://www.metropolitanevents.com/location/metropolitan-pavilion/.
Following MSF USA General Assembly, Prof. Al-Tikriti participated in MSF’s International General Assembly in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 28 June – 1 July. In the course of this global assembly, participants debated motions addressing institutional growth, institutional racism, termination of pregnancy, environmental health, migration, and other issues of common interest.
Following his unsuccessful bid to join the International Board, Prof. Al-Tikriti has now ended his six-year service to the MSF USA Board of Directors.
In his capacity as Vice President of the United States section of MSF/Doctors Without Borders, Nabil Al-Tikriti, associate professor of history and American studies, participated in the annual Field Associative Debate (FAD) for MSF national and international staff serving throughout Turkey and Northern Syria, in Istanbul, on March 17. This year’s regional FAD topic covered MSF public positioning vis-a-vis the “safe zone” declared in Northern Syria in 2017. After debating this topic, staff members then presented recommendations for consideration by the MSF executive.
Immediately following the Istanbul FAD, Prof. Al-Tikriti participated in the FAD for MSF national and international staff serving throughout Greece, in Athens, on March 18. At this FAD, MSF staff debated public positioning, advocacy, and implementation issues regarding regional migration projects. After debating this topic, staff members then also presented recommendations for consideration by the MSF executive.
Upon his return, he reviewed and contributed to one of the two internal FAD reports.
As part of his duties as vice president of MSF / Doctors Without Borders USA, Middle East History Professor Nabil Al-Tikriti joined an MSF Association open board meeting, hub gathering and Association retreat in Portland, Oregon. The event took place Feb. 3-4 and consisted of two days of reflective sessions on operations, human resources, labor policy, institutional racism and other issues of associative interest.
In his capacity as Vice President of MSF / Doctors Without Borders USA, Associate Professor of Middle Eastern History Nabil Al-Tikriti joined a three-person panel to discuss global migration issues and MSF’s involvement in rescuing refugee populations in Philadelphia on Thursday, Nov. 10. Stephen Figge of MSF USA Communications led the panel discussion, and the other panelist was Mark Leirer, an American nurse who was recently on one of the three MSF rescue ships. The discussion was preceded by a donor event, and the screening of a documentary film on European migration. The entire event took place at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, and was part of the concluding run of MSF USA’s “Forced From Home” Exhibit, which was staged in New York, Queens, Washington, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia between September and November.
Previously, Al-Tikriti took his entire “History of Genocides” Freshman Seminar class to the exhibit when it was staged in Washington. For further information on the exhibit, which next should tour the West Coast in 2017, see: http:\forcedfromhome.com.