On this week’s program, UC Berkeley History Professor Beshara Doumani speaks with Columbia University Professor Rashid Khalidi about his new book, The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood. Iron Cage chronicles the successes and failures of Palestinian leadership, from the fall of Ottoman rule in 1918 through today. Rashid Khalidi offers insights into why Palestinian leaders have failed to achieve the long-cherished goal of establishing an independent state.
During the program, we will also hear selections from Taqasim ("Improvisations"), a new CD by internationally renowned Lebanese singer and Oud player Marcel Khalife. His new composition is a duo for oud and double bass accompanied by Near Eastern percussion. Khalife dedicates his new work to the most eminent contemporary Arab poet, Mahmoud Darwish, in celebration of an enduring association and friendship between two of the Arab world’s most respected cultural figures.
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