Vincent Ferraro - On Recent Developments Of The Islamic State

Mount Holyoke Professor Vincent Ferraro, a specialist in International Relations since the end of the Cold War and former consultant of the United Nations' development program and UN Association of the United States, spoke on the Islamic State and seven core conflicts in Syria. The lecture was hosted by the UMass Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha's Delta Lambda chapter. The civil war in Syria has highlighted tensions both in and outside of the region. The ongoing battle between the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad and anti-government forces has not only allowed Islamic fundamentalists to gain a foothold, but has further aggravated divisions between nation-states and other actors such as Russia and the United States, Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as Turkey and the Kurdish peoples. Ferraro also discusses how climate change and fossil fuels tie directly to political conflicts. Together, these conflicts have created unlikely alliances and tested international balance of powers. This lecture was recorded on March 22, 2016 in Machmer at UMass Amherst.