Traditions of colonialism, autocracy, the rentier state, clientalism, corruption and imagined history all contribute to the dysfunction of Middle East polities. Most importantly Arab politics is dominated by authoritarianism, ethno-nationalism and ideological belief systems. There is more than ample evidence of that on a daily basis, most visibly and starkly with the terror manifest by the Islamic State organization (ISIS).

Michael Bell, Senior Fellow, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University visited the CIGI Campus on May 21, 2015 to present this Signature Lecture.