Provost's Initiative on the Middle East

The Provost's Initiative on the Middle East is an ongoing effort to make space in the Duke campus community for rigorous and respectful debate in which differing perspectives are welcome on current and past conflicts in the region. 

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In a Feb. 12 message to the Duke community, Provost Alec D. Gallimore announced the initiative, which is building on the activities of Duke departments, schools, centers, and institutes to:

• foster constructive and civil dialogues about these complex, contentious, and emotionally charged issues in ways that enhance understanding and build skills that lead to shared learning;
• take advantage of the talent and expertise available at Duke supplemented as needed with the voices of outside scholars, writers, and political actors; and
• nurture a sense of community, particularly between individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

The initiative is led by Bruce Jentleson, the William Preston Few Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science and an expert on the Middle East as well as international security and U.S. foreign policy broadly. Professor Jentleson is working in partnership with Vice Provost Abbas Benmamoun and Associate Provost Noah Pickus and in consultation with a faculty working group and others in the campus community, including academic programs in Trinity College with expertise on the Middle East as well as the Center for Muslim Life and Jewish Life at Duke.

Together, they will be organizing a variety of events, programs and engagement opportunities that strive to model thoughtful and civil engagement, provide a forum for different perspectives on the conflict, and enhance understanding based on expertise and evidence-based scholarship, and supporting others at Duke who are striving to do the same through their own activities.

Upcoming Events

Past Events

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The reaction on college campuses to the October 7 attacks, the ongoing war in Gaza, and the resulting humanitarian crises has been one of the defining events of the last year. The 2024 Provost’s Forum, “Universities and the Israel-Palestine Conflict: How to Discuss, How to Engage?”, explored how universities can foster constructive discourse and greater understanding on current and past conflicts in the Middle East and apply knowledge and skills to help address critical needs in the region. More than 300 Duke students, faculty, and staff participated in the event.