A discussion of the unfolding Israel–Hamas war and an analysis of what it will mean for the future of the region.

Organized by the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies and the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations. Co-sponsored by the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies.

About the Event

On October 12th, The UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center, in partnership with the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, held an urgent, virtual discussion on Hamas' horrific terrorist attack on Israeli citizens, the unfolding Israel–Hamas war, and what these events will mean for the future of the region.

Nazarian Center Director Professor Dov Waxman and Dr. Dalia Dassa Kaye, Senior Fellow at UCLA’s Burkle Center for International Relations and director of its Initiative for Regional Security Architectures, analyzed the unfolding Israel–Hamas war and its potential developments and repercussions. Professor Kal Raustiala, Director of the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, served as moderator for the online discussion.

About the Speakers

Dalia Dassa Kaye is currently a senior fellow at UCLA’s Burkle Center for International Relations and directing its Initiative for Regional Security Architectures. Dr. Kaye served as the director of the Center for Middle East Public Policy at the RAND Corporation from 2012-2020 and as a senior political scientist at RAND since 2005. A life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and recipient of many other awards and fellowships, she is a frequent public speaker and commentator on international affairs and Middle East policy in a wide range of media outlets. Kaye is the author of two books, Beyond the Handshake: Multilateral Cooperation in the Arab-Israeli Peace Process and Talking to the Enemy: Track Two Diplomacy in the Middle East and South Asia, as well as numerous journal articles, op-eds, and RAND studies.

Dov Waxman is the Director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. He is a professor of Political Science and The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair of Israel Studies at UCLA. Waxman's research focuses on the conflict over Israel–Palestine, Israeli politics and foreign policy, US–Israel relations, American Jewry’s relationship with Israel, Jewish politics, and anti-Semitism. He is the author of dozens of scholarly articles and four books, most recently The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, 2019).

Kal Raustiala (Moderator) is the Promise Institute Distinguished Professor of Comparative and International Law at UCLA Law School, Professor at the UCLA International Institute, and Director of the UCLA Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations. From 2012-2015 he served as UCLA’s Associate Vice Provost for International Studies and Faculty Director of the International Education Office. Professor Raustiala's research focuses on international law, international relations, and intellectual property. 

Statement from the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center on the Unfolding Israel–Hamas War 

The UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies unequivocally condemns the horrific terrorist attack that Hamas carried out in Israel on Saturday, October 7, and the abduction of many Israeli civilians, including children and elderly people. We express our deepest condolences to the many people who have lost family and friends, which includes our own colleagues in the Israel Studies academic community. During this dark time, we believe that education is all the more important, and we will do all we can to provide this to the UCLA community, the local community, and to everyone around the world who is witnessing the unfolding war. To that end, we will share our expertise as much as possible in the difficult days to come.

DISCLAIMER: The views or opinions of our guest speakers and the content of their presentations do not necessarily reflect the views of the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Hosting speakers does not constitute an endorsement of the speaker's views or opinions.