FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Ami Pedahzur, professor of government and the Arnold S. Chaplik Professor in Israel and Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, will present "The Quest for Understanding Terrorism: What is Next," a special guest lecture sponsored by the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Arkansas. 

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 15, in the Gearhart Hall Auditorium, Room 26.

In his lecture, Pedahzur will discuss results from a recent study investigating the degree to which the large body of research on terrorism post-9/11 advanced the understanding of terrorists and their motivations. The study calls for a more accurate and sophisticated line of research. To do so, it is critical to developing real interdisciplinary platforms.

"We are excited to welcome Dr. Ami Pedahzur to the University of Arkansas campus," said Tom Paradise, director of the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies. "The Middle East has remained a central fixture in the media for decades, and the analysis of acts of terror is a reoccurring theme closely linked to the region in the public mind.  As area studies become more interdisciplinary, we hope that new understandings and new solutions emerge from where traditionally disparate disciplines meet."

Pedahzur is the author of several books, including The Triumph of Israel's Radical Right; Jewish Terrorism in Israel; The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism; and Suicide Terrorism. He also published dozens of articles in such peer-reviewed journals as International Studies Quarterly, Social Forces, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Deviant Behavior, Terrorism and Political Violence, and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism.  

Pedahzur is the founding director of the Institute for Israel Studies, which pursues research on Israeli social, culture, politics, and foreign relations. His areas of specialty include comparative politics, terrorism, political violence, radicalism, and security studies.

About the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies: The King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies is an academic and research unit in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. An interdisciplinary and interdepartmental area studies center that offers diverse cultural, intellectual, and educational opportunities for the University of Arkansas community, the Center promotes research and teaching in interdisciplinary Middle East Studies.  The Center offers an undergraduate major in Middle East Studies through the Middle East Studies (MEST) Program and supports graduate studies in related departments with graduate assistantships.  The Center also awards competitive grants for summer language study, field research, and conference travel, and routinely sponsors lectures and other programming by visiting scholars from affiliated universities and programs.  More information about the King Fahd Center can be found at http://mest.uark.edu.  For ongoing news, follow the Center on Facebook and Twitter.