Nicolas Pelham at New America Foundation
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
12:00pm — 1:30pm
New America Foundation
740 15th St NW #900
Washington, DC 20005
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Today the Middle East is torn apart by sectarian wars. Yet in the nineteenth century, the Middle East was more tolerant than Western Europe. In his new book Holy Lands: Reviving Pluralism in the Middle East, Nicolas Pelham argues that the Ottoman Empire allowed religious pluralism and self determination to flourish until European powers broke the empire up into secular nation-states, a spectacular failure spawning sectarian violence since. The solution, Pelham argues, is to try to revive the lost pluralist tradition.
Nicolas Pelham is The Economist's correspondent in Jerusalem and writes on Arab affairs for The New York Review of Books. He first worked as a journalist in Cairo in 1992 and then joined the BBC Arabic Service. From 2001 to 2004 he reported for The Economist and the Financial Times in Iraq and Jordan. He is the author of A New Muslim Order (2008) and co-author with Peter Mansfield of A History of the Middle East (2010).
New America is pleased to welcome Mr. Pelham for a discussion of his book and pluralism 
in the Middle East. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Nadia Oweidat, Senior Non-Residential Fellow, New America International Security Program (@NadiaOweidat). Copies of the book will be available for purchase by check or credit card. Follow the discussion online using #PluralistME and following @NatSecNAF.
Today the Middle East is torn apart by sectarian wars. Yet in the nineteenth century, the Middle East was more tolerant than Western Europe. In his new book Holy Lands: Reviving Pluralism in the Middle East, Nicolas Pelham argues that the Ottoman Empire allowed religious pluralism and self determination to flourish until European powers broke the empire… more
New America Foundation740 15th St NW #900
Washington, DC 20005