Professor Paul Holman will give a talk entitled “What’s New About North Africa? The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” on Thursday, October 15, 6-7:30 pm at the Rockland Public Library. This event is free and open to all.

The five countries of North Africa reflect the same trends that have been troubling the Middle East and much of Africa. All have suffered from violent attacks by Islamist terrorists, but they have not forgotten the high hopes of the “Arab Spring” that began in 2010. Morocco’s ancient monarchy is experimenting with constitutional reforms, while Libya has collapsed into chaos and tribal warfare. Military dictators rule Egypt and Algeria, but Tunisia has held the freest elections in its history and moved toward stable, tolerant democracy. This lecture will ask some hard questions. Why does democracy work in some places, but not in others? What has America accomplished by providing weapons, training local military forces, and using air power to overthrow Muammar Gadhafi in Libya? Above all, how can Americans help to stabilize these countries without exacerbating regional tensions?

Professor Paul Holman is a Visiting Professor of International Relations for the University of Maine, Orono, serving concurrently as an Adjunct Professor at the Naval War College. He co-edited a number of books including the multi-volume series Fundamentals of Force Planning, and Ethnic Nationalism and Regional Conflict.

This presentation is hosted by the Rockland Public Library and offered as a free community event in in anticipation of the 29th Annual Camden Conference: The New Africa, February 19-21, 2016.

The mission of the Camden Conference is to foster informed discourse on world issues. For more information, visit www.camdenconference.org, email info@camdenconference.org, or call 207-236-1034.