In light of the war with Iran, Arang Keshavarzian's book talk will now be a roundtable discussion on recent events. This conversation will examine the war with Iran beyond the headlines, situating this latest outbreak of violence within broader historical, social, and regional contexts and debates.

The event is hosted by the Southwest Asia and North Africa Program (SWANA), part of the Einaudi Center for International Studies, and cosponsored by the Department of Near Eastern Studies.

Panel

Arang Keshavarzian (Middle East Studies, New York University)Golnar Nikpour (History, Dartmouth College)Seema Golestaneh (SWANA director and Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University)Moderator: Mostafa Minawi (History, Cornell University).

***

About Arang Keshavarzian

Arang Keshavarzian is Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University. His research and teaching centers on questions of political economy of Iran and the wider Middle East. He has had a particular interest in the relationship between spatialization, capitalism, and political power. He is the author of Bazaar and State in Iran: The Politics of the Tehran Marketplace (Cambridge UP, 2007) and co-editor, with Ali Mirsepassi, of Global 1979: Geographies and Histories of the Iranian Revolution (Cambridge UP, 2021). His most recent book is Making Space for the Gulf: Histories of Regionalism and the Middle East (Stanford UP, 2024). It is the recipient of the 2025 Roger Owen Prize from MESA for best book in economic history, economics, and political economy, as well as an honorary mention for the 2025 biannual book award from the Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies. His articles on various topics have appeared in several edited volumes as well as Politics & Society; International Journal of Middle East Studies, Geopolitics; Economy & Society; International Journal of Urban and Region Research, and Middle East Report.

Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, former President of Iceland and current professor of history at the University of Iceland, explores Greenland’s complex path from colony to emerging nation—and its future, as seen from its closest European neighbor.

Drawing on Iceland’s own experience of gaining independence from Denmark, he examines the historical ties, political tensions, and geopolitical stakes that shape Greenland’s future amid growing great-power interest in the Arctic. The lecture offers a unique perspective from nearby Iceland on Greenland and broader questions of sovereignty, self-determination, and small-state resilience in an era of global change.

About the Speaker

Guðni Th. Jóhannesson is a 2026 Messenger Lecturer at Cornell. He served as the sixth president of Iceland from 2016 to 2024. Running as an independent, he won the 2016 election with a plurality of the vote, becoming the youngest person ever to serve as Iceland's president. His approval rating reached an unprecedented 97% in his first term. During his years in office, he elevated Iceland's international profile and advocated for human rights, inclusive democracy, climate action, and renewable energy solutions. As a historian at the University of Iceland, his research focuses on modern Icelandic history. He has published works on the Cod Wars, the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis, and the Icelandic presidency.

***

About the Event

This lecture is hosted by the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, part of the Einaudi Center for International Studies. It is cosponsored by the Einaudi Center's Institute for European Studies and the Cornell Brooks School Tech Policy Institute.

Guðni Th. Jóhannesson's visit is sponsored by the Messenger Lecture series.

“Voices of Resilience” is a lecture-recital presentation developed in collaboration with the Ukrainian Classical Voice Project, a non-profit organization, and enabled by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and sponsored by the Institute for European Studies.

The program interweaves performance with spoken reflection to explore the role of music as a vehicle for peace-making, solidarity, and unity in the face of hardship.

Centering marginalized and underrepresented creative voices, the event highlights music as a powerful site of cultural memory, resilience, and collective expression.

Through music and dialogue, the presentation engages themes of culture, poetry, narrative, migration, and peace pedagogy, affirming the vital role of artistic collaboration in fostering global understanding, shared hope, and a collective pursuit of a more just and peaceful future.

The Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Program promotes ethical leadership and international research around the world—starting with the passionate leaders and learners found on campuses like Cornell. Open to first- and second-year students, the two-year Laidlaw program provides generous support to carry out internationally focused research, develop leadership skills, engage with community projects overseas, and become part of a global network of like-minded scholars from twenty universities worldwide.

At this session, we'll share more information about the program, including independent international projects with the Einaudi Center’s trusted partners around the world for the summer 2026 leadership-in-action portion of the program, and tips for writing a successful application. Applications are due January 12, 2026.

Register here. Can’t attend? Contact programs@einaudi.cornell.edu.

The Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Program promotes ethical leadership and international research around the world—starting with the passionate leaders and learners found on campuses like Cornell. Open to first- and second-year students, the two-year Laidlaw program provides generous support to carry out internationally focused research, develop leadership skills, engage with community projects overseas, and become part of a global network of like-minded scholars from twenty universities worldwide.

At this session, we'll share more information about the program, including independent international projects with the Einaudi Center’s trusted partners around the world for the summer 2026 leadership-in-action portion of the program, and tips for writing a successful application. Applications are due January 12, 2026.

Register here. Can’t attend? Contact programs@einaudi.cornell.edu.