By Anne H. Betteridge, Director of Middle Eastern Studies
The University of Arizona's Center for Middle Eastern Studies was honored to be a partner in planning the AzIP workshop. In spring 2007 Sharon Megdal, Bob Varady, Ed Wright and I began a hopeful conversation about possibly holding the workshop in spring 2008.
We were enthusiastic, optimistic about the project's funding prospects, and secure in the knowledge that the project was uniquely suited to the UA's strengths in water resource research, arid lands studies, and scholarship on the Middle East. We were particularly excited about the possibility of holding talks about complex concerns shared by Arizonans, Israelis, and Palestinians, and placing those within a comparative framework. We could not at that point appreciate the extent to which the economic environment would complicate the search for funding locally, nationally, and internationally. I continue to be grateful for the heroic efforts of Sharon Megdal, Chet Phillips, and their colleagues, which resulted in a prestigious international workshop grant from the National Science Foundation.
The workshop's value extends beyond an exceptional gathering and the resulting publication. A student participant told me that two aspects of the workshop struck her as most worthwhile. First, she admired the degree to which participants who didn't necessarily agree engaged in discussions respectfully and productively. Too, she appreciated the fact that student researchers were invited to participate in workshop sessions. In her case, as I suspect in the case of other students, experience in the workshop has helped shape plans for her academic future. Further, ties established on account of the workshop provide the foundation for future collaborative activities at and beyond the UA. The workshop has already prompted communications from international colleagues who hope to extend the relationships it created. Plans for a UA study abroad program focused on Middle East environmental issues are in the works. I look forward to sharing news of those plans, and to future collaborations.